Barsana

Barsana is a small pilgrimage town about 40 km from Mathura, built around two hills known as Brahma Hill and Vishnu Hill. Devotees believe Radha was born here as the daughter of Vrishbhanu, and the lanes of the town are tied to stories of her childhood with Krishna, which has drawn saints and pilgrims for centuries.

The town is busiest at its festivals. Lathmar Holi, in February or March, re-enacts the teasing between Krishna's companions and Radha's sakhis: women strike playfully at the men with bamboo sticks while Holi songs are sung. It runs over two days, with the men of Nandgaon, Krishna's village, coming to the Radharani temple in Barsana on the first, and the celebration moving to Nandgaon on the second. Radhashtami, the festival of Radha's birth, is the other high point of the year.