Mathura- a Nodal Point of Transit Trade
Literary and archaeological evidence reveals a phenomenal transformation in the fortunes of Mathura an' its environs from the age of the Buddha, when it suffered from bad roads, dust storms, infestations o fierce dogs and bestial Yakshas and niggardliness in alms-giving to the period, between the second century BC and the third century AD, when it attained the position of a leading metropolis `rising beautiful the crescent moon over the dark streams of the Yamuna' and celebrated for its magnificence, prosperity munificence and teeming population. In the latter stages Mathura became a great centre of power, trade, and commerce, religious and cultural movements, aesthetic excellence and artistic creativity. Its zenith attained under the Kushanas, when Mathura served as one of their principal capitals and the chief stronghold for the expansion and control of their territorial possessions in the mainland India.
The rise of Mathura was due to its strategic geographical location and network of communications The city commanded the gateway to the rich alluvial Ganga plain, to the central and southern India, an' to the flourishing ports of the western seaboard. It traditionally had served as the focus for the ethnic' migrations from the north-west and as a conduit for their further movements to the south and west. I nodality was evidenced in its linkages to the principal sub-continental highway system: the Uttarapatha (Northern or Northwestern highway) and the Dakshinapatha (Southern Route). Mathura was a strategic vulnerable outpost of the central Ganga based power system. Inevitably, the north-western invaders, Greeks, Shakas and Kushanas gravitated towards it in their drives for conquest of territories and control trade routes of northern India. Its metropolitan character developed the trade routes of Mathura. Regional nodal linkages led it to other smaller- and lesser-known towns. Mathura exerted an integrative effets on the whole of Shurasena region and its neighbouring territories. These routes also served as arteries for commerce as well as pilgrimage and cultural missions. The developing institutional structures of urban economy characterized by local professional, industrial and mercantile guilds and institutions 1' Sresthin (the business-magnate-cum-banker) and Sarthavaha (the caravan-leader) made Mathura a great economic hub. All these factors contributed to Mathura's transformation from a regional metropolis into subcontinental pivot of trade and communication. The coinage of the Shungas, local rulers, and the Kushana promoted economic exchange both within and beyond Mathura region.
Ancient Sites at Mathura
At present there is no important ancient temple, stupa or monastery at Mathura. Only till recently there were mounds throughout the region. Many of the sculptures or carved stone pieces unearthed from these mounds hear inscriptions, which often record the names of the monasteries and temples. Presuming that after the demolition of a particular temple or stupa many of the sculptures originally housed therein continued to lie on that very site for centuries altogether, or remained buried under the debries, the provenance of a sculpture may he accepted as a place, where it was originally installed. Working on the above lines the following would be the tentative identification of some of the ancient sites at Mathura.
| Jain Establishment | Sites/Places |
| Vodva Stupa | Kankali Tila |
| Buddhist Establishments | |
| Yasa Vihara | Katra Keshavdev |
| Stupa | Katra Keshavdev |
| Vihara of Amohassi | Katra Keshavdev |
| Another Stupa | Jail/Jamalpur Mound |
| Huviska Vihara | Jail/Jamalpur Mound |
| Sri Kunda Vihara | near Huviska Vihara Saptarishi Tila |
| Guha Vihara | Bharatpur Gate |
| Apanaka Vihara | Maholi Mound |
| Khanda Vihara | Madhuvan, Maholi |
| Pravaraka Vihara | Near Kans Khar |
| Kraustukiya Vihara | Mata-ki-Gali |
| Chutaka Vihara | Jamuna-bagh |
| Svarnakara Vihara | Sadar Baazar |
| Rausika Vihara | Ancient Alika, possibly modern Aring in Mathura district |
| Shri Vihara | Gaughat |
| Madhuravanaka Stupa | Chaubara Mound |
| Vihara of Dharma-hastika | Village Naugava, about 7.25 Km, south west of Mathura |
| Vihara of the Mahasanghika School | Palikhera |
| Vihara of Pusyada | Sonkh |
| Ladyaskka Vihara | Mandi Ramdas |
| Chaitya-kuti of the wife of Dharmaka | Mathura Junction |
| Uttara Hausa Vihara | Anyor, near Govardhan |
| Brahmanical Sites | |
| Chatussala temple of Vasudeva | Katra Kesavadeva |
| Vaisnava temple of Gupta times | Katra Kesavadeva |
| Temples of Kapileswara and Upamitesvara | near Rangeshwar Mahadev |
| Sacrificial Ground | Ishapur across Yamuna |
| Temple of Dadhikarna Naga | Jail/Jamalpur Tila |
| Temple of Panchviras of Vrisnis | Village Mora |
| Tank of Senahasti and Bhondika | Chhadgaon, south of Mathura city |