Category: Kaman (Kamyavan)

Charan Pahadi is located in the village of Angrawali, approximately 4 kilometers to the South-West of Kaman. Here, you can find the largest and most significant imprint of Sri Krishna’s feet on a stone in the entire Vraja Mandala. In addition to the lotus footprints of Krishna, visitors can also observe the footprints of the gopis, cowherd boys, and cows at this location. The term ‘Charana’ refers to ‘lotus feet’, while ‘Pahadi’ means ‘hill’ or ‘small mountain’. This place is sometimes referred to as Charana-chinha, with ‘Chinha’ signifying that the impression of the Lord’s lotus feet is indented onto the rocks.

Rameshwara Setubandha is a secluded location within Kamyavana where Krishna brought to life the legend of Lord Ramachandra. Within this serene spot, one can witness a temple of Lord Shiva called Rameshwara Mahadeva, which symbolizes the sacred Dhama of Rameshwara located in the southern region of India. Setubandha, on the other hand, marks the place where Lord Ramachandra constructed a magnificent stone bridge to cross the vast Indian Ocean and reach the island of Lanka. The temple is situated at one end of a stone bridge that once spanned across a small lake named Setubandha-sarovara, symbolizing the mighty Indian Ocean, and culminating at a small hill named Lanka Puri, representing Ravana’s legendary city of Lanka. Regrettably, the majority of the stones used in constructing the bridge have vanished over time. Additionally, a small forest called Ashokavana lies nearby, signifying the Ashoka garden in Lanka where Sita Devi was held captive by Ravana. Although the lake may remain dry throughout most of the year, it comes to life during the rainy season. In Sanskrit, ‘setu’ denotes ‘bridge,’ while ‘bandha’ connotes ‘link-up.’

The Char Dham Yatra is a well-known religious journey in India, where devotees visit four revered sites nestled in the Himalayas – Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. The term “char” signifies four, while “dham” denotes religious destinations in Hindi. Sometimes called the “Chota Char Dham Yatra” or the smaller 4 Dham Yatra, what most people are unaware of is that all four dhams also exist eternally in Vraja Mandala, where Krishna, the source of all incarnations, and Vraja-dhama, the origin of all holy places, are found. In fact, the Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri found in the Himalayas are expansions of those found in Vraja Mandala. That is why Badrinath of Vraja Mandala, for example, is also known as “Adi Badri.” Along with Krishna, all the holy dhams have descended to Vraja Mandala. It is where Krishna brought Nanda Maharaja and the other Vraja gopis to take darshan of Badrinath, Kedarnath, and the other holy dhams, so they could easily do their pilgrimage without having to travel a great distance. Along with the four dhams, one also gets the opportunity to take the darshan of Lakshman Jhula here in Vraja Mandala. Situated in the forest of Kamyavan in Vraja, these four holy dhams can be found near the town of Deeg, close to Kaman, in Rajasthan. The char dham yatra of Vraja marks the farthest point from the center of the Vraja Mandala Parikrama, and from here, the parikrama begins to head back. This article will provide a brief description of the location and pastimes of these holy dhams.

Located on the eastern side of Kalavata village, near Kaman, lies Bhojan Sthali, a place where Lord Krishna frequently dined with His cowherd companions. To access this spot, one can either cross the stream from Vyomasur-gupha or follow a straight path from Kaman. Interestingly, the rock surface at this location still bears the imprints of the bowls and plates that Krishna used during His meals. Bhojan Sthali is situated in close proximity to Krishna Kunda, also known as Ksirsagara, where Lord Krishna took a refreshing bath after slaying Vyomasura. Moreover, adjacent to Bhojan Sthali is Bajani Sila, a nearby spot where Krishna and His friends used a stone as a musical instrument after their lunch. The act of Lord Krishna getting ready to relish a meal with His friends is described in the following shloka mentioned in Srimad Bhagavatam –

North of the Kalavata village, near Kaman (Kamyavan), on a hilltop, lies the famous cave of Vyomasura (Vyomasura Gupha). This cave holds great significance as it was the place where Lord Krishna killed the demon Vyomasura to rescue his cowherd friends who were held captive by the demon.

It all started when Krishna and his friends were playing the game of “cops and robbers” on the Govardhan hill. Some say that Krishna and His friends were playing near Kamyavan on that day. The demon Vyomasura, who had the ability to fly in the sky, appeared in the guise of a cowherd boy and started stealing the boys, sealing them in his cave with stones. But Krishna, being the all-knowing and all-powerful Lord, understood the demon’s trickery and quickly caught hold of him. The demon tried to transform himself into a mountain to escape, but Krishna’s grip was too strong.

