Gaudiya Vaishnavas Pilgrimage Places

Kanchada Pada
This is where Sri Vasudeva Datta, an intimate associate of Lord Caitanya, and brother of Mukunda Datta lived. This place is on the bank of the Ganges. Both Vasudeva Datta and his brother were expert kirtana singers. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to Jagannatha Puri, Vasudeva Datta also went to Puri.

Sivananda Sen’s wife’s parents are from this village. There is a Deity called Krishna Raya here which was established by Kavikarnapur. This Deity is on a street called Krishnapur.

Agradvipa
Govinda, the brothers of Madhava and Vasudeva Ghosh, established a temple here.

Kancha Gadiya
In Kancha Gadiya are the house and samadhi of Sri Haridasa Acarya, an associate of Lord Caitanya. He was also called Braja Haridasa because he lived in Vrindavana after receiving an order from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to go there. He left his body in Vrindavana and his sons brought his body here and built his samadhi.
He had two sons named Sri Dasa and Gokula Dasa, who moved to Kanchan Gadiya after their father went to Vrindavana. Haridasa asked Srinivasa Acarya to initiate his two sons. When Srinivasa Acarya came to Kancha Gadiya he initiated them.

You will also find the house of Sri Radha Ballava Dasa Mandala. He is known for translating the Vilap Kusumanjali of Sri Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami. The house of Vrindavana Chattaraja, the disciple of Srinivasa Acarya is also here. Also there is the house of Narasimha Kaviraja, a disciple of Srinivasa Acarya and one of the eight poets called the Asta Kavirajas. Also here is the house of Sri Raghunatha Kar, who is also a disciple of Srinivasa Acarya. He was one of the Asta Kaviraja poets.

How To Get There This place is close to Bhaja Soha Station.

Kanchangram
This is the birthplace of the two brothers, Sri Vasudeva Datta and Sri Mukunda Datta.

Kogram
This is where Sri Locana Dasa Thakur, the writer of Sri Caitanya Mangala resided. His samadhi is at this place. His father’s name was Sri Kamlaka and his mother’s name was Sabhanandi. He was the disciple of Sri Narahari Sarkar Thakur of Sri Khanda. There are many pastimes in Sri Caitanya Mangala that are not mentioned in Caitanya Caritamrita or Caitanya Bhagavata. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura printed and distributed Sri Caitanya Mangala. Locana Dasa wrote many songs praising Lord Caitanya and His associates.

Guptipara
This is where Vakresvara Pandita lived. Lord Caitanya had him take care of the Gambhira in Kasi Misra’s house. He also looked after the Radha Kanta Temple in Kasi Misra’s house.

Panjinagara
It is said that when Madhvacarya married the daughter of Nityananda Prabhu, Gangadevi, he received this village as dowry from the Lord. His temple is near the Jirat railway station on the eastern railway. In Krishna-lila Madhvacarya was formerly the gopi named Madhavi.

Denutha
Keshava Bharati, the sannyasa guru of Lord Caitanya was born here. After taking sannyasa Keshava Bharati lived in Karduhe and then in

Katwa.
This is also where Vrindavana Dasa Thakur wrote Caitanya Bhagavata, and also installed Deities of Nitai-Gauranga. Vrindavana Dasa Thakur’s maternal grandparents were also from Denutha. There is a hand written copy of Srimad Bhagavatam in which Lord Caitanya wrote in His own handwriting the meanings to a few words.

Putia
The king of Putia, Bharendra Narayana, was blessed by Srinivasa Acarya and he received the mercy of the Vaishnavas. The king’s daughter was Sacidevi Dasi (Ganga Mata). After her father died she ruled the kingdom.

After a short time, she renounced the kingdom and went to Vrindavana. She then got initiated by Haridasa Pandita, who worshiped Govindaji in Vrindavana. She performed her bhajan at the Govindaji temple and then later moved to Radha Kunda to join Laksmipriya, who was chanting 300,000 names a day and worshiping the Deities of Gadadhara-Caitanya.

Eventually Ganga Mata moved to Jagannatha Puri, where she initiated many followers.

Chand Pada
This is the birthplace of Subhudhi Raya. The ruler of Bengal, Hussein Shah, was previously the servant of Subhudhi Raya. On the influence of his wife, Hussein Shah forcibly poured water from his drinking pot into the mouth of Subhudhi Raya and thus removed Subhudhi Raya’s caste. According to orthodox Hindus, he was considered converted to being a Muslim. He was thus advised to kill himself by a smarta brahmana. Lord Caitanya instead advised him to go to Vrindavana. He then went to Vrindavana and constantly chanted the holy names of the Lord.

How To Get There This place is eight miles northeast of Murshidapore station.

Bakulacandradvipa
This is where the father of Rupa, Sanatana and Vallabha was born.

This is also the place of Candrasekhara Acarya. He was also called Acarya Ratna. He was married to the sister of Sacidevi, the mother of Lord Caitanya. Therefore he was considered to be the uncle of Lord Caitanya. He was born in Sri Hatta in Bangladesh, but later moved to Navadvipa. He took full responsibility for Mother Saci, when Jagannatha Misra left this world.

Vraja Rajpur
This is where Sridas Gadadhara, an associate of Nityananda Prabhu resided. He first lived at Aryadeha, which is on the bank of the Ganges. He then went to Jagannatha Puri to associate with Lord Caitanya. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu ordered Nityananda Prabhu to return and preach in Bengal, at that time Sridas went back with Nityananda. In Navadvipa he would take care of Saci Devi and Vishnupriya Devi. At the present time there is a temple in his house. His samadhi is in Aryadeha.

How To Get There This place is in the district of Bankura.

Magadoba
This is where Mamu Thakura lived. His real name was Jagannatha Cakravarti. He was the nephew of Sri Nilambara Cakravarti, the grandfather of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In Bengal a maternal uncle is called mama, and in East Bengal and Orissa, mamu. Thus Jagannatha Cakravarti was known as Mama or Mamu Thakura. He became the priest in the Tota Gopinatha temple in Jagannatha Puri after Gadadhara Pandita left his body.
How To Get There This village is in the district of Faidpur.

Around Mayapur East

Saligrama
This is where Suryadasa Sarakhela lived. He amassed a good sized fortune because he was a secretary in the Mohammedan government. He later moved to Ambika Kalana. Gauridasa Pandita also lived in Saligrama. He was formerly Subala, one of the cowherd boy friends of Krishna and Balarama in Vrindavana.

How To Get There This place is a few miles from Navadvipa. It is close to the railway station in Mudagacha.

Santipur
This is where Advaita Acarya, Srihasa and Gopala Acarya lived. Lord Caitanya and Prabhu Nityananda both came here and met Advaita Acarya. Santipur is on the bank of the Ganges.
There is a reconstruction of the house that Sri Advaita Acarya lived in. There is also a temple commemorating the site where he resided. Advaita Acarya’s Narasimha Shalagram-shila and His Madana Mohana Deity are being worshiped here.
Advaita Acarya had three sons who were all strict devotees of Lord Caitanya. They were Acyutananda, Krishna Misra and Gopala Dasa. Advaita Acarya also had three other sons: Balarama, Svarupa and Jagadisa.

