Radhe Radhe to all you Radhes. Those of you who are wondering “who are Radhes”, you’ll know when your time comes, trust me :). As for the Radhes, let me introduce myself. My name is Abhishek Chandra Dhingra and I am a 50 year old guy living in Gwalior, about 200 kilometres South of Mathura, the birthplace of Radha Krishna.
In mid August, I got this idea of going for a Govardhan Parikrama on foot. Govardhan Parvat (Mount Govardhan) is about 17 kilometres from Mathura city. The Govardhan Parikrama is 21 kilometres long. I consider myself fit as I walk 6-8 kilometres easily every day, besides some bodyweight exercises. I thought that I’ll just increase my walk by a kilometer a day and take it up to 15 kilometres and if I can walk 15 kilometres, I can walk for 6 more and easily do the Parikrama in a fortnight or so. Boy, was I wrong.
Then I thought that to be done right, a Parikrama should be done barefoot, if one is fit enough for it. Now it is a whole new ball game. 21 kilometres walk with shoes on is one thing, with no shoes, it is somewhat difficult. I started preparing for the barefoot Govardhan Parikrama in mid-August. This blog is about my personal journey of the Govardhan Parikrama, it’s preparation, and hopefully, a successful barefoot Parikrama . I hope to meet lots of you Radhes on my Parikrama Day. Radhe Radhe
राधे राधे
राधे कृष्ण
Radhe Radhe.Waiting for the next part eagerly
Well Vani, the next part is here 🙂
It is a wonderful experience. I did as a child with my family way back in late 80s. It was done bare footed by most of the people. Black tar road was not there. It existed for only 2-3 kms. Walking on sand barefeet was fun as if the whole body was charged. Music,bhajans and radhenaam revitalized my mind. I always carried fresh memories from Radha kund and goverdhan parvat. Those are the memories still afresh in my mind. Myblast visit was on diwali last year. It was a wonderful experience again, but now I cud not go barefoot. Also saw a lot of people doing parikrama on bikes, cars Autos and e rickshaw. I could not understand the meaning and the achivement for these parikramas. Tomorrow there can be a helicopter parikrama introduced by tourism enthusiasts. I still love the vibes of Mathura Vrindavan which are forever etched in my memory. Radhe Radhe
Yes Anu, what one feels on the Parikrama can only be experienced and not expressed. It is a magical place.