Mathura - 44 KM
Mathura has an ancient history. According to the Archaeological Survey of India plaque at the Mathura Museum, the city is mentioned in the oldest Indian epic, the Ramayana. In the epic, the Ikshwaku prince Shatrughna slays a demon called Lavanasura and claims the land. Afterwards, the place came to be known as Madhuvan, as it was thickly wooded, then Madhupura, and later Mathura. Mathuran art and culture reached their zenith under the Kushan dynasty, which had Mathura as one of their capitals, the other being Purushapura (Peshawar). The dynasty had kings with the names Kujula Kadphises, Kanishka, Huvishka, and Vasudeva.