Krishna Misra, the second son of Advaita Acarya, had two sons, Raghunatha Cakravarti and Dolagovinda. The descendants of Raghunatha still live in Santipur.

After taking sannyasa at Katwa, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to go to Vrindavana. He wandered around in a trance continuously for three days and by the trick of Nityananda Prabhu, eventually came to the western side of Santipur. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was made to believe that the Ganges was the Yamuna. At this time Advaita Acarya appeared with a boat. The Lord asked Advaita Acarya “Why did you come here? How did you know that I was in Vrindavana?” Advaita Acarya then told Lord Caitanya the situation. He then said, “Wherever You are, that is Vrindavana.” He then took Lord Caitanya to his house in Santipur. Mother Saci Devi came and cooked for her son, Lord Caitanya. At that time there were many joking exchanges between Advaita Prabhu and Nityananda Prabhu. In the evening there was an ecstatic kirtana. Mother Saci then gave Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu permission to leave, but she requested Him to stay in Jagannatha Puri, so she could hear news about Him.

While traveling to Vrindavana for the first time, Sri Caitanya stopped in Santipur. At this time the Lord’s mother, Sacimata, met Him and was thus relieved of her great unhappiness. The Lord then went to Ramakeli and then He returned to Santipur and stayed for ten days. At this time Raghunatha Dasa came to meet Him. Raghunatha Dasa fell at the Lord’s lotus feet and the Lord touched him with His feet. Advaita Acarya gave Raghunatha Dasa the remnants left by Lord Caitanya. Raghunatha Dasa was thus engaged for five to seven days in rendering service to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Every year this place is visited by ISKCON devotees on the Ekadasi before Gaura Purnima. A large feeding program takes part on this day in which thousands of the local people are fed. This is a good time to visit this place.

How To Get There This place is about an hour away from Mayapur by car. When you travel between Calcutta and Mayapur you go past this place.

Palapada
This is the village of Mahesh Pandita and there is a temple here which he established. The village is near the Ganges. The Deities in this temple are Gaura-Nityananda, Sri Gopinatha, Sri Madana Mohana and Radha-Govinda. There are also shalagrama-shilas. Mahesh Pandita went to the Panihati festival performed by Nityananda Prabhu. At that time he met Narottama Dasa Thakura.

How To Get There Palapada is about one mile south of Cakadaha railway station, in the district of Nadia.

Candudegrama
In Candudegrama is a temple with Deities installed by Purusottama Thakura. His father was Sadasiva Kaviraja. They belonged to the vaidya caste of physicians. In Gaura Ganoddessa Dipaka it is stated that Sadisiva Kaviraja was the gopi named Candravali. All the family members of Sadasiva Kaviraja were great devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Purusottama Dasa Thakur sometimes lived at Sukhasagara. All the Deities installed by Purusottama Thakura were originally situated in Beledanga-grama. When the temple was destroyed the Deities, were moved several times, but are now situated in Candudegrama.
How To Get There This place is one mile from Palapada. It is near the Cakadaha and Simurali railway stations

Yasada (Yasada-grama)
This is where Jagadish Pandita, an associate of Lord Caitanya lived. Both his father, Kamalaksa, and his mother were great devotees of Lord Vishnu. After the death of his parents, Jagadish along with his wife Duhkhini and brother Mahesh, moved to Mayapur. Jagadish was ordered by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to go to Puri to preach the sankirtana movement.

After returning from Jagannatha Puri he established Deities of Jagannatha here. It is said that to bring the Deities here Jagadish tied the Deity of Lord Jagannatha to a stick and then carried the Lord on his back. The priest in the temple here can show you this stick. There is also a banyan tree here that Jagadish rested under while carrying the Deity of Lord Jagannatha.

How To Get There This place is in the district of Nadia, near Chakdaha, on the bank of the Ganges. It is near the Cakadaha railway station.

Halisahara (Kumarahatta)
This is where Isvara Puri, who initiated Caitanya Mahaprabhu, took birth. This place is also known as Kumarahatta.

After Lord Caitanya left Navadvipa Dham and went to Jagannatha Puri, Srivasa Pandita felt so much separation that he could no longer live in Navadvipa and so he moved here. There is a reconstruction of the house in which Srivasa Thakura lived.

When Lord Caitanya was going to Vrindavana for the first time he stayed here.

Bhagavan Acarya formerly lived in Halisahara, but he left and went to live with Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Jagannatha Puri. His relationship with Caitanya Mahaprabhu was friendly, like that of a cowherd boy. He was friendly with Svarupa Damodara. He was staunchly devoted to Lord Caitanya, and was a very learned scholar.

How To Get There This place is about 30 km north of Calcutta, going towards Mayapur.

Kancadapada (Kancanapalli)
There are Deities in a temple here called Gaura-Gopala which was installed by Sivananda Sena. He also lived here, and Lord Caitanya stayed here for two days at his home when He was on His way to Vrindavana for the first time.

There is a large Radha Krishna temple here that was established by Srinatha Pandita. The Deity in this temple is named Sri Krishna Raya. This temple was constructed by Nimai Mullik of Pathuriya-ghata in Calcutta in 1708 Sakabda. There is a large courtyard in front of the temple, and there are residential quarters for visitors.

Srinatha Pandita was a disciple of Advaita Acarya, and he was the spiritual master of Sivananda Sena’s third son, Paramananda Kavikarnapura.
According to hearsay, Virabhadra Prabhu, the son of Nityananda Prabhu, brought a big stone from Mursidabad from which three Deities were carved—namely, the Radhavallabha Deity of Vallabhapura, the Syamasundara Deity of Khadadaha and the Sri Krishna Raya Deity of Kancadapada

How To Get There This village is about 2 km (1½ miles) from Halisahara (Kumarahatta) and about 30 km north of Calcutta.

Panihati
Panihati is where Lord Nityananda ordered Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami, as a form of punishment, to hold a chipped rice and yogurt festival. This event is described in Caitanya Caritamrita. The banyan tree under which Nityananda Prabhu sat is still here.

Raghava Pandita’s house is still located here. On the samadhi of Raghava Pandita is a creeper which is on a concrete platform. There is also a Deity of Madana Mohana in a temple near by. When Lord Caitanya was going to Vrindavana for the first time He came to Panihati and stayed at Raghava Pandita’s house for one day. As Raghava Pandita was bringing Lord Caitanya to his house a great crowd assembled along the way, and the Lord reached Raghava Pandita’s residence with great difficulty.

