Yamuna-Ji: Goddess of Braj: Journal of Vaishnava Studies

Abstract

Unlike those worshipping Yamuna at Yamunotri as part of the Char Dham pilgrimage, who tend to be devotees of the Himalayan
rivers in general, Yamuna worshippers in Braj tend to be exclusive devotees of Yamuna. The latter hold a much more specific theological conception of Yamuna than the general view encountered among pilgrims visiting Yamunotri. Large numbers of people come daily to interact with the river at Vishram Ghat in Mathura, Keshi Ghat in Vrindaban, and Thakurani Ghat in Gokul, performing an assortment of acts of worship, bathing in a religious manner, reverently touching or sipping the water, meditating on Yamuna’s divine form, or simply gazing at the aquatic dimensions of their goddess and thereby experiencing a visual communion (darshan) with her.