নীল যমুনার পারে

Neel Yamunar Paare is a short travel narrative written in Bishnupriya Manipuri. It was published by the Bishnupriya Manipuri Sahitya Sabha, Assam, on Dol Purnima 1410 (Bengali calendar). The publisher describes it as a travelogue rich in the history of Vrindavan and Radhakunda, and the author tells it as a story. Saudamini, a history teacher, takes her cousin Minakshi on a pilgrimage through the Braj region. Minakshi is an English teacher in Kolkata who is grieving because her engagement to Debmanu, a Delhi University lecturer, broke off, partly because of her own mocking words. Saudamini’s friend Yamuna joins them along with a guide, Kumudini. The group visits Radhakunda, Kusum Sarovar, Vrindavan, Mathura, Kamyavan, Nandgaon, Barsana and finally the Taj Mahal in Agra.

The book combines legend, history and philosophy. It tells how the Bishnupriya Manipuri devotee Pundarikaksha Sharma obtained the Radhamadhav temple at Radhakunda in 1853. It also recounts the destruction of Braj temples under successive invaders. When Minakshi questions Krishna’s conduct, Saudamini answers with the Gita and the Upanishads and argues that true love means giving and letting go. At the Taj Mahal she explains why the Yamuna is called “blue”: the river carries stories of love fulfilled through sacrifice. The book ends with Minakshi hoping Radharani will grant her love.