Journey to the Mata Lakshmi Temple
Belvan, Uttar Pradesh, just outside of Vrindavan
Sometimes I don’t know where I’m going until I get there. And even when I get there, I don’t know where I am. But the journey is beautiful and the company serene. Today was such a day.
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” ~ Marcus Aurelius
Early morning. A typically rising for me; not so typical for Janardan and Devin (Dama) who generally both sleep in late like undisciplined teenagers. We were padding barefoot on the Parikrama Marg by 5 am and reached Gopinath Bhavan Ashram by 5:30 where we met up with the rest of our troupe. The hike was organized by Vasanti, who brought with her another five devotees, bringing our total to nine.
The sun was in perfect alignment on the banks of the Yamuna
We followed the Parikrama path down to Kesi ghats. And then onto the sandy banks of the Yamuna just as the sun was crowning over the skeletal remains of the Vrindavan Kumbh Mela fairgrounds. I stopped and stared into the sun, setting my circadian clock to ensure a good night’s sleep in the evening.
The North Side of the Yamuna Stands in Stark Contrast to the Hustle and Cinder Blocks of Vrindavan
We crossed over the pontoon bridge to the north side of the Yamuna and into the rural farmlands of outlying Vrindavan. The dirt path was soft, sifted sand punctuated by the occasional painful thorns. Farmers were out starting up their noisy diesel irrigation pumps.
Women walked by with buckets of water balanced, sometimes two high, on their heads. Men road past on rusty bicycles laden with five gallon milk jugs freshly filled. And the late rising village men are seen squatting unabashedly in the fields with their two litre plastic water bottle bidets next to them, doing their morning “business”.
We passed straw thatched round huts with drying dung cakes neatly stacked. Buffalos giving up their milk, and packs of carefree dogs rough housing in the sand.. Families on their thatched beds outside stopped to stare, then smile and wave, saying “Haribol” or “Radhe Shyam” to our passing band of mostly foreigners dressed like Indians.
Bael Fruit & Krishna
The village, Belvan or Baelvan gets its name from the beautiful bilva (or bael) trees that fills up this forest. It is said that, while herding the cows in this beautiful forest of Vrindavan, Shri Krishna and His cowherd friends would indulge in their sweet pastimes, play different kinds of sports and eat the ripe bael fruits. This is also one of the forests where Shri Krishna would enjoy dancing with the cowherder girls of Vrindavan.
Darshan Under the Banyan Tree at Mata Lakshmi Temple
The large Banyan tree had a small alter at its base.
After about an hour, we arrived at the village of Belvan and the Mata Lakshmi Temple. Inside to pay respects to the temple deity followed by a parikrama (circumabulation) around the outside of the ancient red sandstone temple.
We sat under the banyan tree signing songs and telling stories. Just behind us, outside the ashram wall, young men were using the banyan tree as their makeshift gym. They shimmied up to the top of a rope tied to a branch about 30 feet up and did pull-ups from there.
A prasad of khichdi was taken. Then we walked back a different route that brought us once more to the banks of the Yamuna where we took a boat across to the other side, and a short walk back to Gopinath Bhavan Ashram where we said our “goodbyes”
Our feet were tired; we had walked over 6 miles.