Shri Radha Vallabh Temple, also called Shri Radha Vallabhlal ji Temple is a historic temple in the city of

Vrindavan Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj, Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance for Hindus who believe that Krishna, one of ...

Mathura district Mathura district () is situated along the banks of the river Yamuna is a district of Uttar Pradesh States and Territories of India, state of north-central India. The historic city of Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura is the district headquarters. ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The temple is dedicated to

Hindu deities Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. Deities in Hinduism are as diverse as its traditions, and a Hindu can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, monotheistic, monistic, even agnostic, atheistic, or humanist. Julius J. L ...

Radha Krishna Radha-Krishna (IAST , ) is the combined form of the Hindu god Krishna with his chief consort and ''shakti'' Radha. They are regarded as the feminine as well as the masculine realities of God and gender in Hinduism, God, in several Krishnaism, Kr ...

. The temple belongs to

Radha Vallabh Sampradaya The Radha Vallabha Sampradaya () is a Vaishnava Hindu denomination which began in 1535 at Vrindavan, with the Sant Hith Harivansh Mahaprabhu (1502–1552). Harivansh's views are related to Krishnaism, but emphasises devotion to the goddess Shri ...

and was constructed in 16th century under the guidance of Vrindavan saint Hith Harivansha Mahaprabhu. The central deity of the temple is

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

who is worshiped under the name of Shri Radha Vallabh which means the consort of

Radha Radha (, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. In scriptures, Radha is mentioned as the avatar of Lakshmi and also as the Prak� ...

. Alongside Krishna, a crown is placed which signifies the presence of goddess Radha.

History

Old Radhavallabh Temple, which is presently known as ''Hith Mandir'' in Vrindavan was constructed in 1585 A.D by Sundardas Bhatnagar, a disciple of Shri Vanachandra, son of

Hith Harivansh Mahaprabhu Shri Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu (another spelling, Hita Harivaṃśa, 1473 CE–1552 CE) is a Braj language bhakti poet- sant and the founder of Radha Vallabh Sampradaya. His principal work is the hymnal ''Hita-Caurāsī''. Early life Born i ...

. At that time, Sundardas Bhatnagar of

Deoband Deoband is a town and a municipality in Saharanpur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, about 150 km (93 miles) from Delhi. Darul Uloom Deoband, an Islamic seminary and one of the largest Islamic Institutions of India is located ther ...

was under the employment of Abdul Rahim Khankhana, the chief head at Akbar's court. Through Abdul Rahim Khankhana, Sundardas Bhatnagar not only got the Royal permission to use

Red sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains, cemented together by another mineral. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed o ...

for the construction of temple, which was used only for construction of imperial buildings, royal palaces and forts at that time but also got monetary grant for this temple from

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

. Descendants of Sundardas Bhatnagar at Deoband still have the temple documents with them. It is said that King Maan Singh first decided to construct this temple. But on hearing a legend that whosoever construct this temple would die within a year, he backed out. Though later the legend did come true. Sundardas Bhatnagar who constructed the temple died within a year, soon after the construction of the temple was complete.

Legend

According to popular legend, the deity Radhavallabh was never made by any sculptor. The deity was given to a devotee named Atmadev by

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

himself because of his arduous devotion and prayers. The

lived 31 years in place called Devavan. In the 32nd year of his age, he left for

. On his way to Vrindavan, he was ordered by goddess Radha herself to marry the daughters of Atmadev and took the idol of Radha Vallabhji to Vrindavan with them. As ordered, Hith Harivansh Mahaprabhu married the daughters of Atmadev and Atmadev gifted the idol of Radhavallabh ji to his daughters and Harivansh Mahaprabhu on their marriage.

Architecture

Shri Radha Vallabh Temple was situated near Gotam Nagar on the cliff near

Bankey Bihari temple Banke Bihari Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the town of Vrindavan, Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. The temple is dedicated to Banke Bihari who is believed to be the combined form of Radha and Krishna. Banke Bihari was originally ...

