Radha Vallabh Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Agra Airport is 71.3 km away and the nearest; New Delhi International Airport is 150 km away.

• By train

  Mathura Junction (MTJ) and Mathura Cantt. (MRT) are the railway stations listed for Mathura, about 15 km south of Vrindavan.

• By road

  Vrindavan is linked to Delhi by National Highway 44 of the Golden Quadrilateral.

Why devotees come here

Radha Vallabh Temple stands in Vrindavan, Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh. It is a temple of Krishna worshipped as Shri Radha Vallabh, and its legend says no sculptor ever made the deity.

The central deity is Krishna, worshipped here as Shri Radha Vallabh, which means the consort of Radha. The temple belongs to the Radha Vallabh Sampradaya, the tradition founded by Hith Harivansh Mahaprabhu.

Legend says no sculptor made the deity. Shiva is said to have given it to a devotee named Atmadev, for his long devotion and prayers. On the way to Vrindavan, Hith Harivansh was told by Radha herself to marry Atmadev's daughters, and he carried the idol with them into Vrindavan.

The temple is dated to 1585 and was built under Sundardas Bhatnagar. Akbar gave a monetary grant for it. The walls were built of red sandstone, a material then kept for palaces, imperial buildings and forts, and they are 10 feet thick, pierced in two stages.

Festivals

• Eleven days, dates not givenHitotsav

  An 11-day festival honouring the founder, Hith Harivansh Mahaprabhu.

• Nine days, dates not givenRadhashtami

  A nine-day festival for the birth anniversary of Radha.

• Dates not givenVyahlu Utsav

  Celebrates the wedding of Radha and Krishna.

Tips for your visit

• The temple was situated near Gotam Nagar, on a cliff close to the Bankey Bihari temple.
• Vrindavan lies on the west bank of the Yamuna River, in Mathura district.
• Hitotsav lasts 11 days and Radhashtami 9 days.

Questions people ask