The festival of Janmashtami, which marks the birth of Lord Krishna, is celebrated amid pomp and religious fervour every year. The festivities were marked by special rituals and grand prayers at Lord Krishna’s birth place Vrindavan in Mathura.The joyful dance of young Krishna and ‘gopis’ (milkmaids) of Vrindavan has been immortalised in legend. This divine dance, also known as ‘Rasleela’ is born out of pure love and devotion. However, not many know that there is a mysterious place called Nidhivan near Mathura where according to folklore, the divine Rasleela between Lord Krishna and the ‘gopis’ takes place every night.That is not all, what is weirder is the fact that no one in the town or people living in the area have ever seen anything like that yet they believe it.
People say that many have tried to unlock the mystery of Nidhivan, but all in vain. It is believed that whoever tried witnessing the act of Raasleela, by hiding behind trees or branches inside Nidhivan, has gone mad out of shock. Yes, no one is supposed to witness the act even accidentally. Sounds weird, scary and mind-boggling, but that is what people here believe. In fact, those who live in the region or have their houses close to Nidhivan, have no windows opening on the side of garden, so that they are unable to have a look inside the garden. If you ever visit Nidhivan, you’ll notice a number of Tulsi plants in pairs and other trees. According to locals, these plants and several trees turn into gopis during the night time when Krishna visits, and come back to their normal forms at dawn.
Inside Nidhivan, there is a little temple called Rang Mahal or shringar-ghar of Radha Rani. According to folklore, Krishna visits here every night and adorn Radha with his own hands. You will see a bed inside and several ornaments and makeup products close to the bed. The temple shuts down every day at 5 PM