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Sri Radha Raman Temple, is a
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
temple situated in
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 Bhoomi region and holds religious importance in Hinduism as Krishna spent most of his childho ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It is dedicated to
Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
who is worshiped as
Radha Ramana Radha Ramana (Devanagari: राधा रमण, IAST: rādhā ramaṇa) (or Radharaman) is a famous image of Radha Krishna worshiped in Hinduism. There is a famous temple of this deity in Vrindavana, Uttar Pradesh, India. Name This name of Kr ...
. This temple is counted as one of the Seven most revered ancient temples of Vrindavan along with Radha Vallabh Temple, Radha Damodar Temple, Radha Madanmohan Temple, Radha Govindji Temple, Radha Shyamsundar Temple and Radha Gokulnandan Temple. The temple houses the original
Shaligram A shaligrama shila ( deva, शालिग्राम शिला, Śāligrāma-śilā), also rendered as shaligram, is a particular variety of stone collected from riverbed or banks of the Kali Gandaki, a tributary of the Gandaki River in N ...
deity of Krishna alongside goddess
Radha Radha ( sa, राधा, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is worshiped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. She is the avatar of goddess Lakshmi and is also de ...
.


History

Radha Raman means the lover (''ramana'') of Srimati Radha. The temple was established over 500 years ago by
Gopala Bhatta Goswami Gopala Bhatta Goswami (1503–1578) is one of the foremost disciples of the Vaishnava saint, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and a leading historical figure in the Gaudiya Vaishnava school of Hinduism. He was part of a group of Vaishnava devotees known ...
. At the age of thirty, Gopala Bhatta Gosvami came to Vrindavana. After
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; born Vishvambhar Mishra) was a 15th-century Indian saint who is considered to be the combined avatar of Radha and Krishna by his disciples and various scriptures. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna ...
's disappearance Gopala Bhatta Gosvami felt intense separation from the Lord. To relieve his devotee from the pangs of separation, the Lord instructed Gopala Bhatta in a dream "If you want My Darshan then make a trip to Nepal". In
Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
, Gopala Bhatta bathed in the famous
Kali-Gandaki River The Gandaki River, also known as the Narayani and the Gandak, is one of the major rivers in Nepal and a left bank tributary of the Ganges in India. Its total catchment area amounts to , most of it in Nepal. In the Nepal Himalayas, it is notabl ...
. Upon dipping his waterpot in the river, he was surprised to see several
Shaligrama A shaligrama shila ( deva, शालिग्राम शिला, Śāligrāma-śilā), also rendered as shaligram, is a particular variety of stone collected from riverbed or banks of the Kali Gandaki, a tributary of the Gandaki River in N ...
''Shilas'' enter his pot. He dropped the S''hilas'' back into the river, but the S''hilas'' re-entered his pot when he refilled it. Gopala Bhatta Gosvami found twelve Shaligrama S''hilas''. It is believed that once a wealthy man came to Vrindavan and offered Gopala Bhatta a variety of clothes and ornaments for his Shaligramas in charity. However, Gopala Bhatta couldn't use these for his round-shaped Shaligramas. He advised the donor to give the deity decorations to someone else. It is believed that the donor refused to take them back and Gopala Bhatta kept the clothes and ornaments with his shilas. On the
Purnima Pūrṇimā () is the word for full moon in Sanskrit. The day of Purnima is the day (''Tithi'') in each month when the full moon occurs, and marks the division in each month between the two lunar fortnights ( paksha), and the Moon is aligned exact ...
(full moon) day, in the evening after offering
naivedhya 200px, Prasad thaal offered to Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad ">Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad">Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad Prasada (, Sanskrit: प्रसाद, ), Prasadam or Prasad is a religious offering in Hinduism. Most ...
to his Shaligrama S''hilas'', Gopala Bhatta put them to rest covering Them with a wicker basket. Late in the night, Gopala Bhatta took a little rest. in the early morning he went to take bath in the Yamuna river. Returning from his bath, he uncovered the Shaligramas in order to render puja, and saw amongst them a Deity of Krishna playing the flute. There were now only eleven S''hilas'' and a Deity. The "Damodara shila" had manifested as the beautiful three-fold bending form of ''Tri-Bhangananda-Krishna''. In this way Radha Raman emerged in a perfectly shaped deity form from a sacred Shaligrama ''Shila''. Devotees consider this image to be alive and that he grants a chosen family the privilege of assisting him in his daily schedule. In this way "the Lord has granted his wish and the stone was turned into the
murti In the Hindu tradition, a ''murti'' ( sa, मूर्ति, mūrti, ) is a devotional image such as a statue, or "idol" (a common and non-pejorative term in Indian English), of a deity or saint. In Hindu temples, it is a symbolic icon. Thus ...
of Sri Krishna". As a narrative account of actualized Krishna-
bhakti ''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...
, Radharamana's appearance story highlights the divine-human relationship of love as the ontologically central category of ultimate reality. The
Prasad 200px, Prasad thaal offered to Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad ">Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad">Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad Prasada (, Sanskrit: प्रसाद, ), Prasadam or Prasad is a religious offering in Hinduism. Most o ...
for Shri Radha Raman Ji is prepared by the male members of the Goswami families in the temple kitchen. The fire in the kitchen lit in early days of the temple still continues today. The Goswami families are allotted a calendar in advance for their personal ''seva'' (service) period and they perform ''seva'' accordingly. They also invite their disciples during their period and celebrate major family functions and ceremonies. Inside the temple complex, the ''samadhi'' of Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami is also situated. There the rarely available ''Unag vastra'' of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is kept. The current
acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a preceptor and expert instructor in matters such as religion, or any other subject. An acharya is a highly learned person with a tit ...
of the temple is
Shrivatsa Goswami __NOTOC__ Shrivatsa Goswami (born 27 October 1950) is an Indian Indologist scholar as well as Gaudiya Vaishnava religious leader. He was born in the holy Vaishnava pilgrimage site of Vrindavan, into a brahmin family whose members were caretak ...
.


