Historical Geography of Ancient India c6.545

c6.545

Mathurā was the centre of Viṣṇu cult. In the Śaka-Kuṣāṇa period the city ceased to be a stronghold of Bhāgavatism.¹⁰ The Mathurā-Nāga Statuette Inscription amply proves the prevalence of serpent-worship in Mathurā which is important in view of the story of Kāliyanāga and his suppression by Kṛṣṇa.¹¹ It was visited by Śrī Kṛṣṇa with Akrūra after attending the Dollilā ceremony at Vṛndāvana. Here he killed a washerman, granted the boon to the garlandmaker named Sudāma, gave the celestial beauty to a hunch-back named Trivakrā, rewarded a weaver for dressing him and his brother Balarāma (Bhāgavatapurāṇa, Skandha X, Ch. 41-42), broke the Indra-bow, killed the elephant of Kaṃsa and at last put an end to the life of Kaṃsa, the tyrant king of Mathurā. Mathurā was the birthplace of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is considered as the birthplace of Vaiṣṇavism. Buddhism existed also in Mathurā for several centuries. Mahākaccāyana, a disciple of the Buddha, spoke about caste in this city.¹²