Barsana, the birthplace of Sri Radha Rani, Lord Krishna’s beloved, is more than just a tourist destination in Uttar Pradesh; it is a celebration of Radha’s life and the eternal love between her and Lord Krishna. This religious destination in Uttar Pradesh celebrates Lord Krishna’s association with the town and Radha Rani, in addition to many temples dedicated to her life and upbringing. Barsana Dham is also popularly known as Radha Madhav Dham. It is also well-known for its Lathmar Holi, which presents the ancient tradition of playing Holi with sticks, shields, and colours.
Although the entire Barsana holds memories of Radha-Krishna, their childhood, and their upbringing,
Let’s have a look at these popular places that you can visit:
Shri Radha Rani Temple / Shri Ji Mandir
Whenever a visitor comes to Barsana, Shri Laadli Ji Temple, or Shri Ji Temple, is the first place they visit. Similarly, when I visited Barsana, this was my first stop. This temple is situated on the peak of Bhanugarh Hill, so we need to climb about 200 stairs. There are beautiful pictures and statues of Shri Radha Rani and Shri Krishna. This temple is one of the most beautiful and popular temple in Barsana.
From Barsana bus stop, Shri Radha Rani Mandir is about 12 minutes of walk, and about 4 minutes drive away.
Dan Bihari Temple
Dan Bihari Temple in Barsana is one of the area’s oldest temples. The Pandit Ji from the temple shared an anecdote from Shri Krishna’s life. There was a devotee who needed money to marry his daughter, and Lord Krishna gathered wealth equal to the weight of Radha and gave it to the villager who needed the money; this demonstrated Lord Krishna’s kindness and helpfulness to his devotees. After this incident, the Dan Bihari Temple was established; ‘dan’ means to donate and ‘Bihari’ is Lord Krishna.
From Shri Radha Rani Temple, Dan Bihari Temple is about 8 minutes of walking distance. You need not worry about transport as this is close by.
Radha Kushalbihari Temple
The Radha Kushalbihari Temple in Barsana has a similar appearance to Rajasthan’s forts; this is because, despite its location, the temple was built by Maharaja Madho Singh Rao of Jaipur. The structure is almond in colour, and it is surrounded by abundant greenery and beautiful flowers that blossom in the spring. A small garden surrounds the temple, and it is said that Radha would come here to relax with her friends. Various festivals of our culture are celebrated with great pomp and ceremony at this temple, making it the best time to visit.
For those wanting to go from Dan Bihari Mandir to Radha Kushalbihari Mandir, this is just 1 minute walk.
Maan Mandir
Radha would go to Maan Garh, or Maan Mandir as the locals call it, to isolate herself from everyone else when she was moody or angry with Shri Krishna. Lord Krishna is said to have done everything in his power to calm Radha and regain her trust at this location; he would show her the mirror and act as her chaperone/maid, fan her like a servant, and even bow his head down at her feet to show her that she was the charge in their relationship. The temple was built to pay tribute to this sweet but poignant part of Krishna and Radha’s lives—their conflicts and settlements. This was the spot where Krishna would please Radha again which is ‘maan’ in Hindi.
From Dan Bihari Temple, Maan Mandir is 8 minutes of walk.
Rangeeli Mahal
The Rangeeli Mahal in Barsana, which was built in 1966, is a popular tourist destination. This palace was built under the leadership of Jagadguru Shri Kripaluji Maharaj, and the end result is a stunning structure that still looks stunning today. Right in front of the palace is a beautifully landscaped garden with a waterfall and illustrations of the Raas Leela performed by Radha and Krishna. The palace’s architecture appeals to all art enthusiasts, and many visitors come just to see this magnificent structure.
Rangeeli Mahal is about half an hour of walking distance from Maan Mandir. It is about 18-20 minutes of walk from Shri Radha Rani Mandir.
Kirti Mandir
The famous Kirti Mata Temple, located in the heart of the city, is dedicated to Radha’s divine mother, Kirti Mata, after whom the temple is named. This temple is the only one in the world with an idol of Radha Rani sitting on her mother’s lap. The temple is well-known and is located next to the Rangeeli Mahal. This structure’s architecture is absolutely phenomenal, with intricate detailing and a beautiful lawn right in front of it where you can sit and relax.
Kirti Mandir to Rangeeli Mahal is about 4 minutes walk away from each other.
Mor Kuti
Mor Kuti is located near Gehvar Van, Barsana, just after the upper part of Daan-garh. Several divine pastimes were carried out here. According to legend, Radharani once performed Maan Leela at Maangarh, which is directly opposite Morkuti. Krishna attempted to break Shri Radha’s’maan’ in a variety of ways, but he was unsuccessful. After failing to soothe Shri Radha’s Maan, Shri Krishn performed a dance Leela attired as a peacock to please Shri Radha Rani, and Shri Radharani broke her ‘maan’.
Mor Kuti is 6 minutes of walk from Shri Maan Mandir.
Gehvar Van
Gehvar van is in Barsana. Shri Kishori Radha holds great affection for this location. The location is known as Nitya Vihar, which means that Radha Krishna are always present here and there is never a time when they are separated. This forest is significant because it is the only forest in Braj decorated and created by Shri Radha Rani herself. It is the secluded vihar site of Thakur Ji and Radha Rani’s madhur leelas, and they forget everything.
Gehvar Van is also a part of the Barsana Parikrama. It is about 13 minutes of walk from Mor Kuti.
Travel Guide to Barsana
Once you enter Barsana, all the temples and tourist sites for devotees are all close by, so close that you can walk around to reach them.
The main task is reaching Barsana. Generally what visitors prefer is reaching Mathura, as it is a major district plus they can visit other temples in Mathura.
Mathura has a railway station for those planning to come via train. As well as you can reach Mathura via buses. The nearest airport to Mathura is Agra Airport, 58 km. Delhi Airport is about 170 km away.
Simplest way to travel for those who aren’t driving and coming here is to travel via the buses, which will be the cheapest mode of transport. You can also easily find taxis and autos here.
Some routes from Mathura that you can take are:
- Mathura to Govardhan and Govardhan to Barsana
- Mathura to Vrindavan, Vrindavan to Radha Kund and Radha Kund to Barsana
- Mathura to Chhata and Chhata to Barsana
- Mathura to Kosi Kalan, Kosi Kalan to Nand Gaon and Nand Gaon to Barsana
Best Time to Visit Barsana
One of the best times to visit Barsana would be on the occasion of Holi. The festival of Holi is extremely special to Radha-Krishna. There are grand celebrations and maha aarti during Holi.
Other best times include Janamastmi or Radhashtmi. Even then, there are grand celebrations in all the temples in Braj.
How Many Days Would It Take to Visit Barsana?
Generally, on the same day you can visit Barsana as well as Nand Gaon. If you reach Barsana early in the morning, you can easily return to Mathura on the same evening.