See also

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Radha-vallabha The Radha Vallabh Sampradaya is a Vaishnava Hindu denomination which began in 1535 at Vrindavan with the bhakti poet- sant Hith Harivansh Mahaprabhu (1502–1552). Harivansh's views are related to Krishnaism but emphasizes devotion to Radharani ...
*
Krishna Balaram Mandir Sri Sri Krishna Balaram Mandir, also called ISKCON Vrindavan, is one of the major ISKCON temples in the world. It is a Gaudiya Vaishnava temple located in the city of Vrindavan, Mathura district, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The templ ...
*
Prem Mandir Vrindavan Prem Mandir (lit. The Temple of Love) is a Hindu temple in Vrindavan, Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is nearly holy city Mathura. It is maintained by Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat, an international non-profit, educational, spiritual ...
*
Nidhivan, Vrindavan Nidhivan which means "''Forest of Tulsi'' " is one of the sacred forest sites of Vrindavan. It is situated in the Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh, India. Nidhivan is considered as the most prominent site dedicated to the pastimes of Hindu deities ...
*
Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir is a temple under early stages of construction at Vrindavan, Mathura, India. As planned, it will be the tallest religious monument in the world. At its potential cost of it is likely to be one of the most expensive ...
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Banke Bihari Temple Bankey Bihari Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the town of Vrindavan, Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. The temple is dedicated to Bankey Bihari who is believed to be the combined form of Radha and Krishna. Bankey Bihari was origi ...
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Radha Rani Temple Shri Radha Rani Temple, also called Shriji (Shreeji) Temple and Shri Laadli Lal Temple, is a Hindu temple, located in Barsana in Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh, India. The temple is dedicated to the goddess Radha. Barsana is believed to be h ...
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Govind Dev Ji Temple The historic Govind Dev Ji temple of Gaudiya Vaishnavism tradition is situated in ''City Palace'' of Jaipur in Rajasthan, India. The temple is dedicated to Govind Dev (Krishna) and his consort Radha. The deities of the temple were brought from ...
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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 Uttar Pradesh. In the temple, Krishna is worshiped in the form of ''Damodar'' with his consort Radha. It ...
*
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 wh ...


References

{{Hindu temples in Uttar Pradesh , state=expanded Buildings and structures completed in 1542 16th-century Hindu temples Hindu temples in Mathura district Radha Krishna temples Krishna temples Gaudiya Vaishnavism Vrindavan Religious buildings and structures completed in 1542 1542 establishments in India