Raghava Pandita was one of the main associates of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Close to his house was a lemon tree on which kadamba flowers grew. Raghava Pandita would make garlands from the flowers from this tree and offer them to his Deities. In Krishna-lila Raghava Pandita was a confidential gopi named Dhanistha, who would always be engaged in preparing foodstuffs for Krishna.
Every year he and his sister would prepare wonderful dried foods to be taken to Lord Caitanya. When Raghava went to Jagannatha Puri for Rathayatra he would take these food items to Lord Caitanya. Govinda, Lord Caitanya’s servant would store these items and each day throughout the year he would offer them to Lord Caitanya. These items would be carried in a bag called Raghavera-jhali (the bag of Raghava Pandita). Raghava Pandita would at times also cook for the Lord.

His sister Damayanti also lived here. She would collect various ingredients which were used in cooking for Lord Caitanya. In Krishna-lila she was the gopi named Gunamala.

Makaradhvaja Kara also lived in Panihati. He was a sub-branch of Raghava Pandita.

How To Get There This place is about 15 km north of Calcutta. To get there you take a train from Sealdah station in Calcutta to Sodapura station. Panihati is about one mile from this station, on the western side of the Ganges.

Kardaha (Khadadaha)
After Lord Caitanya took sannyasa and went to Jagannatha Puri, Lord Nityananda went with Him. Lord Nityananda then returned to Bengal to preach under the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. After some time he settled in Kardaha. He married Jahnava Devi and Vasuddha Devi at this place. His son Virabhadra and His daughter Gangamata Deva were born here.
There is a temple here with a Deity of Krishna called Syamasundara. The bathing ghata here on the bank of the Ganges is called Syamasundara Ghata. Srinivasa Acarya and Narottama Dasa Thakur came to this place.

Ramacandra, a disciple of Virabhadra Gosani lived in Kardaha with his family.

Purandara Pandita met Lord Nityananda in Kardaha. When Nityananda Prabhu came to this village, He danced very uncommonly, and His dancing captivated Purandara Pandita. Purandara was in the top of a tree, and when he saw the dancing of Nityananda he jumped down to the ground and proclaimed himself to be Angada, one of the devotees in the camp of Hanuman during the pastimes of Lord Ramacandra.

Paramesvara Dasa also lived for some time in Khadadaha. Caitanya Bhagavata states that Paramesvara Dasa was the life and soul of Lord Nityananda. In Krishna-lila he was Arjuna, a friend of Krishna and Balarama. He was one of the 12 gopalas. He went with Jahnava Devi to the festival at Kheturi.

Madhu Pandita lived near Khadadaha in the village of Sanibona-grama. He constructed the temple of Gopinathaji in Vrindavana. Sanibona-grama is about 2 miles east of the Khadadaha railway station.

How To Get There This place is two miles west of the Kardaha railway station, on the bank of the Ganges. It is about 20 km (12 miles) northeast of Calcutta, not far from Panihati.

Around Mayapur West

Ambika Kalana
This is where Sri Gauridasa Pandita, Sri Hridaya Caitanya, Sri Paramananda, Sri Suryadasa, and Sri Krishnadasa Sarkhel lived.On the opposite side of the Ganges is Santipur, which is where Advaita Acarya lived.

Gauridasa Pandita was one of the 12 cowherd boys that descended with Nityananda Prabhu. In Krishna-lila he was the cowherd boy named Subala. At first he lived in Saligram, but then later moved to the banks of the Ganges.

There is a temple here which has a big tamarind tree growing in front of it. It is also said that Lord Caitanya and Gauridasa Pandita met underneath this tree. It is said that a copy of a Bhagavad-gita that was written by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu still exists in this temple.

When Lord Caitanya and Prabhu Nityananda came here Gauridasa repeatedly requested Them to remain with him as guests for some time. Lord Caitanya then made with His own hands a beautiful set of Gaura-Nitai Deities from a nearby neem tree. Lord Caitanya then presented these Deities to Gauridasa Pandita. Gauridasa Pandita would not allow anyone else to worship these Deities.

At another time Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda came here with a sankirtana party. The kirtana became so ecstatic that the Gaura-Nitai Deities jumped off the altar and joined the kirtana. With two Nitais and two Gaurangas performing kirtana at the same time, the kirtana became very ecstatic. When Gauridasa Pandita saw that the Deities had left the altar he grabbed a stick and chased them. Seeing that Gauridasa Pandita was angry Gaura-Nitai disappeared. Gaura-Nitai then entered the heart (hridaya) of Caitanya Dasa, Gauridasa Pandita’s foremost disciple. From then on Caitanya Dasa became known as Hridaya Caitanya, one who holds Sri Caitanya in his heart.
The Deities saw Gauridasa approaching them and They fled. Gauridasa, not being able to tell the different between the two sets of Nitai and Gauranga, told Nitai and Gauranga to return to the altar. The Deities then returned to the altar. Because of this pastime the darshan of these Deities is very short. Sometimes people miss the darshan because they pay their obeisance too long. The pujaris fear if they keep the curtain of the altar open too long that the Deities will jump off.

How To Get There This place is just across the Ganges from Santipur, about 40 km south of the city of Navadvipa. It is 2 miles east of Kalna railway station. You can get a train to here from the Navadvipa train station (1 hr). You get down at the Kalna station and from there you take a rickshaw to here.

Bagana Parda
This is the place of Vamsi Vadana and his son, Ramai Thakur, who was also known as Ramacandra Gosvami.

How To Get There Bagana is the first railway station when one travels from Kalna to Navadvipa.

Akaihata
This is the village of Kaliya Krishnadasa. He was one of the 12 gopalas (cowherd boys) named Labanga who descended with Lord Nityananda. This village is very small.

How To Get There This village is in the district of Burdwan, not far from Katwa. It is on the road to Navadvipa. To get here you go from Vyandela junction station to the Katwa railway station. You then go about 2 miles and get off at the Danihata station. From there this village is one mile.
Katwa

At this place Nimai took sannyasa from Keshava Bharati and took the name Sri Krishna Caitanya. Katwa is also known as Kantaka Nagara or Katoya. When Lord Caitanya was 24, He left His wife Vishnupriya and His mother Srimati Saci Devi. He crossed the Ganges at Nidaya Ghata and traveled 32 miles to Katwa and took sannyasa.

In Katwa, there is the place where Lord Caitanya took sannyasa, the place where Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu got His head shaved, a samadhi which contains His hair, the place of Sri Keshava Bharati, and the residence of Sri Gadadhara Dasa. Also here is the samadhi of the barber named Madhu, who shaved Lord Caitanya’s head. Madhu became so distressed that he had shaved Lord Caitanya head that he vowed never to shave another person’s head. He then became a sweet maker. On the day the Lord took sannyasa, kirtana was performed for the entire day, and at the end of the day the Lord shaved off His hair.

One day Caitanya Mahaprabhu told Nityananda Prabhu that He should tell just five people that He was going to take sannyasa from Kesava Bharati in Katwa. “Only tell My mother, Gadadhara Pandita, Candrasekhara, Mukunda and Brahmananda.” On the Sankranti day (January 14), at the end of the fortnight of the waxing moon the Lord took sannyasa.

