Govardhana sila

A Govardhana Shila is the representation of God by an aniconic symbol rather than an image. Indian art overwhelmingly prefers the iconic image, but some aniconism does occur in folk worship, early Buddhism, Shiva's Banalinga, Vishnu's Saligrama Sila (murthi)), etc . They have solar significance, and their use in worship predates the Hindu period in India. The Govardhana sila is a rock from the Govardhan hill in Vrindavana. Govardhan hill holds a unique position in Hindu Mythology related to Krishna, the land called Vrij where He was born. The stone is usually brown in color. Known as Govardhan or Giriraj and being the sacred center of Braj, it is identified as a natural form of Krishna.^[1]

Govardhan, a very famous place of Hindu pilgrimage, is located 26 km west of Mathura (154 km from New Delhi) on the state highway to Deeg. Govardhan is located on a narrow sandstone hill known as Giriraj which is about 8 km in length. When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu did parikrama (circumambulation) of Govardhana Hill while visiting Vrindavana in 1515 AD, he did not walk on the hill because he considered Govardhana as non-different from Lord Krishna. Therefore, traditionally Vaishnavas don’t step on Govardhan hill.^[2]

American devotee couple’s Govardhan cleaning project

Mayapur Chandra and his wife Campakalata were born and raised as devotees of Krishna, though they spent most of their lives in America. Both children of Srila Prabhupada disciples, they maintained their faith in devotion to Radha and Krishna, and in 2005 fulfilled their heart’s desire to come and live with their family in the holy dham. They made their home in Anyor, the site of Krishna’s original Govardhan Puja and Annakut festival.

Desiring to combine their residence in the holy land with some service to the devotees, they began by taking visiting pilgrims on parikrama and showing them the significant sites around Govardhan, as well as hosting their guru, Bir Krishna Das Goswami on his frequent visits and feeding the many abandoned cows in the street.

In April of last year, during the month of Purushottam, while doing their daily Govardhan parikrama, the couple stopped at Radha Kund to rest and chant japa. At that moment, says Mayapur Chandra, “We felt a great pain on seeing how so many people, even though they come to Govardhan and Radha Kund to become purified, then go and dump trash everywhere. The crowds of devotees that come from all over India to do parikrama are amazing and wonderful, but the amount of physical trash that they leave behind is also amazing. It seemed like no one cared. This broke our hearts every time we walked outside.”

At that point, as the two were wondering how they could do something to make a difference, he says, “I prayed to Srimati Radharani to be an instrument in helping to keep her special place and Govardhan clean.”

“And then,” says Campakalata, “the idea came to us that we could find sponsors to help pay for cleaning different spots, something like America’s ‘Adopt a Highway’ program.”

It was at that moment that Mayapur Chandra made contact with one of the local babajis who was working with the people from his ashram to clean the platform surrounding Radha Kund. They began looking for sponsors and through him engaged widows who were willing to work rather than beg on the streets, and others to do the cleaning work.

They not only clear away the piles of litter and refuse that accumulate on the parikrama path around the sacred kunds, but also remove the scum from the many flower and ghee lamp offerings that gathers in corners and along edges of Radha Kund, Shyam Kund and Lalita Kunda.

Now, after a year, with a reliable manager named Abhay Charan who commutes daily from Vrindavan, the couple, whose project is named Padma, are pleased to see that they are making progress with more and more sponsors coming forward to help with the cleaning of various areas in Radha Kund. Using some innovative ideas for cleaning the scum from the water surface using home made leaf rakes, they are leaving Lalita Kunda, Manasa Pavana Ghat, Jihva Mandir and the surrounding alleyways spotlessly clean every day.

Encouraged by their progress, the couple has now set its sights on the entire Parikrama Marg around Govardhan. “Our desire is that someday we can have a huge cleaning force for all of Govardhan. But for now we will be happy if at least some areas around Govardhan and Radha Kund are kept as clean as possible, considering the constant inflow of trash.”

Some before and after scenes:

Now pilgrims are saying it : Giriraj Parikrama was better in Braj raj

Govardhan, 2011.02.18 (AU) : Visitors to Govardhan and longtime residents are finally starting to wake up to the fact that paved roads do not make for an improved parikrama for barefoot pilgrims.

“Three decades ago we would be filled with joy and pleasure on doing the parikrama on the sandy ground around Govardhan. But since the government paved the roads, it has become very painful,” says Suresh Goyal, a member of the Giriraj Mitra Mandal (“The Giriraj Friends’ Group”).

“Moreover, the entire Parikrama Marg was previously shaded by many trees such as karila, chokra, amlaki and neem. Now there are barely any trees at all.”

Goyal points out many of the areas where one could still do parts of the parikrama on foot without having to compete with cars, but even these have become inaccessible to pedestrians. “Until just a few decades go there used to be a path right next to the sacred hill that was covered with beautiful trees and other natural adornments. It started from the cremation ground that is behind Bhaira Bhatthai Rajawalli Kothi on the road between Chakleshwar Mahadeva in Govardhan to Radhakunda, just after Niringha Das’ bagicha, behind Nanda Baba’s temple. But now access to the path has been closed.”

From the Radhakunda Marg up to the crossroads from Ram Baba’s ashram, the road has been paved. Ten years ago the Tirtha Development Trust (Tirth Vikas Trust) put a sandy footpath by the paved road, piling dirt up to make a comfortable walk for barefoot pilgrims.

“So now what has happened?” asks former railway officer M.P. Sharma. “Makeshift shops were set on this sandy side so pilgrims cannot use it after all. So to solve the problem, they decided to widen the road. The UP government has set aside 50 krores to widen the road. In the three years of the project nothing has been done except that the PWD has thrown heavy pieces of broken brick (gitti) on the side of the road. The pilgrims are forced to walk on this portion of the road, which gives them blisters.”

Fifty years ago the entire Parikrama Marg was kacha. “Some parts of the Radhakunda to Govardhan section were covered in gravel. but this was covered by thorns which disturbed the walk.”

Elsewhere, the section of the Parikrama path between Govardhan and Anyaur has been made out of cement-concrete (CC). But this has also broken down. A few places on the inner track next to the hill are still unpaved. Everywhere there are encroachments.

Bihari Lal Agrawal, a businessman from Kanpur, said, “This pakka road is not at all conducive to parikrama. They really should make a road of sand for those who are walking.”