Watch in pics the solitary, sad lives of Vrindavan widows

New Delhi: The beautiful and holy towns of Vrindavan and Mathura in addition to being the birthplace of Lord Krishna have also a unique feature.It is the abode of almost 6000 widows in India. According to Hindu traditions, upper caste widows cannot remarry. So, many females are forced to leave their homes and shift to Vrindavan and surrounding secluded places to live a peaceful solitary life. But here too, their living conditions are worse. There are an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 widows living on the streets and in ashrams, many of whom have spent over 30 years there. Walk out of the temples, and one can see many widows sitting outside and begging.While some of them have voluntarily left their home to devote their life worshipping the lord, yet many of them have been forced to leave homes as widows are still considered inauspicious in some parts of India. Many widows here have lost income and are usually sent away from their homes by their family so as they may not inherit family property or wealth.Many of the widows come from West Bengal where it had been a ritual till independence to send widows to Haridwar and Vrindavan to spend the rest of their lives. Most had traveled here from West Bengal, for some a journey of over 1,000 miles (1,600km) - often by themselves and many leaving behind friends and grandchildren.Many organizations and self help groups have been formed to help these women. An organization called Guild of Service was formed to assist these deprived women and children.There are many ashrams where these women are housed, but still there financial support lacks. They survive on few coins they get from singing devotional songs outside the temple.More than the aid and support to these widows, the mentality of upper caste Hindus towards widows need to be changed. The way these women are treated and looked down upon needs to be changed.