Rahi (goddess)

{{short description|Regional form of Hindu goddess Radha}}

{{other uses|Rahi (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox deity

| type = Hindu

| name = Rahi

| consort = Vithoba

| Sanskrit_transliteration = Rāhi

| Devanagari = राही

| gender = Female

| other_names = Rahimai

| region = Maharashtra, India

| image = Raja Ravi Varma, Radha Waiting for Krishna.jpg

| caption = Painting of Radha by Raja Ravi Verma

| venerated_in = Warkari tradition

| temple = Vithoba Temple

| abode = Pandharpur

| affiliation = Radha

}}

{{Vaishnavism}}

Rahi ({{IAST3|Rāhi}}), also called Rahimai, is a regional form of the Hindu goddess Radha in the Indian state of Maharashtra. She is associated with Vithoba (Vitthal), the local form of Krishna.

According to local legends, Rahi is the wife of Vithoba.{{Cite journal |last=Pande |first=Dr Suruchi |date=2008 |title=Vithoba of Pandharpur |url=http://www.advaitaashrama.org/pb_archive/2008/PB_2008_August.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Prabuddha Bharat |volume=113 |pages=447 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221081306/http://www.advaitaashrama.org/pb_archive/2008/PB_2008_August.pdf |archive-date=21 December 2008 |quote="Rahi is Radha. In the stories and legends of Maharashtra, Rahi is the wife of Vitthala."}} Indian sociologist G. S. Ghurye states that the regional form "Rahi" is derived from "Radhika", another name of Radha.{{Cite book |last=Pillai |first=S. Devdasa |title=Indian Sociology Through Ghurye, a Dictionary |publisher=Popular Prakashan |year=1997 |isbn=81-7154-807-5 |location=India |pages=367 |quote="The other two consorts of Vithoba - Satyabhama and Rahi, (the latter derived from Radha or Radhika) are also deified in the temple"}}