Mathura pronunciation is a holy city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately 50 km north of Mathura, and 150 km south of Delhi; about twenty miles from holy Vrindavana. It is the administrative centre of Mathura District of Uttar Pradesh. During the ancient period, this was an economic hub, located at the junction of some relatively important caravan routes.

Mathura is reputed to be the birthplace of Krishna at the centre of Vraja, called Krishnajanmabhoomi, literary 'Krishna's birth place'. The Keshav Dev temple was built in ancient times on the site of Krishna's legendary birthplace (an underground prison). As per epic Mahabharata and per Bhagavata Purana, Mathura was the capital of the Surasena Kingdom, ruled by Kamsa the maternal uncle of Krishna.

Mathura has an ancient history. As per the ASI plaque at Mathura museum,the city finds mention in the oldest epic Ramayana. In the epic, the Ikshwaku prince Shatrughna, slays a deamon called Lavanasur and claims the land in Aryan fold. The place hence came to be known as Madhuvan as it was thickly wooded, Madhupura and later Mathura. Deeper research shows us that the deamon that Shatrughan killed in Ramayana was Lavanasur who was the progeny of a devout king Madhu who gets Lord Shiva's Trident in a boon in the puranas. The Puranas ascribe the founding of the city to Ayu, the son of Pururuvas and celestrial nymph Urvashi. The city might also have got its name from a famous Yadav king Madhu who reigned in around 1600 BC.

Location: Mathura (27.28 N, 77.41 E) is a district headquarter in the Uttar Pradesh state of India. It is located 145 km south of the national capital New Delhi and 50 km north of the city of Taj Mahal, Mathura. District Aligarh is on the east and the Rajasthan district of Bharatpur is to the west.

By Air
Delhi International airport is the nearest one, which is 147 km away from Mathura. Delhi airport is well connected with major cities within the country and abroad. Taxis are available from Delhi and it takes about 9 hours to reach Mathura and fare is about Rs 2500.

By Train
Mathura Railway junction is an important rail head in the Mumbai – Delhi, Chennai – Delhi rail route. Pre-paid taxi services are available from Mathura to near by destinations. Regular train services are available from Mathura to Delhi and also to other cities in India.

By Bus
Mathura is well connected with nearby cities like Mathura, Faizabad and Allahabad by state owned road transport corporation buses. Tourist Deluxe bus services are available from Delhi to Mathura, costing about Rs 500 per head.