Birthday of Radha, Lord Krishna’s divine consort, is celebrated with pomp and show in Brij area of Uttar Pradesh.
Radha is said to be the most ardent devotee of Lord Krishna and hence dearest to him. On Radhashtami, devotees of Krishna worship Radha and plead her to pass on a particle of her dedication on to them which would get them also closer to Krishna.
While a few devotees keep a half-day long fast, the others fast the entire day and a few go on even without water the whole day to ask for Radha’s grace, who is known to be tender-hearted and kind.
Radhashtami is celebrated with deep devotion and fervour in the temples of Brij area.. specially Barsana, the birthplace of Radha, Mathura and Vrindavan.
The festivities go on throughout the day with devotees singing in praise of Radha and Krishna’s divine love and reminiscing amusing anecdotes from Radha and Krishna’s life.
In most temples, grand feasts are organised for one and all, where each dish reflects a particular mood of Radha… with a bland dish symbolising her spiritless life without Krishna, a spicy one reminding of the times when Krishna would tease her amusingly and a sweet one connoting the blissful times they spent in togetherness.