When he first saw Sri Caitanya, Keshava Bharati did not want to initiate Him into the order of sannyasa. He felt the Lord was too young and beautiful to take sannyasa. He told the Lord that he would meditate on His request and give Him his answer the next day. The next day Mahaprabhu told Keshava Bharata that in a dream the previous night He had received one mantra. He whispered it in the ear of Keshava Bharati and asked if this was the sannyasa mantra. Keshava responded that it was indeed the sannyasa mantra. He whispered the mantra back into the ear of Lord Caitanya and thus initiated Him into the sannyasa order.
Kesava Bharati had previously come to Lord Caitanya’s home in Nadia, and the Lord offered him respectful obeisances and invited him to His house. After feeding him,

He asked him to deliver Him from this material bondage. Keshava Bharati replied: “You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul. I must do whatever You cause me to do. I am not independent of You.” After saying this Keshava Bharati went back to his village, Katwa. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu then went there and took sannyasa.

The Lord decided to take sannyasa because the so-called professors and students would generally follow the regulative principles of religion, fruitive activities and austerities, yet at the same time they were blasphemers and rogues. Lord Caitanya though, “if these rogues offer Me obeisances, the reactions of their sinful activities will be nullified. Then, if I induce them, they will take to devotional service. I should accept the sannyasa order of life, for thus people will offer Me their obeisances, thinking of Me as a member of the renounced order. Offering obeisances will relieve them of all the reactions to their offenses. Then, by My grace, devotional service will awaken in their pure hearts.”

How To Get There This place is 50 km (32 miles) northwest of Mayapur, on the other side of the Ganges. It is in the Bardaman district. This place can be easily visited on a day trip by taxi from Mayapur.

Madhai Tala (Ghosahata)
At this place is the samadhi of Madhai, the brother of Jagai, who was redeemed by Nityananda Prabhu and then later delivered by Lord Caitanya. The descendants of Madhai still exist, and they are respectable brahmanas.

It is said that Sri Gopicarana Dasa Babaji established a Nitai-Gaura temple here about 200 years ago.

How To Get There This place is about one mile south of the Mahaprabhu temple in Katwa.

Uddharanapura
Uddharana Datta Thakur, a close associate of Sri Nityananda Prabhu lived here. Uddharana Datta Thakur was the manager of an estate of a big Zamindar in Naihati, about 1½ miles north of Katwa. Since Uddharana Datta Thakura was the manager of the estate, it was also known as Uddaranapura. His Deities of Nitai-Gaura are still being worshiped in Uddharanapura. There is an old neem tree here under which Nityananda Prabhu sat under when He came and stayed with Uddharana Thakur. Uddharana Thakur’s samadhi is here.

After finishing his education he became a householder. He later became a minister for the king of the province of Naihati, near Katwa. Later he received the causeless mercy of Nityananda Prabhu. He left this world at the age of 60 in 1463 Sakabda.

How To Get There Uddharanapur is in the district of Bardaman, two miles north of Katwa on the bank of the Ganges.

Navahatta
This place is the birthplace of Sarvananda Vacaspati, who taught Sanatana Gosvami Sanskrit.

How To Get There This place is 3 miles from Katwa.

Kandada
Sri Mangala Vaisnava or Mangala Thakura, a follower of Gadadhara Pandita lived here. He was originally from Titakana. He later married the daughter of his disciple Prananatha Adikari in the village of Mayanadala. The descendants of this family are known as the Thakuras of Kandada. The shalagrama-shila worshiped by Mangala Thakura is still worshiped here. There is a temple in Kandada with a Deity of Vrindavana-candra. Mangala Thakura had three sons—Radhikaprasada, Gopiramana and Syamakisora. The descendants of these three sons are still living.

How To Get There Kandada is a village near Katwa in the district of Burdwan.

Danihata
There is a temple here with a Deity called Sri Gopinatha. This Deity accepted Govinda Ghosh as His father. Even up to this day, the Deity performs the sraddha ceremony on the anniversary of the death of Govinda Ghosh. Since he had no children, Govinda Ghosh did not know who would perform his funeral rites. Sri Gopinatha came to him in a dream and told him that He Himself would do it.

Every year in the month of Vaisakha this Gopinatha Deity is taken to Krishnanagar, during the Baradola ceremony. Eleven other Deities come to this ceremony.

How To Get There Danihata is near the Agradvipa railway station and Patuli in the district of Burdwan
Sri Khanda

This was the home of Narahari Sarakara Thakur, Mukunda Sarakara Thakur, Raghunandana Thakur, Chiranjiva Sen, Govinda Kaviraja, Damodara Kaviraja, Ramacandra Kaviraja, Balarama Dasa, Ram-gopal Dasa, Pitambhara Dasa, Saccidananda Dasa, Jagadananda and Ratikanta Thakur.

The places that can be seen here are the place and seat of Narahari Sarkar, the bhajan place of Bhardanga, and the Deities of Sri Gopinatha, Sri Gauranga, Vishnupriya, Madana Gopala and Syama Raya who were established by Kanai Thakur, the son of Raghunandana.

Sri Mukunda Sarakara was the son of Narayana Dasa and the eldest brother of Narahari Sarakara. In Gaura Ganoddessa Dipika it is stated that Mukunda Dasa was the gopi named Vrinda Devi. Mukunda’s second brother’s name was Madhava Dasa, and his son was named Raghunandana Dasa. Lord Caitanya instructed Raghunandana to engage in the Lord’s service in the temple. Descendants of Raghunandana Dasa still live in Sri Khanda.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked Mukunda Dasa, “You are the father, and your son is Raghunandana. Or is Srila Raghunandana your father whereas you are his son? Mukunda replied, “Raghunandana is my father, and I am his son. All of us have attained devotion to Krishna due to Raghunandana. Therefore in my mind he is my father.” Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “Yes, it is correct. One who awakens devotion to Krishna is certainly a spiritual master.” Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that Mukunda’s love of Godhead is very deep and pure love could only be compared with purified gold. Lord Caitanya told him “Your duty is to earn both material and spiritual wealth.”

Mukunda Dasa was the royal physician. One day Mukunda Dasa was seated on a high platform with the Muslim King, Hussain Shah, and was telling the king about medical treatments. At this time a servant brought in a peacock fan to shade the king’s head from the sun. Just by seeing the peacock-feathered fan, Mukunda Dasa became absorbed in ecstatic love of Godhead and fell from the high platform onto the ground. When he returned to consciousness the king asked Mukunda why he had fallen. Mukunda replied, “My dear King, I have a disease that is like epilepsy.” Later, Mukunda Thakura retired as the court physician and went to Navadvipa to study with Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Lord Caitanya instructed Narahari Sarakara to remain in Jagannatha Puri with His devotees. He would serve Lord Caitanya by fanning Him with a peacock feathered fan and camara. He was born in 1402 Sakabda in a brahmana family. His older brother was Mukunda Sarkar Thakura. He wrote many poems in Sanskrit and Bengali before meeting Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Narahari Sarakara disciple was Locana Dasa Thakura, the writer of Caitanya Mangala. He wrote several books, including Krishna Bhajanamritam and Padakalpataru. The Gauranga Deity that he established still exist.