The town of Kaman, Rajasthan is home to a revered temple, the Vrinda devi and Radha Govinda temple, which occupies a central position within the town. The temple is famous for the presence of the deities enshrined within its walls. Of particular note is the deity of Vrinda Devi, who was originally installed by the Vajranabha, great grandson of Krishna, approximately 5,000 years ago.

Years later, Rupa Goswami rediscovered the deity on the banks of Brahma Kunda in Vrindavan and installed her in a small temple adjacent to the Radha Govinda temple in Vrindavan. However, due to the tumultuous political climate of the time, the king of Jaipur ordered the transfer of Vrinda Devi, along with Radha Gopinatha, Radha Madana-Mohan, and Radha Govinda, to Jaipur to protect them from Mughal attack. The deities were loaded onto bullock carts and began the journey to Jaipur, but they made a stop for three nights in Kamyavan.

Phisalni Sila, an ancient sliding rock located near the Kalawata village in Rajasthan, has a rich history dating back five thousand years. It is also spelled as Fisalni Sila. According to local legends, Lord Krishna and His friends used to visit this spot while grazing their cows and enjoy sliding down the rock’s smooth surface. Likewise, Srimati Radharani and her sakhis have been said to visit this place and indulge in sliding down the rock.

Five thousand years ago, the province of Sindh (now situated in present-day Pakistan) was ruled by King Vimala, who resided in Champaka Nagari. Despite having six thousand queens, he had no children at first. However, Sage Yajnavalkya blessed him with ten million daughters. Interestingly, these daughters were all reincarnations of women from Ayodhya who, in their previous lives, yearned to be married to Lord Ramachandra. Unfortunately, their dreams were never fulfilled as Lord Rama vowed to accept only one wife. However, during the Dvapara Yuga, Lord Krishna descended and reciprocated with their long-cherished desires.

Upon reaching a marriageable age, King Vimala desired to marry all his daughters to Lord Krishna. Delighted by this request, Lord Krishna accepted and wedded all the princesses at Champaka Nagari. He then brought them to Kamyavan (Kaman) where He performed the Rasa dance with them. As there were as many princesses, Lord Krishna expanded into countless forms, and associated with them, thus fulfilling their ultimate dream. The tears of joy that flowed from these princesses created a pond now known as Vimal Kunda, where one can bathe and have all their material and spiritual desires fulfilled. It is believed that by bathing here, one can attain pure love for Lord Krishna.

There is another fascinating incident linked with Vimal Kunda. According to legend, during Chaturmasya, all the holy places manifest themselves in Vraja Mandala except for Pushkar, who failed to appear once. Lord Krishna hence remembered Yogmaya, who caused a powerful stream of water to gush out of the earth. From that sacred stream emerged a beautiful young girl with whom Lord Krishna frolicked and sported in the waters and bestowed His blessings upon her. From that day onwards, the girl came to be known as ‘Vimal Kunda’, and anyone who bathes in her waters is said to receive seven times more pious merit than bathing in Tirtharaj Pushkara.

According to the Adi Varaha Purana, taking a bath in Vimal Kunda absolves one of all their sins. Additionally, departing from one’s body at Vimal Kunda leads one to the Supreme Lord’s divine abode.

Vimal Kunda was an incredibly captivating place where the locals were warm and welcoming, kindly offering to give us a tour. Adjacent to the Vimal Kunda is the temple of Vimala Devi. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had visited this place during His Vraja Mandala Parikrama. Additionally, there is a magnificent temple of Lord Chaitanya, Lord Nityananda, and Lord Jagannath located next to the Vimala Devi temple. The deities surrounding Vimal Kund are arranged in the following sequence: (1) Dauji, (2) Suryadev, (3) Nilakanthesvar Mahadev, (4) Govardhan Nath, (5) Madan Mohan and Kamyavan Bihari, (6) Vimala Bihari, (7) Vimal Devi, (8) Shri Murali Manohar, (9) Bhagavati Ganga, and (10) Gopalaji.

How to Reach

Vimal Kunda is situated in the historic town of Kaman, which is part of the Bharatpur district in Rajasthan, India. Located roughly 70 kilometers away from Mathura, Vimal Kunda is positioned 4 kilometers from Kaman Police Station. The closest railway station is Deeg, which is approximately 19 kilometers away.

Video