Putana Uddhar Sthal
Gokul, Uttar Pradesh · temple
Quiet, humble and devotional; a brief reflective pause on a pilgrim's walk rather than a grand darshan.
- Days OpenOpen daily
- Entry FeeFree Entry
- Best SeasonOctober to March
- Best Time of DayEarly morning
- Time NeededAbout 10-15 minutes at the shrine itself; 1-2 hours to walk the full Chaurasi Khamba parikrama with its cluster of lila markers.
- Nearest MetroNone; Mathura has no metro. Mathura Junction railway station is the main rail head, about 15 km away.
- Crowd LevelsUsually light on ordinary days, with a steady trickle of parikrama pilgrims; heavy during Janmashtami and Braj festival season.
- Kid Friendly3 of 5
- Wheelchair AccessNo
Putana Uddhar Sthal is one of the small lila-marker shrines that dot the circumambulation path around the Chaurasi Khamba (Nand Bhavan) temple in Mahavan, or Old Gokul, some 15 km south-east of Mathura across the Yamuna. It marks, in Vaishnav memory, the place where the infant Krishna is said to have delivered Putana, the demoness sent by Kamsa to poison him. Devotees should approach it for what it is: not a grand temple but a humble commemorative spot within the wider Nand Bhavan complex, one bead on a rosary of infancy-lila shrines rather than a stand-alone monument.
Where to Eat Nearby
Nearby Vegetarian Eats
Brijwasi Mithai (Mithai Wala), Holi Gate, Mathura
15 km awayMathura peda and khoya sweets in desi ghee (egg-free)
Shankar Mithai Wala, Holi Gate, Mathura
15 km awayBedmi-aloo puri and kachori-sabzi, pure-veg in desi ghee
Govinda's Restaurant (inside ISKCON Krishna-Balaram Mandir), Vrindavan
25 km awaySattvic no-onion-garlic thali and prasad
About
Putana Uddhar Sthal is one of the small lila-marker shrines that dot the circumambulation path around the Chaurasi Khamba (Nand Bhavan) temple in Mahavan, or Old Gokul, some 15 km south-east of Mathura across the Yamuna.
- It marks, in Vaishnav memory, the place where the infant Krishna is said to have delivered Putana, the demoness sent by Kamsa to poison him.
- Devotees should approach it for what it is: not a grand temple but a humble commemorative spot within the wider Nand Bhavan complex, one bead on a rosary of infancy-lila shrines rather than a stand-alone monument.
- The story it holds is among the tenderest and strangest of the Krishna cycle.
- According to tradition drawn from the Bhagavata Purana, Harivamsa and Garga Samhita, Putana disguised herself as a beautiful nursing woman and slipped into Nanda Maharaja's house, her breast smeared with poison, meaning to feed and kill the baby.
- The child suckled the poison and her very life-breath together; her true towering form fell lifeless.
- Yet because she had, in whatever crooked intent, offered her breast to the Lord as a mother would, tradition holds she received not damnation but uddhar, liberation.
- The name of the shrine turns on that single Sanskrit word: uddhar, deliverance.
- It is remembered here as a lesson that grace can reach even one who came with harm in her heart.
- Physically the sthal is very plain, an unassuming marked spot with a small deity or plaque, tended by local sevaks, often passed within a few minutes as pilgrims walk the parikrama from Chaurasi Khamba on toward the Trinavarta and Yamalarjuna sites.
- A banyan draped in coloured threads, worn stone steps and the narrow lanes of Mahavan set the scene.
- Come with the eyes of a pilgrim, not a sightseer, and the modest shrine repays the visit.
- For vegetarian travellers, Mahavan sits deep in Braj, which is pure-vegetarian by custom and municipal law, so there is no meat, fish or egg anywhere near.
- Two cautions, though: this is heavy bhang (cannabis) country, so never accept an unlabelled thandai or lassi from a roadside stall, and avoid unverified cafes and bakeries that may use egg.
- The village itself offers little beyond prasad and simple tea; carry your own food and water, and plan your proper pure-veg meal back in Mathura or Vrindavan.
- Treated as a quiet stop on a Gokul-Mahavan pilgrimage circuit rather than a destination in itself, Putana Uddhar Sthal rewards devotion far more than expectation.
Timings & Entry Fee
Visiting Hours
- • Morning: about 6:00 AM to 12:00 noon
- • Evening: about 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
- • Midday break is common; timings vary seasonally, so reconfirm on arrival
Entry Fee: No entry fee; the marker shrine lies on the free parikrama around the Chaurasi Khamba (Nand Bhavan) complex. A small voluntary donation to the sevaks is customary.