Sri Raghunandana Thakura was the son of Mukunda. In a kadamba tree on the bank of Madhu Puskarini, every day only two flowers grew and Raghunandana would offer them to Sri Gopinatha, the family Deity. Once Abhirama Gosvami came to Sri Khanda and they performed kirtana at Baradanga Bhajan place. While Narahari was dancing, his ankle bracelet broke and fell four miles away at Akihatta at the house Krishnadasa, his disciple. This place in Akihatta is famous and is now called Nupur Kunda.
Ciranjiva and Sulocana were both residents of Sri Khanda. Their descendants are still living. Ciranjiva’s oldest son, Ramacandra Kaviraja, was a disciple of Srinivasa Acarya and an intimate associate of Narottama Dasa Thakura. Ciranjiva’s younger son was Govinda Dasa Kaviraja, the famous Vaishnava poet. Ciranjiva previously lived on the bank of the Ganges River, in the village of Kumaranagara. Gaura Ganoddesa Dipika stated that he was Candrika in Krishna-lila.

Ramacandra Kaviraja was the disciple of Srinivasa Acarya and the most intimate friend of Narottama Dasa Thakura. Sri Jiva Gosvami appreciated Ramacandra Kaviraja’s devotion to Lord Krishna and therefore gave him the title Kaviraja. He greatly assisted the preaching work of Srinivasa Acarya and Narottama Dasa Thakur. He at first resided in Sri Khanda and then later lived in the village of Kumara-nagara on the bank of the Ganges. He was the son of Khandavasi Ciranjiva and Sunanda. He was Karna Manjari in Krishna-lila. After his father left his body he lived in the village of Kumaranagar. He wrote several books including a biography of Srinivasa Acarya, Smarana Camatkara, Siddhanta Candrika and Smarana Darpana.

Govinda Kaviraja was the younger brother of Ramacandra Kaviraja. At first he was a worshiper of goddess Durga, but he was later initiated by Srinivasa Acarya, by the mercy of his brother, Ramacandra. Because he was a great Vaishnava poet, Jiva Gosvami gave him the title kaviraja. He was born at Tillia Bhudri.

Damodara Kaviraja was a disciple of Narahari Sarakara and was a famous poet. He was also known as Damodara Sena. His daughter, Sunanda, married Ciranjiva Sena.

How To Get There This place is one mile from the Khanda station on the Bardaman-Katwa railway line. Sri Khanda is 6 km (4 miles) west of Katwa.

Belagan
Subuddhi Misra, an associate of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu installed Gaura-Nityananda Deities in a temple in this village.

How To Get There This place is about 5 km (3 miles) from Sri Khanda.

Kulai
Lord Caitanya once took rest here on the bank of the Ajaya River. This is where Sri Govinda, Sri Madhava, and Sri Vasudeva were born. They were all intimate associate of Lord Caitanya.
How To Get There This place is about 16 km (10 miles) northwest of Katwa, on the bank of the Ajaya River. It is in the district of Bardaman.
Kajaligram

This is the birthplace of Srimati Padmavati Devi, the mother of Prabhu Nityananda. Her father’s name was Maheshvar Sharma. She got married to Hadai Pandita, who was from Ekacakra. After getting married she moved to Ekacakra.

How To Get There This village is in the district of Bardhaman.

Yasigram
Narahari Sarkar, an intimate associate of Lord Caitanya, revealed the glories of Lord Caitanya and Prabhu Nityananda to Srinivasa Acarya in Yasigram. He then instructed him to go to Jagannatha Puri to see Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Srinivasa started his journey to Jagannatha Puri, but on the way he heard that Lord Caitanya had finished His manifested pastimes on earth. When he heard this Srinivasa fell unconscious. He then decided to travel to Ekacakra to see Nityananda Prabhu. Soon after he began his journey he was told that Prabhu Nityananda had also left this world. He then went to see Gadadhara Pandita in Jagannatha Puri. Gadadhara Pandita was teaching Srimad Bhagavatam, but the ink of his Bhagavatam had become unreadable due to tears shed in separation of Lord Caitanya. Srinivasa then went to Bengal to get another copy of Srimad Bhagavatam. Srinivasa immediately left to go to Srikhanda. He got another copy of Srimad Bhagavatam from Sri Narahari Sarkar. At this place Srinivasa was informed that Gadadhara Pandita had left his body.

Srinivasa then went to Navadvipa and then to Vrindavana. He took diksa initiation from Gopala Bhatta Gosvami. He studied the Gaudiya Vaishnavas literature from Sri Jiva Gosvami. He then returned to Bengal and preached the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

How To Get There This place is in the district of Bardaman.

Around Mayapur South West

Jhamatpur
This is where Krishna Dasa Kaviraja Gosvami is from. He lived here with his older brother.
Once Abhirama Gosvami came here and held an ecstatic kirtana. After the kirtana he began to speak about the glories of Nityananda Prabhu. At this time Sriman Kettamin Dasa, the elder brother of Krishna Dasa Kaviraja, spoke disrespectfully about Nityananda Prabhu. Abhirama Gosvami being insulted immediately left. Nityananda Prabhu appeared to Krishna Dasa Kaviraja in a dream and told him to go to Vrindavana. Because of his brother’s offense, Krishna Dasa Kaviraja left the next day and went to Vrindavana.

How To Get There This place is in the district of Bardaman.

Shitala-grama
This place was previously called Siddhagram. This is the place of Dhananjaya Pandita. He was one of the 12 cowherd boys who descended with Balarama from Goloka Vrindavana, named Vasudama. Dhananjaya Pandita was born in Chattagram. His wife’s name was Haripriya. He gave everything to Lord Caitanya and kept only a water pot.

He traveled widely and during this time visited Vrindavana. When he returned he settled in Shitala-grama and installed Gaura-Nitai and Sri Gopinatha Deities. The original temple was a thatched house with walls made of dirt. Later, a big house was built to serve the purpose of a temple, but for the last 85 years the temple has been abandoned. The foundation of the old temple is still visible. The descendants of Pandita Dhananjaya still live in Shitala-grama and look after the temple worship. The disappearance day of Dhananjaya is observed during the month of January.

Dhananjaya also lived in a village named Sancadapancada before going to Vrindavana. This place is 10 km (6 miles) south of the Memari railway station. Sometimes this village is also known as the “place of Dhananjaya” (Dhananjayera Pata).

How To Get There This place is one mile northeast of Kechur station, off the Bardaman-Katwa railway line. On the narrow railway from Burdwan to Katwa is a railway station called Kaicara, about nine miles from Katwa.

