Deha-Kunda

Deha-kunda

The word ‘deha’ refers to both the material and spiritual ‘body’ and it is said that the gopis surrendered everything including their bodies to Krishna at this place. Another story says that Shri Krishna actually donated Radharani’s body at this spot. Once when Krishna came to meet the gopis here, a very poor brahmana living nearby approached Krishna to ask for ‘dana’ (donation) so that he could get his only daughter married. Krishna declared that His only wealth was His beloved Radharani and therefore He would donate Her to the brahmana. The poor brahmana was dismayed at the thought of receiving another daughter for whom he would have to arrange yet another marriage. At that moment, the gopis brought a scale and placed Radharani on one side of it; they then took of their gold bangles, rings, necklaces, and other items of jewelry and loaded it on to the other end of the scale. When Radharani’s weight was counterbalanced by all the gold jewelry, the gopis immediately handed over all the jewelry to the poor brahmana for his daughter’s wedding. Thus Krishna donated Radharani’s deha or ‘body weight’ in gold to the poor brahmana. Because of this pastime of donating Radha’s weight in gold, there is a temple nearby known as Dan-Bihari Mandira, the word ‘dana’ means ‘donation’.

Venishankara Mahadeva

It is said that this deity of Lord Shiva was installed here by the gopis. The word ‘veni’ means a ‘stream’ or a ‘river’ and refers to the Triveni Sangama, or the three sacred rivers including the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati, that were manifested by Krishna at Unchagrama in the form of the Triveni Kupa, for the pleasure of the gopis.

-Adapted from Vraja Mandala Parikrama by Sri Rajasekhara Dasa Brahmachari.