Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
This magnificent hilltop temple at Varsana is one of the most famous sites in the whole of Vraja. One has to walk up almost two hundred steps to reach the main gateway of the temple. Appearing more like a medieval palace with its high walls and elaborately designed or dome-shaped pavilions (‘chatris’) and ornate arches, the temple of Shriji is dedicated to Shrimati Radharani, who is known locally by Her pet name of ‘Shri’. This famous temple is also known as the Larilylal Mandira, because it contains the Deities of Larily and Lala, who are the childhood forms of Radha and Krishna. The word ‘larily’ means “dearly beloved daughter’ and ‘lala’ means ‘dearly beloved son’, which is an affectionate way of addressing young boys and girls in Vraja. The Deities were discovered here at Varsana by Shrila Narayana Bhatta, who also built the original temple with the help of Raja Todarmal, his dedicated follower who was an important minister in the government of Emperor Akbar. The temple is actually built on the site of Maharaja Vrishabhanu’s palace where Radharani used to live during Her childhood. This temple was at one time also known as the Radha-Ramana Mandira and according to historical records the present temple that is seen today was built by the king of Orchha, Raja Bir Singh in 1675.
The hill on which the temple stands is stated in the Padma Purana to be a manifestation of Lord Brahma, who after pleasing Lord Krishna, was given the boon to appear in Vrindavana Dhama in the form of a hill, so that he could witness the transcendental pastimes that would take place here. Lord Brahma desired to perform some menial service for Radha and Krishna and therefore appeared as a hill on which the ‘divine couple’ could enact Their transcendental pastimes and thus Brahma could also obtain the dust of Their lotus feet upon his head. It is mentioned in the Puranas that Lord Brahma performed penance for sixty thousand years in order to achieve the divine darshana of Radha and Krishna. This hill which is known as Brahmagiri or sometimes as Brahmachala Parvata has four different peaks representing the four heads of Lord Brahma. There is another smaller hill situated right next to Brahmagiri Parvata known as Vilasgad or Vilasa Parvata or sometimes as Vishnu Parvata, which according to the Padna Purana is a manifestation of Lord Vishnu.
