By Iskcon News
Vasudeva Das, a longtime ISKCON filmmaker known for his work with BhakTV, has spent several decades documenting devotional life through film. In 2016, he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2nd Vaisnava Film Awards Festival in Mayapur, an event he co-organized with Nrisimhananda Das.
Recently, Vasudeva Das announced the release of his newest feature-length documentary, Around The Hill: The Giriraja Parikrama, which explores the sacred tradition of circumambulating Govardhana Hill. The film weaves together interviews with ISKCON leaders and other Vaishnava authorities, presenting “visual and cultural evidence for the phenomenal rise in popularity of various types of parikrama around Govardhana,” as Vasudeva explains.
Rich with spiritual insights, historical background, and on-the-ground footage, the documentary offers viewers a thoughtful look into the motives, practices, and significance of this ancient devotional journey.
The following is a review by Gurusevananda Das:
François Joly’s Around the Hill: The Giriraj Parikrama is a luminous and deeply moving documentary that captures the spiritual pulse of one of India’s most revered devotional practices. Centered around the sacred Govardhan Hill in Braj, the film offers more than a visual chronicle—it opens a contemplative window into the embodied devotion of Bhakti Yoga.
Drawing from my own years of residence at Govardhan during Sanskrit training, and as a scholar of South Asian religious traditions, I found the film to be both faithful and profound. Joly’s lens does not merely observe the pilgrims—it listens to them. Through the voices of Indian and Western practitioners, scholars, and lay devotees, the documentary allows the tradition to speak for itself, revealing the motivations, hopes, and transformative experiences that animate the parikrama.
The film excels in portraying the intimate relationship between body, landscape, and spirit. The act of circumambulating Giriraj is shown not just as ritual, but as a living dialogue between the devotee and the divine—a journey of surrender, endurance, and grace. In doing so, Joly highlights the centrality of embodiment in devotional life, a theme often overlooked in academic treatments of religion.
Equally compelling is the documentary’s engagement with broader questions: the exponential rise in pilgrim numbers, the evolving contours of the tradition, and the delicate balance between religious fervor and environmental stewardship. These reflections are seamlessly woven into the narrative, offering viewers a nuanced understanding of the dynamic interplay between faith and ecology.
For those steeped in the sacred geography of Braj, the film is a visual and emotional delight. For those unfamiliar with the Bhakti path, it offers a rare glimpse into a devotional world that may seem distant, yet speaks to universal human longings—for meaning, connection, and transcendence.
In Around the Hill, François Joly has crafted not just a documentary, but a darśana—a sacred viewing—of a tradition that continues to inspire, evolve, and embrace all who walk its path.
To watch the trailer, click here.
Bhakti Vision is offering the rights to hold public broadcasts of the documentary Around the Hill: The Giriraja Parikrima, 72min, produced by Vasudeva Joly, for an unlimited period. This licence is restricted to private and public showings and does not include making copies or uploading it on social media.
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