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‘Acknowledge Rawal as real birthplace of Radha’
After grand celebrations marking Janmashtami, the Braj region is bracing for ‘Radha Ashtami’ -- the birth anniversary of Radha Rani, the consort of Lord Krishna.
After grand celebrations marking Janmashtami, the Braj region is bracing for ‘Radha Ashtami’ -- the birth anniversary of Radha Rani, the consort of Lord Krishna.
Most of the celebrations take place in Barsana town of Mathura that has been declared a ‘teerth’ (pilgrimage) for being associated with the life of Radha Rani. But now, there’s a growing pitch for acknowledging Rawal village as the ‘real’ birthplace of Radha.
‘Radha Ashtami’ is on Friday (September 6), but the celebrations will begin in Barsana from Thursday. The renowned Radha Rani temple (also known as ‘Ladliji Temple’) in Barsana is decked up for the occasion. While the entry of vehicles is being regulated in Barsana because of a fair that will be organised on Radha Ashtami, the mela site is divided into seven zones and 21 sectors by the district administration.
However, veterans in Braj say that amidst all this, what gets eclipsed is Rawal – a remote village mentioned by poet Soordas as the birthplace of Radha in his writings 550 years ago.
Mohan Swaroop Bhatia, a veteran of Braj literature and a Padma Shri awardee, advocates that Rawal village be recognised as the real birthplace of Radha Rani.
“Mythological literature and various writings by renowned writers like Kavi Parmanand, Kavi Vyas Dass and those from Radha Vallabh faith mention Rawal as the birthplace of Radha, but the village remains in oblivion with Barsana getting more of attention,” said Bhatia.
“Radha’s maternal grandson lived in Rawal. Her mother gave birth to her in this village. Later, Radha moved to Barsana where her father Vrashbhan lived. With the passage of time, the ‘Ladliji temple’ in Barsana became popular,” adds Bhatia.
“It is believed that about 300 years ago there was a temple in Rawal which was inundated during flood. After that Radha’s idol was shifted to Barsana,” says Bhatia.
“Because of her devotion to Radha Rani, Mathura MP Hema Malini adopted Rawal village and provided assistance from her MP fund for setting up a community hall and build some roads,” he says.