. The stands out due to its striking architecture and magnificence decor. Constructed in 1585, the Radha Vallabh temple is one of the oldest and long-living temples, majestically built using red sandstones at a time when they were used for building only high palaces, imperial buildings and royal forts. The wall of the temple is 10 feet thick and are pierced in 2 stages.

Festivals

The Radha Vallabh temple is famous for its colorful and vibrant festivals. The major festivals of the temple are - * Hitotsav - It is a 11 days long festival commemorating the founder of

Radha-vallabha The Radha Vallabha Sampradaya () is a Vaishnava Hindu denomination which began in 1535 at Vrindavan, with the Sant Hith Harivansh Mahaprabhu (1502–1552). Harivansh's views are related to Krishnaism, but emphasises devotion to the goddess Shr ...

tradition,

. *

Radhashtami Radhashtami () is a Hindu religious day commemorating the birth anniversary of the goddess Radha, the chief consort of the god Krishna. It is celebrated in her birthplace Barsana and the entire Braj region on the eighth day ('' ashtami'') of ...

- It is a 9 days long grand festival which celebrated the birth anniversary of Goddess

, the guru (mentor) of Radha-vallabha tradition. *

Krishna Janmashtami Krishna Janmashtami (), also known simply as Krishnashtami, Janmashtami, or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. In certain Hindu texts, such as the '' Gita Govinda ...

- The festival celebrates the birth anniversary of

, the consort of Radha. * Vyahlu Utsav - This festival celebrates the wedding ceremony of

. This festival is locally known as Byahovala of the Lord and is also called Manoratha. The temple is flocked with devotees on such ceremony and becomes the center of prime attraction for such different rituals. The other annual festivals of the temple include -

Holi Holi () is a major Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love and Spring.The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...".Yudit Greenberg, Encyclopedia of Love in World ...

Diwali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual v ...

Sharad Purnima Sharada Purnima (also known as Kumara Purnima, Kojagari Purnima, Navanna Purnima, Kojagrat Purnima or Kaumudi Purnima) is a religious festival celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu lunar month of Ashvin (September to October), markin ...

Dussehra Vijayadashami (), more commonly known as Dassahra in Hindi, and also known as Dashāhra or Dashain in Bhojpuri, Maithili and Nepali, is a major Hindu festival celebrated every year at the end of Durga Puja and Navarahtri. It is observed o ...

, Jhulan Utsav, Phool Banglas (Floral Archades), Sanjhi Utsav and Patotsava.

Timings

The time zone ( UTC+05:30) observed through India by the priest. Morning - 05:00 am to 12:00 pm. Evening - 06:00 pm to 09:00 pm.

Nearby attractions

Bankey Bihari Temple Banke Bihari Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the town of Vrindavan, Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. The temple is dedicated to Banke Bihari who is believed to be the combined form of Radha and Krishna. Banke Bihari was originally ...

Nidhivan, Vrindavan Nidhivan (Hindi language, Hindi: निधिवन), (meaning, Sacred Forest) is one of the sacred sites of Vrindavan, situated in the Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is considered as the most prominent site dedicated to the pastim ...

Radha Raman Temple Sri Radha Raman Temple, is a Hindu temple situated in Vrindavan, India. It is dedicated to Krishna who is worshiped as Radha Ramana. This temple is counted as one of the Seven most revered ancient temples of Vrindavan along with Radha Vallabh ...

Radha Damodar temple, Vrindavan Shri Radha Damodar Temple is a Hindu temple, dedicated to Hindu deities Radha and Krishna. The temple is situated in Vrindavan of Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. In the temple, Krishna is worshiped in the form of ''Damodar'' with his consort R ...

Radha Madan Mohan Temple, Vrindavan Shri Radha Madan Mohan Temple, is a Hindu temple situated in Vrindavan of Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is one of the oldest and highly revered temple of Vrindavan. The presiding deity of the temple is Madan Mohan, a form of the god Krishna ...

* *

References

{{Reflist

External links

* https://www.radhavallabhmandir.com/index.php Krishna temples Radha Krishna temples Hindu temples in Mathura district Vrindavan Tourist attractions in Mathura district 16th-century Hindu temples Monuments of National Importance in Uttar Pradesh