Researchers and social workers keep the number of such widows at about a whooping 16,000 to 17,000. Majority of these women belong to West Bengal and many come from nearby areas of Mathura. There is hardly any widow coming from Southern India or from the North Eastern states or from the far western states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Punjab and so on. The reason for this high concentration of Bengali widows is the history of Vrindaban itself. Vrindaban which, though earlier found a mention in the poems and hymns dedicated to Lord Krishna, was more of woodland inhabited by animals and insects during the sixteenth century. The credit goes to the saints and spiritual leaders of the Gaudiya Vaishnava sect, the Bengal chapter of Vaishnavism, for transforming this woodland into the present thriving and prosperous religious center. Because of the major role played by the saints from West Bengal in its development, Vrindaban bear a peculiar Bengali character and is extremely popular among the followers of the Gaudiya Vaishnavism, as a result every year there is a huge migration of people from West Bengal, which includes the widows.

Apart from this there is another major reason for the huge influx of widows from West Bengal. This is the infrastructure of charity that has built up throughout the year. Charity has always been seen as a sign of good morality and religiosity in all the religions of the world. In Vrindaban the devotees want to earn double points by doing charity in a religious place, therefore one can see huge amounts of money, cloths, food grains etc being distributed every day. Other than individual charity, a number of organizations work with the needy in general. There is Amar Badi, which is a Home for the destitute women, the All India Women Conference Old Age Home at Tarash Mandir, the Ramakrishna Mission Hospital, which provides medical services to the poor at a subsidized rate and there are numerous Bhajanashrams which provide the widows with Rs 2 to 5 in return of chanting for four to five hours. Some of the Bhajanashrams also give rice and pulses along with the money.

Of all the organizations mentioned above the Bhajanashrams are the most important. They provide alms to the widows in a daily basis along with some optional articles. Almost every alternate day they are provided with additional items like cloths, utensils, quilts, food grains and even money, which are supplied by individual devotees to the Bhajanashrams for the purpose. The articles given in the Bhajanashrams are not always used by the recipient. Often they are sold in the market when the widows have enough of them and this becomes a source of income. The Bhajanashrams operate in shifts, which can range from one to four a day. After every shift, alms are given to the women. There are no fixed groups of women who visit the ashrams. Any a woman in need can come during the shifts. These ashrams not only provide them with a source of income but also with the sisterhood of other widows in similar conditions, who meet at the ashrams every day, which provide them a support system during difficult times.

Another source of income for the widows is begging. Charity being the highest ideal, the devotees never hesitates to give alms. Thus one can find old women wrapped in white sarees sitting outside the temples, in the market place, on the streets for alms. A widow manages to earn at least Rs 50-60 every day by begging. This amount can go up to Rs 100-200 per day during festive seasons. Therefore somehow begging is most profitable source of income for the widows though not all of them prefer it. The younger widows are more economically sound, as they have alternative sources of income. Most of them work as housemaids, some do stitching and tailoring, while many serve in the temples which provide them with boarding facilities and three meals per day. The older and infirm widows could not afford to take up too much of hard work because of their weak bodies and therefore they have to take up begging. In fact the number of young widows is less in Vrindaban; most of the widows are in their late sixties and more. Even some older widows do not like to take up begging as their profession because they find it ethically wrong. All the widows and other abandoned women in Vrindaban, irrespective of their alternative professions, manage to find out time to visit the Bhajanashrams for chanting and alms.

Usually most of the widows stay in low cost rented rooms, which they might share with other widows. This also brings down their expenditure on rent. Some widows stay in ashrams where they don’t have to pay anything. Health facilities are also provided free of cost by the Charitable hospitals.

It is important here to mention that most of the widows who migrate to Vrindaban are mostly abandoned by their families or they themselves move out because of severe financial constraints. In Vrindaban they find a safe haven which will provide them with their basic necessities which includes food, clothing and health care almost free of cost. Some widows who stay in the ashrams, don’t even have to pay any rent, therefore their expenditure is almost nil. With little income and even less expenditure, the widows are comparatively leading a better life than what they had led had they stayed in their villages. They also find a support system in the sisterhood of the other widows. This community of old, young, deserted married women and widows provide each other with emotional and financial support, which they missed in their families. No doubt that hardly any woman who is staying in Vrindaban wants to go back to her native place, though their stay in the holy town is not without troubles.

Recently, there is a lot of talk going around about the sexual exploitation of young widows and abandoned women in Vrindaban. Researchers have found cases and instances which prove the same. Many widows themselves talk indirectly about how dangerous the Pandas (guides to the temples) are and it is better to stay away from them. The media is also responsible for drawing public attention towards the issue, but unfortunately no proper research has been done on this topic.