Radha Raman Temple, Vrindavan

The Radha Raman Temple is one of the seven most revered old temples of Vrindavan, along with shrines such as Radha Vallabh, Radha Damodar and Govindji. Its name means the beloved of Radha. It was founded more than 500 years ago by Gopala Bhatta Goswami, a follower of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who came to Vrindavan at the age of thirty.

Its story is unusual. After Chaitanya's passing, Gopala Bhatta is said to have been told in a dream to go to Nepal, where twelve shaligram stones kept slipping into his water pot in the Kali Gandaki river. On a full-moon evening in Vrindavan he laid them to rest under a wicker basket, and the next morning he found that one stone had become an image of Krishna playing the flute in a graceful three-fold pose. That self-manifested image is worshipped here alongside Radha, and devotees regard it as a living presence served daily by a chosen family.