Verified: July 2026
Location & How to Reach
Address
On the Chaurasi Khamba (Nand Bhavan) parikrama, Mahavan (Old Gokul), Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh 281303, Gokul, Uttar Pradesh, 281303
🚇 Nearest Metro: None; Mathura has no metro. Mathura Junction railway station is the main rail head, about 15 km away.
🚶 Walking from Metro: Not applicable; reach Mahavan by road from Mathura, roughly 15 km.
Distance from
- • Mathura Junction: 15 km (~40 min)
- • Chaurasi Khamba (Nand Bhavan), Mahavan: 0.1 km (~2 min)
- • Gokulnath Temple, New Gokul: 4 km (~15 min)
- • Vrindavan: 25 km (~60 min)
Parking
street · Nominal, around 20-50 for two-wheelers/cars where attended
Vehicles are usually left at the edge of Mahavan; the temple lanes are narrow, so expect a short walk to the shrine.
🚕 Ride Hailing Tip: App cabs are unreliable inside Gokul-Mahavan; hire a return auto or taxi from Mathura and keep the driver, or use shared tempos for the Mathura-Gokul stretch.
How to Reach: Mahavan (Old Gokul) is about 15 km south-east of Mathura across the Yamuna. From Mathura Junction or the old city, hire an auto, taxi or shared tempo to Gokul / Mahavan (about 30-40 minutes); the Chaurasi Khamba temple sits on a small rise reached by a few steps and the narrow lanes of Mahavan, and the Putana Uddhar marker lies on the parikrama path around it. New Gokul (Nand-Yashoda Bhavan) is a short hop away and the two are usually visited together.
Best Time to Visit
History & Significance
History
Mahavan, literally the great forest and also called Old Gokul, is held in tradition to be the original home of Nanda Maharaja where Krishna and Balarama spent their earliest infancy.
- The Putana episode is placed here, at or beside Nand Bhavan, now the Chaurasi Khamba (84-pillar) temple whose pillars are said in legend to be original to Nanda's house.
- Local memory of the exact lila spots is bound up with the 16th-century rediscovery of Gokul and Mahavan associated with Vallabhacharya, after which the string of infancy-lila markers along the Chaurasi Khamba parikrama, including the Putana site, took their present devotional form.
- The shrine as seen today is a modest, much-renovated marker rather than an ancient built structure, and no reliable founding date should be assigned to it.
Significance
In the Gaudiya and Pushtimarg traditions of Braj, the Putana lila is the very first of Krishna's demon-slaying acts and the opening note of his infancy pastimes.
- Its significance is theological rather than architectural: it teaches that the Lord's grace is not withheld even from one who approaches with murderous intent, since Putana, having offered her breast, is granted the destiny of a nurse-mother and liberation.
- Marking that spot, the sthal anchors an abstract teaching to walkable ground, letting pilgrims on the Mahavan parikrama pause at the place where, in sacred memory, poison was turned to deliverance.
Places to Visit Nearby
Chaurasi Khamba (Nand Bhavan) Temple, Mahavan
0.1 km awayThe 84-pillar home of Nanda Maharaja; the main temple this shrine's parikrama belongs to
Trinavarta Vadh Sthal, Mahavan
0.2 km awayNearby lila marker for the whirlwind-demon episode, on the same parikrama
Gokulnath Temple, Gokul
4 km awayPrincipal Pushtimarg temple of New Gokul
Brahmand Ghat, Mahavan
1.5 km awayYamuna ghat tied to the vision of the universe in baby Krishna's mouth
Family & Accessibility
Family Highlights
- • A gentle, vivid infancy story to tell children on the spot
- • Part of an easy story-trail of lila markers around Chaurasi Khamba
- • Free, brief and low-pressure, easy to fit between other Gokul temples
Photography & Drone
💰 Equipment Fees: None known for casual phone or camera use; commercial shoots would need local permission.
📍 The Golden Spot: The banyan hung with coloured threads beside the parikrama, framing the worn Mahavan steps.
🌅 Best Light Time: Soft early-morning light just after opening.
Tips & Safety
⚠️ Common Scams
Unlabelled thandai / bhang risk
This belt of Braj is a heavy bhang (cannabis) region, and bhang thandai or lassi is sold looking and named almost identically to a normal one.
Official AdviceNever accept an unlabelled thandai or lassi from a roadside stall; stick to sealed water or verified pure-veg kitchens in Mathura and Vrindavan.
Pushy guides and forced donations
Self-appointed guides or pandas may attach themselves at the shrines and press for large fixed offerings.
Official AdvicePolitely decline unwanted guiding, offer only a small voluntary donation, and agree any fee in advance if you do want help.
💡 Insider Tips
🌅 Secret View: Pause where the parikrama passes the banyan hung with coloured threads near the Putana marker; the play of light through it over the worn Mahavan steps is the quiet, unposed image most visitors miss.
