The ‘Shri Radha Rani Temple’ located in Barsana, 50 kilometres away from Mathura, is a beautiful place of love, beauty and artistry, where Shriradha is seated with her friends Lalita and Vishakha. This temple of Shri Radha Rani is also known as ‘Ladlo Mahal’ and ‘Shriji Mandir’.
In the entire Braj-Mandal, Shri Krishna is considered the king and Shri Radha Rani is considered the queen. Radha is mentioned in ‘Padma Purana’ and ‘Brahmavaivarta Purana’. Radha is also described in ‘Geet Govind’ written by the famous Sanskrit poet Jaydev in the twelfth century.
Scholars believe that Radha was born in Rawal. Later his father Vrishabhanu moved to Barsana. In ‘Padma Purana’, there is mention of two mountains named Vishnu and Brahma on the hills located in Barsana. Bhanugarh, Dangarh, Vilasgarh and Mangarh mountains are considered to be the four faces of Brahma. On other mountains, Shriradha is considered to be the abode of Ashta Sakhi Lalita, Vishakha, Rang Devi, Sudevi, Champaklata, Chitra, Tungavidya and Indulekha. Legend has it that Lord Krishna consoled an angry Radha in the Maan temple. At present, there are temples of Radha’s mother Kirti and father Vrishbhanu in Barsana.
According to mythological beliefs, the ‘Shri Radha Rani Temple’ situated on the 250 meter high Bhanugarh hill was built 5000 years ago by Vajranabha, the great grandson of Shri Krishna. Later in the year 1569, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s disciple Raghunath Bhatt got it constructed with the help of Emperor Akbar’s minister Raja Todarmal. In 1675, Raja Veer Singh Bundela of Orchha rebuilt the temple.
