Mathura (మధుర)
Today: Mathura, Uttar Pradesh
Mathura, on the Yamuna river, is where Krishna was born - at midnight, inside the prison of the cruel king Kamsa, while guards slept and the prison doors swung open on their own. That magical midnight is what we celebrate every year as Krishnashtami, when many Telugu homes draw tiny footprints walking in, as if baby Krishna himself has arrived. Krishna grew up in nearby Gokula and Brindavana, and later returned to free Mathura from Kamsa.