Vrindavan Amongst the twelve sacred forests of Vraja Mandala, the forest of Vrindavana is the most famous and also considered to be the most sacred. It is the twelfth forest mentioned in the Adi-Varaha Purana and also the twelfth sacred forest visited by the Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama. The Garga Samhita says. “By uttering the name of Vrindavana one attains the merit of chanting Krishna’s holy name. By smelling the fragrance of Vrindavana, one is blessed by the merit of smelling the sweet fragrance of tulasi leaves offered to Lord Govinda.”
Kaliya Hrda
This is where Krishna subdued the multi-hooded and venomous serpent known as Kaliya Naga, by ecstatically dancing on the snake’s many hoods until he was completely exhausted and on the verge of death. One can still see the original kadamba-vriksha tree known as Kali-kadamba that Krishna climbed when He jumped into the Yamuna River in order to chastise the serpent Kaliya Naga.
Imli Tala
This is the famous tamarind tree where Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would sit and chant the holy name on His japa beads. The word ‘imli’ means ‘tamarind’ and ‘tala’ means ‘tree’.
Keshi Ghat
This is the ghata where Krishna bathed after slaying the horse-demon Keshi. The powerful demon arrived in the forest of Vrindavana in the form of a gigantic horse with the intention of killing Krishna. Krishna killed this demon as easily as one splits a blade of grass and then washed the blood from His hands at a place now known as Keshi-tirtha.
Vishram Vat (Chaitanya Baitak)
This is the place where Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would sit and rest while walking at noon-time from Imli-tala to His camp at Akrura Ghata, as it is the half-way point between the two places.
ISKCON Vrindavan (Krishna-Balrama mandir)
This temple was established in the year 1975, by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the illustrious founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). End of Parikrama at Vishram Ghat.