Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami
From the book “Sri Vraja-maṇḍala-parikramā”:
After Sarasvatī–patana–tīrtha (Kṛṣṇa–gaṅgā–ghāṭa) and Soma– tīrtha (Gaū–ghāṭa), one comes to Kaṁsa–kilā (the fort of Kaṁsa), Ghaṇtākarṇa and Mukti–tīrtha. Kaṁsa–kilā was the residence or palace of Kaṁsa. The ruins that lie here today bear testimony to this. Between Kaṁsa–kilā and Vasudeva–ghāṭa (near Svāmī–ghāṭa) are Brahma–ghāṭa, Vaikuṇṭha–ghāṭa and Dhārāpatana. Then, after Asi–kuṇḍa (Askuṇḍā–ghāṭa) and Maṇikarṇikā–ghāṭa is Viśrāma– ghāṭa, which completes the ten–mile parikramā of Mathurā.
Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
The ancient fortress of King Kamsa, also known as Kamsa-khila, is situated on the Mathura parikrama path. The Sanskrit word ‘khila’ means a ‘fort’ and it was built on a hilltop next to the bank of the Yamuna River. From the top of the hill one gets a wonderful panoramic view of the Yamuna River and in the far distance one can see the temples of Vrindavana. Raja Man Singh (1550-1614) the Rajput king of Amber (Jaipura) also established his palace on this hilltop amid the ruins of Kamsa’s fort. Later a descendant of Raja Man Singh named Maharaja Jai Singh, a famous astronomer, around the year 1738, established a small-scale jantar-mantar or Vedic astronomical observatory within the palace compound which can still be seen by visitors to the fort.
