The Story Behind This

Radha (also known as Radhika or Radha Rani) is a central female figure in traditional Hindu lore who danced with Shri Krishna by the banks of the Ganges in Madhuban alongside the Gopis (milkmaids with whom Krishna was raised to hide him from his tyrannical maternal uncle). These celestial dances took place all night under the moonlight, where Krishna and Radha displayed extraordinary artistic excellence ('Kala ke Kalyan'), rendering Radha's dance a uniquely sublime and legendary art. According to legend, a king sought to compel Radha to perform her famous dance in his royal palace. However, Radha's dance was strictly a devotion reserved for Krishna alone. Not wanting to refuse the king directly and invite his dangerous enmity, she cleverly placed an impossible condition: 'The magnificent dance you command requires lamps to be lit across every single inch of the space, and to light so many lamps, nine 'mans' (a massive ancient unit of weight) of oil will be required.' Since the king could not arrange such an impossible amount of oil, her condition was never met, and she successfully avoided the performance without causing a conflict.