The history of Barsana
Barsana is famous for one reason, and everything else follows from it: this is where Radha grew up. The hill temple, Lathmar Holi, Radha Ashtami and the lakhs who climb the steps every year are all about her. Here is the history as far as it can be pinned down, and where it cannot.
The names
Old accounts call the place Brihatsanu or Brahmasanu, the great peak or Brahma's peak, and Vrishbhanupur, the town of Vrishbhanu, Radha's father. Barsana is the name everyone uses today.
The town lies at the foot of two hills. Three of its four peaks, Bhanugarh (the highest, with Shriji on top), Maangarh and Daangarh, are on Brahma hill; Vilasgarh is on Vishnu hill across the narrow pass of Sankari Khor.
Who built the Radha Rani temple
| Account | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tradition | Vajranabh, Krishna's great-grandson, first installed Radha and Krishna on the hill about 5,000 years ago | Braj tradition, repeated by Wikipedia and Incredible India |
| Narayan Bhatt | The deity, lost over time, was found again by Narayan Bhatt in the sixteenth century and installed by him; one account dates the temple to Samvat 1626, about 1569 | Brajrasik, Bhakti Bharat |
| Raja Todarmal | The present structure is credited to Narayan Bhatt with help from Raja Todarmal of Akbar's court | Wikipedia |
| 1675, Bir Singh Deo | Many guides say Raja Bir Singh Deo of Orchha built it in 1675. He died in 1627, so the name and the date cannot both be right | Wikipedia and travel sites |
Ladli Ji is the deity Narayan Bhatt found; his granths and lineage are at the saints of Barsana.
1773: a battle and eight months away
In the wars after Mughal power broke up, Mirza Najaf Khan, fighting for the emperor Shah Alam, defeated the Jat army of Nawal Singh near Barsana. The Jat historian Kalika Ranjan Qanungo dates it to 31 October 1773; some modern sources give 1775.
Barsana remembers what followed. As local accounts tell it, the temple was taken and the town looted, and the sevayats carried Ladli Ji away to Sheopur in Madhya Pradesh for eight months. In her absence a sakhi form called Vijay Ladli was worshipped on the hill. Qanungo's history does not mention the plunder; Amar Ujala reported the local account in 2021.
The Jaipur temple
Half a kilometre from Shriji on the same ridge stands Radha Kushal Bihari, which Barsana calls the Jaipur Mandir: a Rajasthan king built it after Radha Rani appeared to him in a dream. One account names Maharaja Madho Singh of Jaipur and says the temple carries the name of his queen, Kushal Kanwar.
Barsana in the last fifty years
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1954 | Ramesh Baba comes to Braj, and later settles at Maan Garh, where Maan Mandir was a ruin |
| 1988 | Maan Mandir's first Radha Rani Braj Yatra around the 84 kos |
| 1996 | Jagadguru Kripalu Ji Maharaj founds Rangeeli Mahal |
| 2007 | Mataji Gaushala opens (7 July); Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya, the free hospital, opens (14 January) |
| 2019 | Kirti Mandir opens at Rangeeli Mahal on Vasant Panchami, 10 February; Ramesh Baba receives the Padma Shri |
| 2024 to 2025 | The ropeway to Shriji opens |
| 6 October 2026 | Ramesh Baba passes away at Maan Mandir |
The history of Barsana
Why is Barsana famous?
It is Radha Rani's home: the town of her father Vrishbhanu, where she grew up. The Shri Radha Rani (Ladli Ji) temple on Bhanugarh hill, Lathmar Holi and Radha Ashtami all come from that.
Who built the Radha Rani temple in Barsana?
Tradition says Vajranabh, Krishna's great-grandson, first installed the deities. Narayan Bhatt found Ladli Ji again in the sixteenth century; the present building is credited to him with Raja Todarmal's help. The popular 1675 and Raja Bir Singh Deo pairing cannot be right, as he died in 1627.
How old is the Radha Rani temple?
The deity's worship is traced to Narayan Bhatt in the sixteenth century, with one account giving Samvat 1626, about 1569. Tradition takes it back 5,000 years to Vajranabh.
What was the old name of Barsana?
Brihatsanu or Brahmasanu, the great peak or Brahma's peak, and Vrishbhanupur, after Radha's father.
Was the Barsana temple attacked?
In 1773 Najaf Khan defeated the Jats near Barsana. Local accounts say the temple was taken and Ladli Ji was kept safe at Sheopur for eight months.
What are the four peaks of Barsana?
Bhanugarh (with Shriji), Maangarh, Daangarh and Vilasgarh.
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