VṚNDᾹVANA is both a mythical site, mentioned in the Purāṇas, and a town in modern India that is one of the most important Hindu pilgrimage centers of North India and the focus of much religious activity. As a sacred locality known in scripture, Vṛndāvana is ancient, but as a town it is comparatively new.

Mythical Site

Vṛndāvana (literally, "sacred basil grove") is described in the Purāṇas, most notably in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, as a beautifully forested land associated with the cowherd god Kṛṣṇa. According to the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Kṛṣṇa was born in the royal city of Mathura, but to avoid slaughter by his wicked uncle Kaṃsa his father secretly took him across the Yamuna River to the cowherd settlement of Gokula...