Mathura is one of the seven holiest cities of Hindus, the other being Ujjain, Haridwar, Kasi, Kanchi, Puri and Dwaraka. Located on the river Yamuna, in the present day Uttar Pradesh, Mathura has a long history, a tradition associated with the life of Lord Krishna and the sanctity of a holy place rivaling that of kasi. In its long and checkered history of 5000 years, it received the positive and negative attention of many kings and emperors who either built monuments of their own or destroyed those built by others.