Shiv Taal in Mathura being restored by The Braj Foundation
 In the centre of the busy Mathura town, lies Shiv Taal, a traditional water body. Shiv Taal is one of the finest examples of Braj architecture and a magnificent showcase of structural beauty to the world. Shiv Taal has a significant historic and spiritual history behind it. Every year thousands of devotees visit here on Shiv raatri. During the last decade of nineteenth century, the then stationed British collector H F Grouse has given a beautiful description of Shiv Taal in his memoirs. Even the Varaha Purana mentions Shiv Taal as the historic site where Lord Shiva did penance.
Unfortunately, neither the local administration nor the community had ever realized the value of this heritage lying neglected and forgotten and had turned a blind eye to the pitiable state that this heritage site had come to. The water channels to this kund had been blocked due to illegal encroachments, and finally pouring into the kund was heavy amounts of garbage, filth and sewage. The water had completely dried up and the once beautiful and exquisite kund had now turned to be an eyesore.
 A Chaturvedi family of Mathura claim Shiv Taal to be their private property. At the behest of the same Chaturvedi family, Braj Foundation began the restoration of this historic kund. The restoration work is progressing at a very fast pace; desilting and cleaning of the kund has been completed and the ghats are being repaired. More and more community members are showing their interest upon seeing such tangible results. Recently, a marble idol of Krishna was unearthed during excavation which has been handed over to the Mathura museum by The Foundation.
The Braj Foundation plans to restore the entire kund complex. But the biggest challenge lies in cleaning up and the approach road that leads to the kund. Due to unplanned and illegal construction all around the kund, the approach road has become very narrow and congested. There is the possibility of creating an alternate route but that can be successfully developed only if the Mathura Development Corporation takes an initiative in this direction.
 Meanwhile The Braj Foundation is working day and night to restore the original grandeur of Shiv Taal and once that is revived Shiv Taal is sure to turn into a major tourist attraction in the coming years and an asset to the town of Mathura. Advocate Maheshwar Chaturvedi, a member of the Chaturvedi clan says, “Braj Foundation is restoring Shiv Taal with unmatched dedication, honesty and efficiency. He also admitted that there had been an earlier effort to revive Shiv Taal by official agencies but no tangible results had come of out the effort and all the investment and effort was lost in corruption.” The youth of Mathura have also been sensitized towards their dying heritage. They are now taking a keen iwnterest in creating a cultural committee towards the maintenance, upkeep and preservation of Shiv Taal on a sustained and long term basis. This is definitely a positive sign towards the fact that the Braj folk are finally waking up to the crisis that faces their cultural, architectural and environmental heritage.
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