Mathura

Shri Nathji came to Mathura along with R.R.Khanna sometime in the 1930’s. Here R.R. Khana had a confrontation with the pandas (priests) of Matura. They also tried to disrupt Shi Nathji’s sermon, which was organised by a Friend of R.R. Khanna.

"What do you want?" Shri Nathji called out to the pandaas who sat far away from the dais.

"We want to ask some questions!" a voice yelled from the back of the crowd.

" Come close to me and ask what you will!" Shri Nathji said to the man.

The pandaa came running up to the dais, looked up at Shri Nathji’s face, and became quiet all of a sudden.

"What is your question? " Shri Nathji asked him.

"Nothing,” said the pandaa, sitting down with awe, "I have no question to ask!"

The shouting continued, however, and Shri Nathji began calling the pandaas towards the dais. No sooner would they reach the dais than something would happen to them and they would sit down in silence with awe and reverence.

When Shri Nathji called out to the remaining pandaas in the back, asking them to come to the front, they said:

"No, we won’t! Something happens to those who go to the front!”

“Vahaan jaakar to kuchh ho jaataa hai!"

Albeit the noise subsided, and Shri Nathji spoke with great power, the effulgence of his light divine enveloping all present. When he had finished speaking, the first to come to him were the pandaas. With folded hands, they bent down on their knees and sought forgiveness from him. "We have but one question now," they said, "when will you speak to us again?"

Mathura is a city in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located 145 km south-east of Delhi. During the ancient period, Mathura was an economic hub, located at the junction of important caravan routes. Today, it is a fast expanding city with over 2.5 million residents.

Mathura is the birthplace of Lord Krishna at the centre of Braj or Brij-bhoomi, called Shri Krishna Janma-Bhoomi, literally: 'Lord Krishna's birthplace'. The Keshav Dev Temple was built in ancient times on the site of Krishna's legendary birthplace (an underground prison). According to the Mahabharata and Bhagavata Purana epics, Mathura was the capital of the Surasena Kingdom, ruled by Kansa the maternal uncle of Shri Krishna. The city is mentioned in the oldest Indian epic, the Ramayana. In the epic, the Ikshwaku prince Shatrughna slays a demon called Lavanasura and claims the land. Afterwards, the place came to be known as Madhuvan as it was thickly wooded, then Madhupura and later Mathura. The demon that Shatrughan killed in Ramayana, Lavanasura was the progeny of a devout king Madhu who gets Lord Shiva's Trident in a boon in the Puranas. The Puranas ascribe the founding of the city to Ayu, the son of Pururavas and the celestial nymph Urvashi.

A very famous twin-city to Mathura is Vrindavan. As the home of Lord Krishna in his youth, the small town is host to a multitude of temples belonging to various sects of Hinduism proclaiming Lord Krishna in various forms and Avatars. Some of the most famous temples are Banke Bihari Temple, Prem Mandir, Maa Vaishno Mandir, Rang ji Temple and Iskcon Temple.

 Mathura Refinery located in the city is one of the biggest oil refineries of Asia. Silver polishing industry is another industry. Textile printing industry that includes both sari-printing and fabric dyeing is another major industry of the region. Apart from these other industries are water tap manufacturing units and other decorative and household items. Mathura also is a big centre for production of cotton materials

Mathura is the home for Indian I Corps (Strike Formation) within the Indian Army's Central Command, hosting Strike I Corps headquarters in a large classified area in the outskirts of the city known as Mathura Cantonment.