Nandgaon is a historical town and a

nagar panchayat A nagar panchayat (town panchayat; ) or Notified Area Council (NAC) in India is a settlement in transition from rural to urban and therefore a form of an urban political unit comparable to a municipality. An urban centre with more than 12,000 ...

in Mathura district in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n state of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

. Nandgaon is a religious centre in

Braj Braj, also known as Vraj, Vraja, Brij or Brijbhoomi, is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state encompassing the area which also includes Palwal and Ballabhgarh in Haryana ...

region. It is believed that

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

in his childhood resided in Nandgaon with his family. Nandgaon was named after Nand Baba, father of Krishna.

Geography

Nandgaon is located at , and has an average elevation of 184 metres (603 feet). Within Nandgaon lies the ancient water body Paawan Sarovar. The ancient site has been restored by th
Braj Foundation.

Culture

According to Hindu texts, Nandgaon was the home of Lord

where he resided for nine years and 50 days along with his foster father

Nanda Baba Nanda () is a cow-herd chief, and the foster-father of Krishna, featured in the Harivamsha and the Puranas. Nanda is the son of Parjanya, a ruler of the Vraja region, who is a son of the Yadava king, Devamida. He is the chief of Gokulam, which i ...

and mother

Yashoda Yashoda ( sa, यशोदा, translit=Yaśodā) is the foster-mother of Krishna and the wife of Nanda Baba, Nanda. She is described in the Puranic texts of Hinduism as the wife of Nanda Baba, Nanda, the chieftain of Gokul, Gokulam, and the siste ...

as Shandilya Muni cursed the demons of Kansa that if they will enter Nandisvara Hill (Nandgaon) they will changed into stone.

, the village chieftain, built the house atop a large hill to protect Lord Krishna from demons sent by King Kansa. Nanda Maharaja and other decided to move here from

Gokula Gokula Singh (also known as Veer Gokula, or Gokal or Gokul Singh Jat; died on 1 January 1670 AD) was a Jat zamindar of Tilpat, belonging to Haga(Agre/Agha) gotra, in what is now the state of Haryana, India. The second of four sons born to Madu, ...

because of the turbulence caused by demons that were trying to kill Krishna. The hill on which the main temple is located is called the Nandisvara Hill. Lord Shiva had prayed to Krishna to be allowed to witness his transcendental pastimes. After Lord Shiva performed penances for many centuries, Lord Krishna asked him his wish. Lord Shiva told him that he wished to be a mountain at Nandgaon, so that the Gopis would step on him, leaving the dust of their feet on him. Krishna granted him this boon and Lord Shiva became the Nandisvara Hill, on which Nandgaon is situated. Nandgaon is a major religious and tourist destination owing to its association with Lord

. Every year thousands flock to the town during

Holi Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...

to witness the wonderful festival of

Lathmar holi Lathmar Holi (Holi of sticks) is a Hindu festival celebrated in the twin towns of Barsana and Nandgaon, also known as the towns of Radha and Krishna respectively. Every year, during the period of Holi, thousands of devotees and tourists visit ...

Demographics

As of the

2001 Census of India The 2001 Census of India was the 14th in a series of censuses held in India every decade since 1871. The population of India was counted as 1,028,737,436 consisting of 532,223,090 males and 496,514,346 females. Total population increased by 18 ...

, Nandgaon had a population of 9956. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Nandgaon has an average literacy rate of 45%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 59%, and female literacy is 29%. In Nandgaon, 19% of the population is under 6 years of age.

How to reach

Nandgaon is 48 km (29 mi) northwest of

Vrindavana Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance in Hinduism as Krishna spent most of his childho ...

. The easiest way to get there is to take a taxi, which takes about an hour. To get there by public transportation from Vrindavana take a public bus to the town of Kosi (40 km/24 mi). From there take a tempo to Nandgaon, which is 10 km away. The Braja Darsana bus comes here after stopping in

Barsana Barsana is a historical town and ''nagar panchayat'' in the Mathura district of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Barsana is believed to be the birthplace and home of the Hindu goddess Radha, the chief consort of Krishna. It is in the Braj re ...

. The bus departs at 8 a.m. from the Vrindavana bus stand and also stops near the front of the ISKCON Temple.

References

External links

Shri Yashoda Nand Ji Mandir
* * Cities and towns in Mathura district {{Mathura-geo-stub