Mathura near Agra

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Location:
Mathura (27.28 N, 77.41 E) is a district headquarter in the state of Uttar Pradesh of India. It is located 145 km south of the national capital New Delhi and 50 km north of the city of Taj Mahal, Agra. District Aligarh is on the east and the Rajasthan district of Bharatpur is to the west.
Area: Geographical Area: 3329.4 km*km

Jai Guru Dev Temple
Significance:
Mathura, on the bank of river Yamuna, is the birth place of Lord Krishna and is just an hour's drive by car from Agra. The land is replete with imposing temples, each dedicated to each of the stages of the lord's life. The groves and ghats of nearby Brindaban with its thousands of temples still echo stories and songs that recount the exploits of this charming God. The Government Museum here is a superb repository of fine sculpture, terra-cotta images, coins and bronze objects that date back to 5th century B.C to the 12th century A.D.
Why It is Famous for?
Mathura is reputed to be the birthplace of Krishna at the center of Vraja, called Krishnajanmabhoomi, literary 'Krishna's birth place'. The Keshav Dev temple was built in ancient times on the site of Krishna's legendary birthplace (an underground prison). As per epic Mahabharata and per Bhagavata Purana, Mathura was the capital of the Surasena Kingdom, ruled by Kansa the maternal uncle of Krishna.
Mathura is also noted as one of the two centers of production of sculptured images of the Buddha (the other being Gandhara in present-day Pakistan/Afghanistan). Human images of the Buddha began to appear approximately at the same time (1st Century AD) in both centers but can be distinguished from one another as the Gandharan images are very clearly Greco-Roman in inspiration with the Buddha wearing wavy locks tucked up into a chignon and heavier toga-like robes whereas the Buddha figurines produced in Mathura more closely resemble some of the older male fertility gods having shorter, curlier hair and lighter, more translucent robes.
History of The City:
Mathura has an ancient history. As per the ASI plaque at Mathura museum, the name of the city is mention in the oldest epic Ramayana. In the epic, the Ikshwaku prince Shatrughna, slays a deamon called Lavanasur and claims the land in Aryan fold. The place hence came to be known as Madhuvan as it was thickly wooded, Madhupura and later Mathura.
Major Places to Visit in around Mathura:

1. Krishnajanmabhoomi:
   This means 'the birth-place of Krishna', is a Hindu temple in Mathura, India. According to Hindu belief, Lord Krishna was born here in a cell of a prison, which once stood there. Krishna was son of Vasudeva and Devaki. Devaki was the cousin (sister) of the local King Kansa. Kansa was told that the eighth son of Vasudeva and Devaki will kill him. Fearing this he imprisoned his sister and brother-in-law and eventually killed first seven children of the couple. Another temple nearby is the Dwarikadheesh Temple.
   

   

   
   Main Gate of Krishna Temple in Mathura
   

2. Barsana:
   It is a village near Mathura. Stories from the Hindu tradition relating to the deity Krishna indicate that his favorite gopi, known as Radha, spent her childhood in Barsana. The town is thus, a site of pilgrimage for many followers of Vaishnavism, and especially Gaudiya Vaishnavism which reveres Radha as the most worship-able Goddess, or Shakti. The town comes alive every Holi around March, when the Lath Mar Holi is played here. Tourists from all over the world flock the city to join the Holi celebrations.
   
3. Nandgaon:
   It is a religious place associated with the lord Krishna. It is believed that Krishna spent his childhood here and a few traces of his childhood which are mentioned in the Granthas are found here.
   
4. Gokul:
   Gokul was the place where Lord Krishna was brought up under the care of Nanda and Yashoda, the first family of the village. Since Kansa, Krishna's uncle, used to kill every baby born to Devaki, Nanda exchanged his own new born daughter with Vasudeva in order to smuggle Krishna away without raising Kansa's suspicion. During his stay at Gokul, Krishna spent his time in fun and frolic, though his life did come under threat a few times. He was very naughty as a child, and was often caught stealing butter and milk from pots.
   

   

   
   Temple in Barsana
   
5. Vrindavan:
   It is about 15km away from Mathura city (said to be Krishna's birthplace), near the Agra-Delhi highway. The town includes hundreds of temples dedicated to the worship of Radha and Krishna and is considered sacred by a number of religious traditions such as Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Vaishnavism, and Hinduism in general. While in the past Vrindavan was considered as the most beautiful forests in the whole of India (Kalidas)in the last 250 years it has been subjected to urbanization first by local Rajas and in recent decades by more and more apartment developers. At present the number of trees in the area is diminishing and the local wildlife, including peacocks, cows, monkeys and a variety of bird species have mostly been eliminated or are in severe danger of such. A few Peacocks and many monkey's are freely found but cows are now mostly found in the gosalas of all the major Ashrams of Vrindavan.
   
6. Govardhan:
   Govardhan is famous for its temple named Daan-Ghati. The town is also famous for its 21 kilometer long Parikrama of the very old hill called Govardhan. The Parikrama procession is held in very high religious belief. It's said that Lord Krishna held Govardhan Hill on his little finger to save the town from wrath of the god of rains Indra.
   

   

   
   Govardhan Temple

How to Reach:
Mathura is 145 km away from New Delhi and 50 km away from Agra. Agra and New Delhi can be accessed by train, air or by road. So, Mathura can be reached by bus, taxi or other vehicles from Agra as well as New Delhi.