Radha Vallabh Temple, Vrindavan

The Shri Radha Vallabh Temple in Vrindavan belongs to the Radha Vallabh Sampradaya founded by the saint Hith Harivansh Mahaprabhu. Krishna is worshipped here as Radha Vallabh, Radha's beloved, with a crown beside him signifying Radha. The old temple, now called Hith Mandir, was built in 1585 by Sundardas Bhatnagar of Deoband, who worked for Abdul Rahim Khankhana at Akbar's court; through him he won rare royal permission to use red sandstone, then reserved for imperial buildings, and a grant from Akbar. Legend says Raja Man Singh dropped the project after hearing its builder would die within a year, and that Sundardas did die soon after finishing it.

Tradition holds that the image was not made by any sculptor but given by Shiva to a devotee named Atmadev, who presented it to Hith Harivansh on his marriage to Atmadev's daughters. The temple stands near Gotam Nagar on a rise close to the Banke Bihari temple, and is among the oldest temples in the city.