🎯 Crowd Hack: Arrive right at morning opening, before tour groups reach Gokul from Mathura, and walk the whole Chaurasi Khamba parikrama in one unhurried loop while it is still calm.
💎 Secret Fact: The shrine's name turns on the single word uddhar, deliverance: tradition holds that because Putana offered her breast to the Lord as a mother would, she received liberation despite her murderous intent.
⚡ Express Tour
In 15 minutes: bow at the Putana Uddhar marker, note the banyan and threads, and step on to the adjacent Trinavarta spot without leaving the parikrama.
🔭 Deep Dive Tour
In half a day: walk the full Chaurasi Khamba parikrama covering the Putana, Trinavarta and Yamalarjuna markers, visit Nand Bhavan and Brahmand Ghat, then cross to New Gokul for the Gokulnath and Nand-Yashoda temples.
🙏 Etiquette & Dress Code
Do's
- Treat it as a quiet devotional marker and keep to the parikrama flow
- Carry your own food and water; buy proper meals back in Mathura or Vrindavan
- Remove footwear and dress modestly as at any Braj shrine
- Combine it with the neighbouring Chaurasi Khamba and Trinavarta markers in one loop
- Offer a small voluntary donation to the sevaks if you wish
Don'ts
- Do not expect a grand temple; this is a modest marker shrine
- Do not accept any unlabelled thandai or lassi from roadside stalls, as bhang versions are common in this region
- Do not eat at unverified cafes or bakeries near the temples that may use egg
- Do not treat the narrow, worn steps as stroller- or wheelchair-friendly
- Do not photograph deities or worshippers where photography is restricted or discouraged
👕 Dress Code: Modest, respectful attire covering shoulders and knees; footwear removed at shrines.
📷 Photography Rules: Ask before photographing deities or worshippers; exterior and parikrama shots are generally acceptable, no drones.
Good to Know
💳 Money & Connectivity
🏧 Nearest ATM: In Gokul / Mahavan bazaar area and more reliably in Mathura, about 15 km away; carry small cash.
📡 Public Wi-Fi: None; no public Wi-Fi at the shrine.
🔌 Charging Points: None at the site; charge devices at your Mathura or Vrindavan stay.
🚻 Washrooms & Hygiene
Pro Tip: Facilities in Mahavan are very basic; use cleaner washrooms in Mathura or at larger Gokul temples before heading out.
🆘 Emergency & Health
👮 Tourist Police: Nearest police help is in Mathura city, about 15 km away; there is no dedicated tourist police booth in Mahavan.
🎒 Lost & Found: No formal counter; enquire with the temple sevaks at Chaurasi Khamba or the local police station in Mathura.
💊 Nearest Pharmacy: Small medical shops in Gokul/Mahavan bazaar; fuller pharmacies and hospitals are in Mathura, about 15 km away.
Air Quality: Air quality is generally moderate but can worsen with dust and winter haze; sensitive visitors may carry a mask.
Water Safety: Do not drink tap or hand-pump water; carry sealed bottled water. Yamuna water here is for ritual, not drinking.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Putana Uddhar Sthal?
It is a small marker shrine on the parikrama around the Chaurasi Khamba (Nand Bhavan) temple in Mahavan, Old Gokul, remembering the spot where, in Vaishnav tradition, infant Krishna delivered the demoness Putana who came to poison him.
Is it a big temple worth a special trip?
No. It is a humble commemorative spot, best visited as one stop on the Chaurasi Khamba / Gokul-Mahavan pilgrimage circuit rather than as a destination in itself. Come with a pilgrim's eyes, not a sightseer's expectations.
What are the timings and entry fee?
There is no entry fee. It follows the Chaurasi Khamba temple, roughly open dawn to dusk with a midday break (about 6 AM to noon and 4 PM to 8 PM). Timings vary seasonally, so reconfirm on arrival.
How do I reach it from Mathura?
Mahavan (Old Gokul) is about 15 km south-east of Mathura across the Yamuna. Take an auto, taxi or shared tempo to Gokul/Mahavan (30-40 minutes), then walk the narrow lanes and steps up to Chaurasi Khamba; the shrine is on its parikrama.
Where can I eat pure-vegetarian food nearby?
Mahavan village itself offers little beyond prasad and tea, so carry food and water. The nearest verified pure-veg, egg-free kitchens are back in Mathura, about 15 km away (Brijwasi Mithai and Shankar Mithai Wala at Holi Gate), or in Vrindavan.
Any caution for travellers around Gokul-Mathura?
Braj is pure-vegetarian, but it is heavy bhang (cannabis) country. Never accept an unlabelled thandai or lassi from a roadside stall, as bhang versions look and are named almost identically; and avoid unverified cafes or bakeries that may use egg.