What is the 84 kos yatra
A kos is an old measure of distance, and 84 kos works out to roughly 250 to 300 km depending on how a kos is counted. The circuit loops through Mathura district and reaches into Bharatpur in Rajasthan and Palwal in Haryana. Tradition speaks of twelve vans (forests), twenty-four upavans, and hundreds of kunds and sarovars.
The twelve vans are Madhuvan, Talvan, Kumudvan, Bahulavan, Kamyavan, Khadirvan, Vrindavan, Bhadravan, Bhandirvan, Belvan, Lohvan and Mahavan. Many of them today are small village temples and ponds, and some are hard to find without a local.
Main stops, region by region
- Mathura and Vrindavan: Janmasthan, Vishram Ghat, Banke Bihari, Nidhivan, Keshi Ghat and the Yamuna.
- Govardhan: Mansi Ganga, Daan Ghati, Radha Kund, Kusum Sarovar.
- Barsana and Nandgaon: Radha Rani temple on the hill, and Nand Baba's village on the next hill.
- Kaman (Kamyavan) in Rajasthan, and the stones with footprints at Charan Pahari.
- Gokul, Mahavan and Raval: Krishna's childhood, and the birthplace of Radha at Raval.
- Baldeo (Dauji) temple, dedicated to Balarama.
How many days, honestly
A sampler of the main places can be done in 3 days by car. A fuller yatra with unhurried darshan is 4 to 6 days. Walking the full circle, as sants and padayatris do, takes weeks and needs a different kind of planning.
Dates for the large organised and sant-led yatras change every year and are announced locally. We do not guess them. Instead we plan your own yatra on your own dates, with a car and driver who know the route, and with nights at Laladham or a place on the way.
A four day outline
We follow the path Krishna gave in the Gita and keep dharma at each place. In practice that means plain food, no shopping stops that push you, honest timings, and one team that keeps responsibility for the whole trip.
- Day 1: Mathura and Vrindavan, evening aarti at Vishram Ghat.
- Day 2: Govardhan parikrama stops, Radha Kund, then Barsana for the night.
- Day 3: Nandgaon, Kokilavan, then Kaman and Charan Pahari.
- Day 4: Gokul, Mahavan, Raval and Baldeo, then return.