Both cities are some of the most sacred sites in the Vaishnava tradition, making Mathura district an important Hindu pilgrimage centre.

According to the Archaeological Survey of India plaque at the Mathura Museum, the city is mentioned in the oldest Indian epic, the Ramayana.

[citation needed] Megasthenes, writing in the early 3rd century BC, mentions Mathura as a great city under the name Μέθορα (Méthora).

[citation needed] The district was then ruled by the Gupta Empire and the Vardhas(Harsha) before falling into the hands of local Rajput and Jat rulers The findings of ancient stone inscriptions in Maghera, a town 17 kilometres (11 mi) from Mathura, provide historical artifacts giving more details on this era of Mathura.

[9] Later, he went east to Thanesar, Jalandhar in the eastern Punjab, before climbing up to visit predominantly Theravada monasteries in the Kullu valley and turning southward again to Bairat and then Mathura, on the Yamuna river.

[citation needed] According to the 2011 census Mathura district has a population of 2,547,184,[1] roughly equal to the nation of Kuwait[14] or the US state of Nevada.

[20] Mathura is the home for Indian I Corps (Strike Formation)[21][22] within the Indian Army's Central Command, hosting Strike I Corps headquarters in a large classified area in the outskirts of the city known as Mathura Cantonment (Central Command itself has its headquarters at Lucknow).

Now the responsibilities of planning of the city as well as urban areas ( including nagar nigam ) handed over to MATHURA-VRINDAVAN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (in brief- "M V D A").

As per the recent District Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS-3) 2007 – 2008, only 33% of currently married women are using a modern method of contraception, which is lower than the state average of 34.8%.

[citation needed] Mathura Refinery is the first in Asia and third in the world to receive the coveted ISO-14001 certification for Environment Management System in 1996.

Images in the mottled red sandstone from the nearby Sīkri quarries are found widely distributed over north central India, attesting to Mathurā's importance as an exporter of sculpture.

[27] These days, around 1,000 craftsmen are involved in making wall hangings at Holi gate and Chowk Bazaar in the pilgrim town of Mathura.

Wall hangings have the gods and goddesses in highly embellished form, marking the highpoints of the Mathura School of Paintings.

One of the most brilliant art works of Mathura School of Paintings is Goddess Lakshmi in the midst of lotus flowers.

Ayodhyā Mathurā Māyā Kāsi Kāñchī Avantikā I Purī Dvārāvatī chaiva saptaitā moksadāyikāh II

- Garuḍa Purāṇa I XVI .14A Kṣetra is a sacred ground, a field of active power, a place where Moksha, final release can be obtained.

The Garuda Purana enumerates seven cities as giver of Moksha, They are Ayodhya, Mathura, Māyā, Kāsi, Kāñchī, Avantikā, Puri and Dvārāvatī.

The temple complex have a museum, where numerous articles excavated from the site related to story of Sri Krishna’a birth are displayed.

People engaged in Bhajan Kirtan inside temple before daily morning prayer (Mangla Aarti gives an impression of festival and celebration.

The temple built in the Dravidian style has a tall gopuram (gateway) of six storeys and a gold - plated Dhwaja stambha, 50 feet high.

Prem Mandir is a religious and spiritual complex situated on a 54-acre site on the outskirts of Vrindavan, is one of the newest temples dedicated to Radha Krishna.

The temple is housed in an ultra-modern geodesic structure with a traditional gopuram based on khajuraho style of architecture, greeting pilgrims at the entrance.

The temple is called Shree Radha Ras Bihari Ashta Sakhi Mandir and it is home to the divine Rasa Lila of Krishna and Radharani.

Built at the astronomical cost of one crore rupees in 1590 by his general Man Singh, the temple combines western, Hindu and Muslim architectural elements in its structure.

Krishna-Balaram Mandir was built in 1975 on the orders of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

The Yatra extends to Kotban to the north of Mathura, to Nandgaon, Barsana and the Govardhan Hill to the west and South-west of the city and to the banks of the Yamuna to the east, where the Baldeo Temple is located.

[citation needed] Vasant Panchami, a festival that marks the commencement of spring season, is widely celebrated in Mathura.

In the sprawling compound of the Radha Rani temple in Barsana, thousands gather to witness the Lath mar Holi when women beat up men with sticks (laṭh) as those on the sidelines become hysterical, sing Holi Songs and shout Sri Radhey or Sri Krishna.

It starts on the Tritya (third day) of the bright fortnight of Sravana (July-Aug) and lasts until the full moon night of the month.

[citation needed] Mathura is on the main lines of the Central Railways and is connected with all the important cities of Uttar Pradesh and India such as Delhi, Agra, Lucknow, Mumbai, Jaipur, Gwalior, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai.