Shri Radha Rani Temple (Ladli Ji Mandir), Barsana

Tradition, as Wikipedia notes, credits the first shrine here to Vajranabh, a great-grandson of Krishna. The same article says the site later fell into neglect and that the images were rediscovered by Narayan Bhatt, a follower of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who oversaw building work with help from Raja Todarmal, a governor at Akbar's court. Wikipedia also credits a Raja Bir Singh Deo with building a temple here; the dates given for these phases are not consistent across sources and are treated here as tradition rather than settled history.

Growse's district memoir gives a firmer picture of Barsana in the 18th century. He records that a wealthy Barsana man named Rup Ram, enriched in the service of the Sindhia and Holkar rulers, spent his fortune adorning the town and founded one of the earlier temples of Larli Ji together with the stone staircase up the hill. Growse adds that the mansions and temples of the town were built by leading families during the first half of the 18th century, before the town was devastated in the wars of that century.

Growse also left an early account of the Holi celebration at Barsana. He described a mock battle in which men from Nandgaon were met by Barsana women armed with long bamboo staves, while the men defended themselves with leather shields, all within sight of the Larli Ji temple on the crest of the rock. The custom continues as today's Lathmar Holi.

Architecture and sacred features

Wikipedia describes the present temple as built of red sandstone, with arches, pillars, domes and carving in a Rajput style of the Mughal period, reached by more than 200 steps from the town. At the foot of the steps is a shrine to Vrishbhanu with images of Vrishbhanu, his wife Kirtida, Shridama and Radha, and nearby are a temple of Brahma and the Ashtasakhi temple honouring Radha and her eight companions. The hilltop gives a view over the whole of Barsana.