Kulinagram
There is a Lord Jagannatha temple here.
Sri Satyaraja Khan, Sri Gunaraja Khan, Sri Sankara, Sri Vidyananda, Sri Ramananda Vasu, Yadunatha, Purusottama, Vidyananda and Sri Radhanath Vasu all lived here. Sri Caitanya very highly praised the people of Kulinagrama. He stated that even a dog of Kulinagrama is My dear friend. Haridasa Thakura lived for some time during the Caturmasya period in Kulinagram. The palace, fort and temples of Gunaraja Khan are still existing in Kulinagram.

Sri Ramananda Vasu was a close associate of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. His father name was Sri Laksmanatha Vasu, who was also known as Sri Satyaraja Khan. His father’s was named Sri Maladar Vasu, who was also known as Sri Gunaraja Khan. Gunaraja Khan wrote a famous book called Sri Krishna Vijaya. Lord Caitanya once quoted a sloka from this book: nanda-nandan krishna mora pranath. “With folded hands I offer my prayers unto Krishna, the son of Nanda Maharaja.” He told Gunaraja that by this glorious line of yours, I am sold to you. This book was praised very highly by Sri Caitanya. This book was written in plain language and even half-educated Bengalis and women could read it very clearly. Sri Krishna Vijaya is a book of poems considered to be the first poetry book written in Bengal. Sri Gunaraja Khan was one of the topmost Vaishnavas. He translated the Tenth and Eleventh Cantos of Srimad Bhagavatam for the understanding of the common man. Gunaraja Khan was a very well known and wealthy man.

According to Caitanya Caritamrita both Sri Ramananda Vasu and his father, Sri Satyaraja Khan met Lord Caitanya in Jagannatha Puri during Rathayatra. Satyaraja Khan submitted questions to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. “How can I recognize a Vaishnava.” Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, “Whoever chants the holy name of Krishna just once is worshipable and is the topmost human being. One who is chanting the Hare Krishna mantra is understood to be a Vaishnava; therefore you should offer all respects to him.”

They were instructed by Lord Caitanya to bring silk ropes to be used in the Rathayatra festival.
How To Get There Kulinagram is two miles east of Jaigram station on the Newcord line from Howrah to Burdwan.

Calcutta Area

Kalikata Bagh Bazaar
The Deity of Sri Madana Mohana was worshiped by Bir Hambir, the king of Vishnupur, during the time of Srinivasa Acarya. His descendants gave this Deity as collateral against a 100,000 rupees loan to Gokula Candra, who was a rich landholder that lived in Bagh Bazaar. Later, after a court case the Deity remained with Gokula Candra. This Deity is now worshiped in the house of the descendants of Gokula Candra. The family of Sri Kasisvara Pandita, who was an associate of Caitanya Mahaprabhu originally worshiped this Deity of Madana Mohana. King Bir Hambir received this Deity from them.

How To Get There This is in Calcutta

Sri Ramapur Chatara
This is where Sri Kasisvara Pandita, a close associate of Lord Caitanya, lived. He was a disciple of Isvara Puri. His father’s name was Vasudeva Bhattacarya and his mother’s name was Jahnava Devi. He was born in the village of Brahman Danga, in the district of Jessore Hara. From an early age he was attracted to Lord Caitanya. He remained a naisthika brahmacari his entire life. When he was young he went to Jagannatha Puri. In Krishna-lila he was named Bhringara, who was the servant of Krishna.
He was with Lord Caitanya in Jagannatha Puri. He was a strong man, and when Lord Caitanya visited the Jagannatha temple, he used to protect the Lord from the crowds

His nephew, Rudra Pandita, was the original priest of Vallabhapura, which is about one mile from the Sri Ramapur railway station in the village of Catara. Installed there are the Deities of Radha-Govinda and Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and Srila Prabhupada visited this temple in Vallabhapura. There is also a Jagannatha temple here.

How To Get There The two temples here are about one mile from the Sri Ramapur railway station near Calcutta.

Calcutta North West

Endiyadaha-grama
This is where Gadadhara Dasa lived. After the disappearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he left Navadvipa and went to Katwa. He later went to Endiyadaha and resided. The samadhi of Gadadhara Dasa is in this village. Gadadhara Dasa established a Deity of Balagopala.

There is a temple here with Deities of Radhakanta and Gaura-Nityananda. There is also a Deity of Lord Siva as Gopesvara in this temple. This temple was established by the aristocratic Mullik family of Calcutta.

How To Get There Endiyadaha-grama is about 10 miles from Calcutta on the bank of the Ganges.

Mahesha
This is the birthplace of Kamalaka Pippalai. This place is also known as Ramapur Mahesha. Kamalaka Pippalai was the father of Narayani Devi, the wife of Virabhadra Prabhu, the son of Lord Nityananda. The Jagannatha Deity at Mahesha in Sri Ramapura was installed by Kamalaka Pippalai. In Gaura Ganoddesa Dipika, verse 128, he is stated to be Mahabala, the third gopala.

The history of the Jagannatha temple is as follows. One devotee named Dhruvananda went to see Lord Jagannatha, Balarama and Subhadra in Jagannatha Puri. He had a desire to offer food to Lord Jagannatha cooked with his own hands. One night Lord Jagannatha appeared to him in a dream and told him to go to Mahesha and worship Him in a temple there. Dhruvananda went to Mahesha and saw the three Deities of Jagannatha, Balarama and Subhadra floating in the Ganges. He then took these Deities and installed them in a small cottage. When he became old, Jagannatha came to him in a dream and gave him permission to hand over the worships of the Deities to the first person he met the next morning. The first person he met was Kamalaka Pippalai, who was a pure Vaishnava, who lived in the village of Khalijuli. Kamalaka Pippalai then began to worship Lord Jagannatha.
The famous Mahesha Rathayatra is held here.
How To Get There Mahesha is about 2½ miles from the Sri Ramapura railway station. It is on the bank of the Ganges.

Vallabhapur
This is the place of Kasisvara Pandita and Rudra Pandita, who were both associates of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Kasisvara Pandita was Keli Manjari in Krishna-lila. He established the worship of the Deity of Gaura-Govinda in Vrindavana. This Deity is now in Jaipur on the altar of the Govindaji temple.

Rudra Pandita, or Rudrarama Pandita was the cowherd boy named Varuthapa in Krishna-lila. The Deities of Radha Vallabha that were established by Rudrarama Pandita are still worshiped here.

How To Get There This temple is about one mile north of Mahesha.

Saptagram Area
This is the place of Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami and Uddarana Datta Thakur. Saptagram means a collection of seven villages which include (1) Keshavarti, (2) Krishnapur, (3) Sankha Nagar, (4) Sivapur, (5) Vasudevapur, (6) Nityanandapur, and (7) the present Triveni. Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami lived in Krishnapur, Kalidasa lived in Sankha Nagar, and Balarama Acarya and Yadunandana Acarya lived in Chandpur.

The two brothers, Govardhana and Hiranya were from a village near Saptagram called Krishnapur. Sanatana Misra, the father of Vishnupriya Deva was also from Saptagrama. Sanatana Misra was the initiating guru of these two brothers.
During the time of Lord Caitanya, Saptagrama, situated on the southern side of Bengal, was very rich and popular. At that time there was a large river here known as the Sarasvati, and it was a major port.

