RÄdhÄ ā the supreme goddess of bhakti, at her birth-town
Barsana is the birthplace of RÄdhÄ ā Krishna's beloved and, in the GauįøÄ«ya Vaiį¹£į¹ava and NimbÄrka traditions, herself the supreme feminine Divinity, higher than Krishna. The hilltop temple (RÄdhÄ-RÄį¹Ä« Mandir) is the primary shrine. Lath-mÄr HolÄ« (9th day before Holi) is the most famous festival ā Barsana women ceremonially beat Nandagaon men with sticks in remembrance of Krishna's youthful teasing. Crowds of 500,000+. Pilgrims also circumambulate the NandagaonāBarsanaāJavat triangle, where Radha grew up.
RÄdhey RÄdhey
Every tradition in India ā textual, oral, tribal, regional, syncretic ā deserves first-person recognition. This entry honours Hindu on its own terms.
