Boat Ride along the River Yamuna in Mathura

After the stroll on the banks of the River Yamuna in the morning, evening saw us at the banks once again, this time to picture the city through a different lens – The Boat Ride.

We are at the Vishram ghat (the main ghat of Mathura), the best and perhaps the only place where one will find several different boats strapped up to the Yamuna riverfront. All the boats are manually oared and you have a choice to either take a personal one that’s exclusively for you and your family or share it with a group of pilgrims.

We choose the personal one for ourselves and after haggling a bit, fix our canoe for Rs. 120 for 4 persons for the complete tour of the Ghats and back. The prices are highly negotiable and different for different boats with the personal ones demanding a bit on the higher side than its counterpart, so bargaining hard is a must or else you run the chance of burning your pockets unnecessarily.

The harsh afternoon sun is gently making its way for a soothing and a pleasant evening. I am excited for we are told that we will conclude our boat tour with the evening Yamuna arti and watch it from the boat itself. Flashes of Varanasi Boat Ride and the Haridwar Ganga arti dance in the picture of my eye. These ghats are not as ornate and beautiful as Varanasi, but the boat ride still seems to afford everything that a traveler seeks the most –- SILENCE... in plenty, I muse. With exhilaration in my spirits and joy in my stride, I step in and take my seat...

Thus, keeping in tune with this serenity, I rest my pen here and request all of you to hop in and come along. Let us all virtually enjoy this ride in serenity - The Boat Ride on the River Yamuna - together.

Vishnu, our oarsman, paddles the oar back and forth.

And... there starts our boat ride!

Spectacular view of the soaring temples and cenotaphs,
dating back centuries, still so full of charm... isn't it?

A few children diving in, laughing and enjoying

as if they were having the time of their lives.

The sight of the people bathing on the ghats fades out in the distance and long boats take their place, the accompanying chit chatter absolutely dying out eventually giving way to absolute tranquility and serenity.

The River literally comes to life as it is touched by the

soft rays of a late evening sun

The Yamuna bridge lets the sunshine in, to dance softly
on the gentle waves of the divine river

Heading back to the ghats before the dusk hits the sky

Back again at the Vishram ghat, the boat comes to a halt. We sit in anticipation waiting for the Yamuna arti which should commence any moment now. A loud gong of bell strikes and a series of several smaller and larger bells start ringing. Chants of Yamuna Maiyya ki Jai (Victory to the Goddess Yamuna) fill the air. A priest in white and saffron attire appears on the raised platform of the ghat with a huge lamp in his hand and starts the prayer. Hundreds of burning wicks flame the dark of the night.

The priest standing on a raised platform with the lamp in hand

(in the far background)

Yamuna River Arti in full swing at the Vishram Ghat in Mathura

The night pulsates at the ghats as a mass of devouts exuberantly sing glory to the river. Amid all the glow of divine chantings and recitations, closer home... a small flicker of light twinkles in the waters of the Yamuna...

My leaf diya...
quietly makes its way forward,
to a world, unknown...