Located at about 55 km from Agra, Mathura is one of the most sacred Hindu pilgrimage in India. The Buddha is said to visit Mathura once in his lifetime but was not impressed with its people and other conditions. In the Anguttara Nikaya he says, "Mathura has five disadvantages. What five? The ground is uneven, there is a lot of dust, the dogs are fierce, there are evil spirits and it is difficult to get alms food".

Mathura emerged as the great center of Buddhism and Buddhist Art from the 1st century BC to the end of the 9th century AD. The Mathura School of Art was immensely popular for giving distinct features to the sculptures of Buddha and flourished all over the Buddhist world.

According to Hiuen Tsang, the great Chinese scholars who visited Mathura around 635 AD, there were 5 big temples, 20 Buddhist monasteries and 3 stupas built by Ashoka, in Mathura. Upagupta, the teacher of Emperor Ashoka, also built a big Buddhist Monastery, which remained intact till the 7th century AD. After the advent of Muslim rule in India and the gradual decline of Buddhism, these structures were demolished and temples were constructed on the sites. The Government Museum of Mathura has the biggest collection of Buddhist art in the form of sculptures, statues and artifacts, representing the greatness of the Mathura Art when Buddhism was on its zenith in the country.

How to Reach

Following links can be used to know more