Sulachana, an associate of Caitanya Mahaprabhu was also from Saptagrama. Balarama Dasa was a disciple of Jahnava Devi. She told him to study under Narahari Sarkar. Ratikanta Thakur established Madana Mohana Deities here.

How To Get There Saptagrama is in the district of Hoogli. It is about 50 km north of Calcutta, on the western side of the Ganges.

Krishnapur
Sri Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami was born in Krishnapur. Raghunatha Dasa’s father was named Sri Govardhana Majumadara and His uncle was named Sri Hiranya Majumadara. They took their birth in an aristocratic kayastha family, and they were very rich. Their annual income as landlords amounted to 1,200,000 rupees. Their family priest was Balarama Acarya, who was a favorite of Haridasa Thakura, and the family’s spiritual master was Yadunandana Acarya, a favorite of Vasudeva Datta. Both Hiranya Majumadara and Govardhana Majumadara were highly devoted to brahminical culture. Practically all the brahmanas residing in Nadia (Navadvipa) were dependent on the charity of Hiranya and Govardhana, who gave them money, land, and villages. The two brothers would worship Nilambara Cakravarti, the grandfather of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but he would treat them as his own brothers.

There is a Radha-Govinda temple here. In a small room, right next to the temple is a small platform on which Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami used to worship the Deity. There is a temple here with wooden shoes that Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami would wear and a stone slab that he would sit on. Next to the temple is the dying Sarasvati River.

How To Get There This place is close to the southern side of Saptagram, on the east bank of the Saraswati River. It is in the district of Krishnapur. On the railway line between Calcutta and Burdwan is a station called Trisabagha. Krishnapur is about 2 km (1½ miles) from this station. It is about 50 km northwest of Calcutta.

Chandpur Saptagram
This is where Yadunandana Acarya the official initiating guru of Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami lived. He was a student of Vasudeva Datta and he took shelter of Lord Caitanya.

Triveni
This place is a bathing ghata in Saptagram where Nityananda Prabhu bathed. At this place the Ganges, Yamuna and Sarasvati merge.

Saptagrama
Sri Uddharana Datta lived here. At the time of Uddharana Thakura, Saptagrama was a very big town, encompassing many places such as Vasudevapura, Bansabediya, Krishnapura, Nityananda-pura, Sivapura and Saptagrama. It is said that Nityananda Prabhu came to Saptagrama from Khadadaha and stayed in the house of Uddarana Datta.

There is a temple here with a six-armed Deity of Lord Caitanya (Sad-bhuja) that was personally worshiped by Uddarana Datta. On the right side of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is a Deity of Nityananda Prabhu and on the left side is Gadadhara Prabhu. There is also a Radha-Krishna Deity and shalagrama-shila. Below the throne is a picture of Uddharana Datta Thakura.

Uddharana Datta Thakur’s father was a wealthy gold merchant named Srikara Datta and his mother was named Bhadravati. The suvarna-vanik community that Uddharana Datta belonged to was a Vaishnava community. Its members were bankers and gold merchants (suvarna means “gold,” and vanik means “merchant”). A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s paternal family came from this district and he belonged to this same community. Calcutta was developed under British rule by the mercantile community, especially by the suvarna-vanik community who came from Saptagrama to Calcutta. They were known as the Saptagram mercantile community of Calcutta, and they belonged to the Sil and De families. Srila Prabhupada formerly belonged to the branch of the De family whose members received the title Mullik.

Uddharana Datta Thakur was the cowherd boy Subahu in Krishna-lila. He was one of the 12 gopas (cowherd boys) that descended from Goloka when Lord Balarama appeared as Nityananda Prabhu. He was raised in a rich family of gold merchants. He later got married and worked as a state minister. The place where he managed is now called Uddharanapura in his honor. When he was twenty-six his wife died. He then left everything and went to preach with Sri Nityananda Prabhu.

How To Get There Saptagrama is on the bank of the Sarasvati River near the Trisabigha railway station in the district of Hoogli. It is about 50 km north of Calcutta.

Nityanandapur
Nityananda Prabhu stayed here for some time after marrying Jahnava Devi and Vasuddha Devi. This place is in the district of Hoogly within Saptagram.

Sankha Nagar
This is one of the seven villages of Saptagram. It is on the bank of the Sarasvati River. It is near the village of Meghara. It is where Sri Kalidasa, the uncle of Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami lived.
He would search to find Vaishnavas. When he found them he would listen to them speak about Krishna. He would offer them fruit and sweets. Whatever they threw away he would secretly take and eat their remnants. It is said that Kalidasa took the remnants of food from every Vaishnava in Bengal. Lord Caitanya was pleased by his devotional attitude.

At the lion gate in Jagannatha Puri, Lord Caitanya would wash His feet before entering the temple. The Lord would not allow anyone to drink this water. Once Kalidasa saw Lord Caitanya washing His feet at the lion gate. He then came and drank this water. Lord Caitanya did not chastise him for this because of his high level of devotion.
Sukhacara

This is where Govinda Datta appeared. This place is near Khadadaha. Govinda Datta was the principal singer in Lord Caitanya’s kirtana party.

Varahanagar
Bhagavatacarya lived here and his samadhi is also here. Lord Caitanya came and saw the hand written translation of Srimad Bhagavatam with his commentary called Sri Krishna Prema Tarangini. Seeing this commentary, Lord Caitanya was very pleased because it exactly followed the principles of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard his explanation of Srimad Bhagavatam He immediately became unconscious in ecstasy. Lord Caitanya later said, “I have never heard such a nice explanation of Srimad Bhagavatam. I therefore designate you Bhagavatacarya. Your only duty is to recite Srimad Bhagavatam.” His real name was Raghunatha. His monastery is in Varahanagara. It is managed by the initiated disciples of the late Sri Ramadasa Babaji.

How To Get There This place is about 5 km (3½ miles) north of Calcutta on the bank of the Ganges.

Chinsurah
There is the Deity of Syamasundara in Kamar Pada Bazaar in Chinsurah in Kanchanan Tala. This is the family Deity of Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami. When the Muslims were bothering Saptagram, his father Govardhana Majumadara, brought this Deity here and Syamasundara is still being worshiped.

Srila Bhaktipurajnana Kesava Gosvami established the Sri Uddharana Gaudiya Math in this place, close to the bank of the Ganges. There are Deities of Gaura-Nityananda in this temple. These Deities were installed by Srivasa Pandita in the early 1500s. The Deity were first worshiped by Srivasa Pandita in Halishara and then they were brought to Chinsurah.

Daihat
This is where Madhava Ghosh, the brother of Vasudeva Ghosh lived. The Deity that Madhava Ghosh worshiped is called Sri Rasika Raya and is still being worshiped in Daihat.

