Saptarishi Gufa (Seven Sages' Cave), Lohvan

Tucked into the quiet farming village of Lohvan (Lohaban), across the Yamuna east of Mathura, the Saptarishi Gufa is a small, little-visited penance-cave that pilgrim tradition ties to the Saptarishis — the seven mind-born sons of Brahma.

• Braj lore holds that these seven sages withdrew here for deep tapasya, and the modest grotto still carries their name.
• It is a legend-marker rather than a grand monument: a dim, low chamber with a simple shrine, tended more by local devotion than by any tourism board.
• Lohvan itself is the ninth of Braj's twelve sacred vans (forests), a leafy pastoral belt where Krishna is remembered to have grazed his cows with the cowherd boys.
• The village takes its name from the demon Lohjanghasura (Lohasura), whom Krishna is said in tradition to have slain here.
• A separate underground cave — described as the demon's old lair, about fifty feet from Krishna Kund and the Radha Gopinath temple — is often shown to visitors alongside the Saptarishi cave, and the two are sometimes confused.
• Honest travellers should know that Lohvan sits off the main pilgrim circuit: as local guides freely admit, not many people visit, and facilities are basic.
• For the visitor, the reward is atmosphere rather than architecture — a hushed cluster of Krishna Kund, the Radha Gopinath temple on its bank, and the cave, wrapped in fields and old trees.
• It rewards the slow, curious pilgrim doing the Braj Chaurasi-Kos parikrama, not someone chasing a headline sight.
• Confirm current access with a local before making a special trip, as the cave is small, sometimes locked, and depends on the resident caretaker.
• Vegetarian travellers are on safe ground in Braj, which is pure-vegetarian by custom and municipal law — but Lohvan has no verified restaurant of its own, so carry prasad, fruit and water.
• The nearest trustworthy pure-vegetarian, egg-free kitchens are back in Mathura, roughly 8-10 km away near Holi Gate and Mathura Junction.
• A serious caution: Mathura and Braj are among India's heaviest bhang (cannabis) regions, and bhang thandai or lassi — nearly identical in name and look to the ordinary drink — is sold openly by government theka shops and roadside stalls, especially around Holi and Mahashivratri.
• Never accept an unlabelled thandai from a stranger or a temple-side stall; stick to the verified sweet-shops named below.
• Photography of the outer shrine and kund is generally fine, but ask the caretaker before shooting inside the cave or any inner sanctum, and dress modestly.
• Combine Lohvan with nearby Gokul and Mahavan for a gentle half-day of quiet, deeply devotional Braj that most tour buses skip entirely.