Muttra

Muttra, or MATHURÁ, a town of India, in the North-west Provinces, is situated on the right bank of the Jumna, 30 miles above Agra. For centuries it was a centre of the Buddhist faith, and the surrounding country teems with traditions of Krishna (or Vishnu, q.v.) and his brother Balarama. There are numerous temples and mosques; the river is lined with magnificent flights of stairs, leading down to the bathing-places in the sacred river; large numbers of pilgrims resort to the city on the occasion of its religious festivals; and troops of monkeys and turtles are supported by the charity of the gentle-hearted people. The city has passed through a long series of misfortunes: it was sacked by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1017; its temples were destroyed by a native sultan in 1500, and by Aurungzebe in 1669; and it was plundered by the Afghans in 1756. In 1803 it passed into the hands of the British. Pop. (1881) 57,724; (1891) 61,195.—The district has an area of 1453 sq. m., and a pop. (1881) of 671,690; (1891) 772,874.