No pilgrimage to the religious city of Mathura is complete without paying a visit to the Vishram Ghat, a series of stone steps leading to the River Yamuna. According to the Hindu Scriptures, it is this place where Lord Krishna bathed and rested after slaying the dictatorial king Kansa.

Around the Vishram Ghat area a number of ancient temples, old mythical buildings and pillared archways that carry the flavour of the olden times. The best times to visit the ghat are in the mornings and evenings when pilgrims flock the river area to perform and partake in the rites and rituals. Activity is at peak during these times: strains of melodious kirtans can be heard floating in the air, devotees can be seen bathing or meditating and priests can be heard chanting the mantras animatedly. All these sights, smells and sounds colour the ghats with a unique cultural aura that is impossible to replicate.

What’s absolutely not to be missed at the Vishram Ghat is the evening arti when hundreds of pilgrims from all around the world come together to praise the holy River-Land. Losing yourself in the tranquillity of the glowing yellow lights flickering in the landscape and the floating lamps gently wavering down the Yamuna waters is a feeling which is very difficult to describe.