Mathura was the capital of the Yaduvamshi kings — ancient rulers of this region on the Yamuna. The Dashama Skandha of the Bhagavata Purana describes how King Kamsa imprisoned his sister Devaki and her husband Vasudeva after a prophecy declared that their eighth child would end his reign.
On the night of Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami, in the middle of a monsoon storm, Krishna was born in the prison. The Yamuna was in flood, but Vasudeva carried the newborn across on his head — the tradition says the river parted to let them through. He delivered the child to Nanda and Yashoda in Gokul and returned before dawn.
Mathura is one of the Sapta Puri — the seven ancient sacred cities listed in the Vishnu Purana — alongside Ayodhya, Maya (Haridwar), Kashi, Kanchi, Avantika (Ujjain), and Dwarka.
The Vishnu Purana lists Mathura among the seven cities where liberation (moksha) is attainable. The Mahabharata describes it as the capital of the Yadava clan. The Yamuna flows to the west of the city, and the ghats along the river have been places of bathing and worship for thousands of years.
Mathura and Vrindavan — about 10 km apart — together form Braj Bhoomi, the sacred landscape of Krishna's birth and childhood. The two are usually visited together.
- Yamuna ghat bath, then temple visits — the traditional Mathura darshan sequence.
- Janmashtami (Krishna's birth night) is the year's most celebrated occasion.
- Many ancient temples are open year-round throughout the city.
- Mathura and Vrindavan are best visited together.