Radha Kund
Radha Kund
Rādhākuṇḍa | |
|---|---|
city | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Uttar Pradesh |
| District | Mathura |
| Population (2001) | |
• Total | 5,884 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Hindi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Vehicle registration | UP85 |
| Website | http://mathura.nic.in/ |
Radha-Kund (Devanagari: राधाकुण्ड, IAST: Rādhākuṇḍa, English: “Radha’s pond”) is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Relevance in history
Following the sacred writing "Sri Upadeshamrita" (The Nectar of Instruction) by early 16th-century saint Srila Rupa Gosvami of Vrindavan, a close associate of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Vaishnava Hindus consider Radha-Kund to be the supreme of all holy places.[1] Legend has it that when Lord Krishna slayed a mighty asura (demon) in the form of a bull, his consort Radha tersely told Krishna to wash off his sins by taking dips in various holy rivers. Krishna laughed it off and struck the ground with his foot whereupon the mighty rivers emerged, welled up and formed a kunda (little water body). Subsequently the Lord bathed in the water to please Radha. The kunda came to be called "Shyam-Kund". Indignant that Krishna used his powers for this, Radha and her girl attendants dug out a kunda with their bangles and filled it with water from “Manasi-Ganga”, another holy kunda at nearby Govardhan. That particular kunda is today's "Radha-Kund" where people come from far and wide to take a dip.[2]
Demographics
As of 2001[update] India census,[3] Radha-Kund had a population of 5889. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Radha-Kund has an average literacy rate of 65%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 76%, and female literacy is 53%. In Radha-Kund, 16% of the population is under 6 years of age.
References
- ^ Rupa Gosvami: Sri Upadeshamrita, verse 9. Gaudiya Vedanta Publications, 2003.
- ^ Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja: Sri Vrajmandala-Parikrama, pages 139-144. Gaudiya Vedanta Publications, 2007.
- ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.