Mathura Mathura city is at an altitude of approximately 187 metres above sea level.The temperatures during summer can reach a maximum of 45 degree Celsius & minimum of 22 degree Celsius,while in winter the temperatures dip a bit & are approximately 32 degree Celsius maximum & 14 degree Celsius minimum.
Heading through the network streets that radiates from Vishram Ghat brings you to Radha Dhiraj Bazaar & the large & ostentations turn-of-the-century Dwarkadhish temple, approached by steep steps off the busy main road.The Jami Masjid ,on a plinth raised above street level a little way north,was completed in 1661 by Aurangzeb's governer Abd-un-Nabi. It has long since lost its original vivid glazed tiles,but remains surrounded by four minarets & assorted outer pavilions. 500m west, stands another of Aurangzenb,s mosques,the impressive red sandstone Katra Masjid. This was erected on the foundations of the once-famous Kesava Deo temple, destroyed by the Moghul Emperor, which had itself been built on the ruins of a Buddhist monastery. Some traces of the Hindu temple can be seen around the back,where the Shri Krishna Janamsthan or Janmabhoomi complex now stands. Directly behind the mosque , approached through a corridor a shrine marks Krishna's exact birthplace;its cage -like surround signifies that he was born in captivity,when his parents were prisoners of the tyrant King Kansa.Inside the adjacent Bhagwat Bhavan-is the modern, towering, flamboyant great hulk also knownas Gita Mandir. Nearby the impressive stepped sandstone tank of Potara Kund is believed to have been used to wash Krisna's baby clothes.
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