Radha & the Raas The Divine Love of Vrindavan
Vrindavan is not only the town of Krishna’s childhood but the eternal stage of his love for Radha - danced out in the Raas Leela, hidden in the groves of Nidhivan, and sung in every temple as Radhe-Shyam.
Radha Ashtami Saturday, 19 September 2026·Mathura
Radha - the soul of Vrindavan
In Vrindavan, Krishna is never worshipped alone. He is always Radha-Krishna, Radhe-Shyam - and it is Radha’s name that is called first. Radha, the cowherd girl of Barsana, is held to be Krishna’s own heart and the very embodiment of prem and bhakti, selfless love turned wholly towards the divine. Her birthday, Radha Ashtami (Bhadrapada Shukla Ashtami), falls a fortnight after Janmashtami - this year on Saturday, 19 September 2026, and is kept in Barsana and Vrindavan with the same joy as Krishna’s own birth.
The Maha Raas of Sharad Purnima
The Raas Leela is the circular dance of Krishna with the gopis on the moonlit banks of the Yamuna - and Radha at its centre. On Sharad Purnima, the clear autumn full moon, Krishna is said to have taken as many forms as there were gopis, so that each believed him dancing at her side alone. This is the Maha Raas, the great dance of divine love, re-enacted through the night in Vrindavan’s temples and raas-mandalas as raaslila performed by young Brahmin boys.
Nidhivan & Seva Kunj - the secret raas
Two groves in Vrindavan - Nidhivan and Seva Kunj - are believed to be the setting of a raas that never ended. Tradition holds that Radha and Krishna dance here every night, and so the groves are emptied of all people after the evening aarti; even birds and monkeys are said to leave by dusk. A bed is lovingly made in the Rang Mahal each evening with sringar, datun and sweets - and found disturbed, the sweets tasted, by morning. The low, gnarled trees, whose branches bend to the ground and intertwine, are said to be the gopis themselves, turning back to their true forms at night.
The temples of Radha-Krishna
Each of Vrindavan’s great temples keeps the love of Radha and Krishna in its own way - some revealing the Lord only in glimpses, some worshipping Radha through her crown alone.
The most beloved temple of Vrindavan, its deity of Krishna in a captivating three-bent (tribhanga) pose revealed only in brief glimpses, the curtain drawn again and again so no devotee is overwhelmed by the darshan. Radha is worshipped here as inseparable from Bihari.
Home to a self-manifest (svayambhu) deity that appeared to Gopal Bhatta Goswami. Radha is present not as a separate image but through a crown placed beside the Lord - she who delights Krishna, Radha-Raman.
The seat of the Radhavallabh sampradaya, which holds Radha supreme. Here too there is no separate Radha idol - only her crown beside Radha Vallabh, for Radha is understood to dwell in the heart of Krishna himself.
The grove where, tradition holds, Radha and Krishna still dance the raas each night - so no one may remain after the evening aarti. A bed is made in the Rang Mahal at dusk and found disturbed by dawn; the low, intertwining trees are said to be the gopis themselves.
Another sacred grove of the nightly raas, where birds fall silent and monkeys leave by evening. Devotees offer datun and sringar for the divine couple and withdraw before nightfall, leaving Radha and Krishna to their eternal leela.
The modern marble temple of divine love, its walls carved with the leelas of Radha-Krishna and Sita-Ram, its illuminated fountains drawing crowds each evening - a contemporary hymn to the prem (love) that Vrindavan embodies.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Radha?
Radha is the beloved of Krishna and the embodiment of pure, selfless devotion - worshipped in Vrindavan as inseparable from him, so that he is always invoked as Radha-Krishna, Radhe-Shyam. In many Vrindavan temples she is present through her crown beside the Lord rather than a separate image.
When is Radha Ashtami?
Radha Ashtami, Radha's birthday, falls on Bhadrapada Shukla Ashtami - a fortnight after Krishna Janmashtami. In 2026 it is Saturday, 19 September 2026 (computed for Mathura).
What is the Maha Raas?
The Raas Leela is the divine circular dance of Krishna with Radha and the gopis on the banks of the Yamuna. On Sharad Purnima, the autumn full-moon night, Krishna is said to have multiplied himself so each gopi had him at her side - the Maha Raas, celebrated across Vrindavan.
Why must no one stay in Nidhivan at night?
Tradition holds that Radha and Krishna perform the raas in Nidhivan every night, so the grove is emptied after the evening aarti. A bed made in the Rang Mahal at dusk is found used by morning, and it is believed that anyone who witnesses the nightly leela loses their sight or their reason.
Last updated 28 July 2026