The Padma Purana tells about twelve main forests in Vraja. Some are east of the Yamuna River, and some are west. For example, on the east side, there are Madhuvana and Talavana. Also, you can find Kumudavana and Kamyavana there. Furthermore, Bahulavana and Vrindavana are on the east. Finally, Khadiravana is also there. On the other side, the west, there is Mahavana. Besides that, Bhandiravana and Lohavana are to the west. Moreover, Bhadravana and Baelvana are also on the western side. Lord Krishna did many playful things in all these twelve forests. You can have a virtual tour of these vanas here.
Madhuvana
The forest now called Maholi used to be Madhuvana. It’s special because God played here in all four yugas. First, in Satya-yuga, He killed the demon Madhu. Also in that time, He showed Himself as Lord Prshnigarbha to Dhruva Maharaja. Then, in Treta-yuga, Lord Shatrughna killed Lavanasura, who was Madhu’s son. After that, in Dwapara-yuga, Krishna had fun with the gopis and the cowherd boys. Later, in Kali-yuga, Lord Chaitanya took a holy bath in the Krishna-kunda here.
This forest is named Madhuvana after Lord Madhusudana. Moreover, ‘madhu’ means nectar. Krishna had sweet, nectar-like fun with the gopis here. Some people also say there was a lot of honey (also called madhu) in this forest. Krishna and Balarama would come here to drink it. Therefore, this is another reason why it’s called Madhuvana. You can visit places like Dhruva tila, Madhu demon’s cave, Krishna-kunda, and Shatrughna’s temple here.
Talavana
Talavana used to be a forest full of tal trees. Tal trees are like palm trees, and they have very tasty fruit. Now, this forest is mostly called Tarsi. However, you can still see a few tal trees there. In this forest, Lord Balarama killed a demon named Dhenukasura. This demon had turned himself into a wild donkey. If you visit this place, you can see Sankarshana-kunda and a temple called Dauji.
Kumudavana
This place is also known as Kamudavana. It is the smallest forest out of the twelve forests of Vraja. Now, people call it Kudarban or Kudura. This forest got its name from a special flower. The flower is called kamuda or kamudini. It is a type of lotus flower, like a water lily. Many kamuda flowers grew in the Kamuda-kunda in Kamudavana.
Also, Radha and Krishna played in the water at this kunda. Lord Kapila Muni also spent time in Kamudavana. Furthermore, Krishna and Balarama often brought cows to this forest. Sometimes, the cowherd boys would make pretty garlands. They used kamuda flowers to make them. Then, they would lovingly give these garlands to Krishna and Balarama. Places to see here include Kumuda-kunda or Padma-kunda. You can also see the footprint of Lord Chaitanya’s feet.
Kamyavana
The town of Kaman in Rajasthan used to be called Kamyavana or Kamavana. “Kamya” means beautiful, and “vana” means forests. So, Kamyavana was a very beautiful forest. Nanda Maharaja stayed in Kamyavana for a while when he traveled from Shakatikara to Nandagaon. Also, Krishna had many fun childhood adventures in this forest. The Pandavas lived here for some time too, when they were away from Hastinapura.
The old holy books say that Kamyavana had over three hundred holy places. However, most of these are gone now. Even so, there are still many places to see in Kamyavana. For example, you can visit Vimala-kunda, Chaurasi Khamba, and Gaya-kunda. Moreover, Surabhi-kunda and Charan Pahadi are worth seeing. Additionally, there is Bhojana-sthala and Vyomasura’s cave. Finally, you can see Rameshwara Mahadev and many other places.
Bahulavana
Krishna and Balarama used to bring their cows to this spot when the cows were eating grass. Now, people call Bahulavana by the name Bati. This forest got its name from Bahula-devi. She is Lord Hari’s wife. Long ago, Bahula-devi was born as a cow in Bahulavana. Before she married Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Lord tested her. If you visit this place, you can see the temple of Bahula-devi and Bahula-kunda.
Bhadravana
Bhadravana is the sixth forest in the Mathura area. If a person who has given themselves to God goes to this holy place, this forest can help them go to Nagaloka. That is what the Mathura-mahatmya says.
The word “bhadra” means beautiful. This forest was where Lord Balabhadra, or Balarama, used to play. Also, in this forest, people can see Sri Bhadrishwara Mahadev and Sri Radha Bhadra Bihari.
Khadiravana
This forest was filled with Khadira flowers. Krishna killed Bakasura in this forest.
Mahavana
Mahavana means a big forest. It was the second biggest forest after Kamyavana. In this forest, at Gokula, Krishna did many fun things as a young child. Also, there are many places in this forest that are related to Krishna’s activities. For example, you can find Nanda Bhavan there. Moreover, Utkhal is another place. Furthermore, Chore Ghat is located in Mahavana. Finally, the place where Balarama was born is also here. So, Mahavana is an important place because of Krishna’s early life.
Lohavana
This forest used to be called Lohajanghavana. Now, people know it as Lohban or Loban. This forest always smelled good because many fragrant flowers grew there. Also, it is the place where Krishna killed a demon named Lohasura or Lauhajangha. Krishna would bring his cows here to eat grass. While the cows were eating, Krishna would play in the water with his friends in the kunda (pond). If you visit, you can see the Krishna-kunda, the cave of Lauhajanghasura, and the temple of Sri Radha Gopinath.
Baelvana
Baelvana, also called Bilvavana, was a forest with many bael trees. Bael fruits are big and round with a hard cover. When they are ripe, the soft, yellow inside is very tasty. Krishna and Balarama used to come to this forest. They wanted to eat the sweet, ripe bael fruits. Also, Baelvana is known as Lakshmivana or Srivana. This is because Lakshmidevi prayed here. She wanted to become a gopi. She really wanted to be part of Krishna’s playful activities. In this forest, you can see a temple of Lakshmi. You can also see Krishna-kupa, a well related to Krishna. Moreover, the famous Maan Sarovar lake is in this forest too.
Bhandiravana
Now, this village is called Chhanhari. The name “Chhanhari” comes from the Hindi word “chaya,” which means shade. Here, the young cow herders would sit in the cool shade of banyan trees. They used to eat their lunch with Krishna. Also, Krishna and Balarama enjoyed wrestling and playing other games in this forest.
Furthermore, the Garga Samhita says that Brahma married Radha and Krishna in this forest when they were only two or three years old. When you visit, you can see the temple of Sri Radha Ananda Bihari. You can also see Bhadiravata and Venu-kupa. In addition, there is the crown of Balarama and the temple of Dauji. Not far away is Vamshivata. That is where Krishna performed his famous Rasa Lila dance.
Vrindavana
Vrindavan is also known as Vrinda’s forest. Vrinda is another name for the tulasi plant. This forest is the most famous and important of all twelve forests. Also, the most special dance of Krishna, called Rasa-lila, happened in Vrindavan. Moreover, Krishna did other famous things here. For example, he controlled the Kaliya serpent and swallowed a big forest fire in this holy forest. Because of all this, Vrindavan is the most loved place for Krishna’s followers. In fact, devotees always keep Vrindavan in their hearts. It is said that Krishna never leaves Vrindavan, not even a little bit. Every day, many thousands of devotees walk around Vrindavan to show their respect for this great forest.