Was Radha for real? Did lord Krishna really have a consort by name "Radha"? I've read in several Quora answers that Radha was just created during the Bakthi period by poets and saints. Is there any proof that she didn't exist?

From the Vaishnava point of view, the divine feminine energy (Shakti) implies a divine energetic source (Shaktimän). So the goddess as she manifests in the various Vaishnava traditions always has a male counterpart. Sita relates to Rama; Lakshmi corresponds to Narayana; Radha has Her Krishna. As Krishna is the source of all manifestations of God, Shri Rädha, His consort, is the source of all shaktis, or energies. She is thus the original Goddess. Vaishnavism can be seen as a type of shaktism, wherein the PURNA SHAKTI, the most complete form of the divine feminine energy, is worshiped as the preeminent aspect of divinity, eclipsing even the male Godhead in certain respects. For example, in Shri Vaishnavism  Lakshmi (a primary expansion of Shri Radha) is considered the divine mediatrix, without whom access to Narayana is not possible. Rädhä is acknowledged as the Supreme Goddess, because She controls Krishna with Her love. Perfect spiritual life is unattainable without Her grace.“In traditional Vaishnava literature, Krishna is compared to the sun and Rädhä to the sunshine. Both exist simultaneously, but one is coming from the other. Still, to say that the sun exists prior to the sunshine is incorrect—as soon as there is a sun, there is sunshine. More important, the sun has no meaning without sunshine, without heat and light. And heat and light would not exist without the sun. So the sun and the sunshine co-exist, each equally important for the existence of the other. It may be said that they are simultaneously one and different. Likewise, the relationship between Radha and Krishna is that of inconceivable identity in difference. They are, in essence, a single entity—God—who manifests as two distinct individuals for the sake of interpersonal exchange. In the Caitanya-caritämrita [Adi-lilä 4.95–98] it is mentioned that  â€˜Lord Krishna enchants the world, but Shri  Rädhä enchants even Him. Therefore She is the supreme goddess of all. Shri Radha is the full power, and Lord Krishna is the possessor of full power. The two are not different, as evidenced by the revealed scriptures. They are indeed the same, just as musk and its scent are inseparable, or as fire and its heat are nondifferent. Thus, Rädhä and Krishna are one, although They have taken two forms to enjoy a relationship.’”“But Krishna is still the source. He predominates but only in terms of tattva or philosophical truth.   But in terms of lila, or ‘divine loving activity,’ Rädhä predomi-nates over Him. And lilä is considered more important than tattva.” Best of the Gopés Shri Radha is foremost of the gopis, Lord Krishna's cowherd girlfriends. She is able to please Krishna with little more than a glance. Yet Rädhä feels that Her love for Krishna can always expand to greater heights, and therefore She manifests as the many gopis of Vrindavana, who fulfill Krishna's desire for relationship (rasa) in a variety of ways. The gopis are considered the KAAYAA VYUHA of Shri Radha. There is no English equivalent for this term, but it can be explained as follows: If one person could simultaneously exist in more than one human form, those forms would be known as the käya (“body”) vyüha (“multitude of”) of that particular individual. In other words, they are the identical person, but occupying different space and time, with different moods and emotions. As Rädhä and Krishna's sole purpose is loving exchange, the gopis exist to assist Them in this love. The gopis are divided into five groups, the most important being the PARAMA PRESTHA SAKHIS, the eight primary gopis: Lalita, Vishakha, Chitra, Indulekha, Champakalata, Tungavidya, Rangadevi, and Sudevi Many details of their lives and service—including each one’s age, mood, birthday, temperament, instrument, skin color, parents’ names, spouse’s name, favorite melody, closest girlfriends, and so on—are described in Vaishnava scriptures. These elements form the substance of an inner meditation, or sadhana, designed to bring the devotee to the spiritual realm. Through this meditation one gradually develops premä, or love for Krishna. This advanced form of contemplation, however, is only to be performed by accomplished devotees under the guidance of an acknowledged master. This level is rarely achieved. It is therefore recommended that one practice the chanting of the holy name and take to the regulated path of vaidhi-bhakti—or the practice of devotion under strict rules and regulations—as taught in the Krishna consciousness movement. This will naturally lead to the highest level of spiritual attainment. Clearly, the Vaishnava tradition in the line of Lord Caitanya sees the love of the gopis as transcendental love of the highest order, countering accusations of mundane sexuality with clearly defined distinctions between lust and love. Like the Bride-of-Christ concept in the Christian tradition and the Kabbalistic conception of the Feminine Divine in Jewish mysticism, the truth behind “gopi-love” is theologically profound and constitutes the zenith of spiritual awareness. Gopi-love represents the purest love a soul may have for its divine source; the only correlation this may have to mundane lust is in appearance, an appearance that falls short once one studies the texts left by the pure, self-realized authorities on these topics.