Vamsi Vadananda Thakur or Vamsi Dasa as he is called in Sri Bhakti Ratnakara, also took birth here. In Krishna-lila he was the flute of Lord Krishna. Where he lived in Navadvipa was very close to Kulia. After Lord Caitanya took sannyasa, He put Vamsi Dasa in charge of protecting Srimati Vishnupriya Devi. After the disappearance of Srimati Vishnupriya Devi, Vamsi Vadananda Dasa moved the Deity of Mahaprabhu that she was worshiping to Koladvipa (the present city of Navadvipa). Along with this Deity he also worshiped a Deity of Krishna called Pranavallabha. Vamsi Vadananda used to write wonderful poems and songs. Vamsi Dasa established a Deity of Lord Caitanya.

How To Get There This place is located about two miles from the Bandel-Howrah railway station. It is about 45 km north of Calcutta.
Calcutta North West (second area)

Atapura
Paramesvara Dasa installed Radha-Gopinatha in a temple here, by the order of Jahnava Devi. In this temple Balarama and Radha-Gopinatha are worshiped together on the same throne. It is supposed that the Deity of Balarama was installed later because according to transcendental mellow, Balarama, Krishna and Radha should not be on the same throne. The samadhi of Paramesvara Thakura is in a garden in front of the temple. There is also a kadamba tree in the garden. It is said that only one flower a year comes from this kadamba tree. It is offered to the Deity. In this temple the disappearance festival of Paramesvara Dasa is celebrated on the full moon day of Vaisakha (April-May)

Paramesvara Dasa is also known as Paramesvari Thakura. He belonged to a vaidya family. A descendant of his brother is still doing the worship in the temple. He was completely surrendered to Lord Nityananda. In Krishna-lila he was the cowherd boy named Arjuna. He accompanied the Radharani Deity that was sent by Jahnava Devi to be installed in the Govindaji temple in Vrindavana.
There is also the Radha-Govinda temple here which was established by the Mitra family.
How To Get There Atapura is in the district of Hoogli. The Atapura station is on the narrow gauge railway line between Howrah and Amata. This place is about 55 km west of Calcutta.

Khanakula-krishnanagar
Sri Ramadasa, later known as Abhirama Thakura, lived here. He was one of the 12 cowherd boys that descended with Lord Nityananda. There is a temple here established by Abhirama Thakura, near the bank (kula) of the Khana River (Dvarakevara River). Therefore this place is called Khanakula-krishnanagara. The Deity in this temple is called Gopinatha. Outside the temple is a bakula tree. This place is known as Siddha-bakula-kunja. It is said that Abhirama Thakura sat underneath this tree.

In Krishna-lila Abhirama Thakur was Sridham, the brother of Srimati Radharani. In Lord Rama’s lila he was Bharata, Rama’s brother. It is said that if he offered obeisances to any stone other than a shalagrama-shila, it would immediately fracture.
When he offered his obeisances to the seven sons of Lord Nityananda, they all died. When he offered his obeisances to Sri Virabhadra Prabhu, His eighth son, when he was born, he did not die. From then on Abhirama Gosvami accepted Virabhadra Prabhu as the second body of Mahaprabhu.

Empowered by Sri Nityananda Prabhu, he was always in ecstasy and was extremely kind to all fallen souls. Abhirama Gosvami carried a whip named Jaya Mangala, which was like the one carried by cowherd boys to take care of cows. Whoever he hit with this whip would immediately become an elevated devotee of Krishna. Among his disciples, Srinivasa Acarya is the most famous, but it is doubtful that he was his initiated disciple.
There is a big fair here every year in the month of Chaitra (March-April) to which thousands of people come.

How To Get There Khanakula-krishnanagar is in the district of Hoogly on the banks of the Dakeshvara River. It is 90 km due west of Calcutta. It is 10 miles southwest of the Canpadanga railway station on the narrow gauge railway line from Howrah in Calcutta to Amta, a village in the Hoogli district. It is a small town.
You can also get a train on another line to a station named Kolaghata. From there you get a steamer to Ranicaka. Khanakula is 7½ miles north of Ranicaka.

Burdwan Area

Kalna
Pradyumna Brahmacari was from Piyariganja in Kalna. He was given the name Narasimhananda Brahmacari by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is said that Pradyumna Brahmacari displayed the appearance (avirbhava) of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Sarvrindavana-pura
This is where Murari Caitanya Dasa was born. He moved to Navadvipa and stayed in the village of Maugachi-grama in Modadrumadvipa. At that time he was known as Saranga Murari Caitanya Dasa. There is a description of him in Caitanya Bhagavata, Antya-lila, Chapter 5. “Murari Caitanya Dasa had no material bodily features, for he was completely spiritual. Thus he would sometimes chase after tigers in the jungle and treat them just like cats and dogs. He had no fear for his external body, of which he was completely forgetful. He could spend all twenty-four hours of the day chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra or speaking about Lord Caitanya and Nityananda. Sometimes he would remain submerged in water for two or three days, but he would feel no bodily inconvenience. Wherever Murari Caitanya Dasa passed, whoever was present would be enlightened in Krishna consciousness simply by the atmosphere he created.”

How To Get There This village is 2 miles from the Galasi station on the Burdwan line.

Vishnupur (Bishnupur)
Population: 58,000, STD Code 031442
This place was the capital of Bir Hambir, the king who stole the Gosvami’s book from Srinivasa, Narottama and Syamananda. He had been told by an astrologer that these three sadhus were carrying the most precious jewels. Being impressed by Srinivasa he surrendered to him and returned all the books. Bir Hambir became the disciple of Srinivasa and became a great devotee. Jiva Gosvami gave him the name Caitanya Dasa.
This peaceful place, situated 152 km west of Calcutta, has beautiful terra-cotta carved temples. There are over thirty brick and stone temples here dating from the 17th century to 18th century, mostly dedicated to Radha and Krishna. Because there is no stone in the area, the temples were built from brick. There are eight large tanks, locally known as bandhs, which were mainly dug between 1657-1677. Many of the temples have beautiful scenes from the Ramayana on them.

Vishnupur rose to be an important place under the Malla ruler, Bir Hambir. He was at first considered a cruel ruler, but later he became a Vaishnava by the association of Srinivasa Acarya, a follower of Lord Caitanya. Bir Hambir introduced the worship of Madana Mohana and built the Rasa-mancha. This is a pyramidal structure in the center of town, where the Deities from all the temples are bought on the occasion of the rasa festival.

During the time of Lord Caitanya this was a prosperous kingdom. At the present time there are many old temples here, but only one temple here still has worship of Radha Krishna Deities. The old Deity of Madana Mohana is now in the house of Gokula Misra. When a descendent of King Bir Hambir needed money he borrowed some money and put up the Deity of Madana Mohana as collateral. Since then the Deity of Madana Mohana has resided in Bagh Bazaar.

The museum here is interesting. The State Bank of India changes money.

Temples On the outside of the temples, especially the brick ones, there are square panels of terra-cotta reliefs. Most of the temples are decorated with beautiful carvings on the walls and arches. There are many panels with scenes from Krishna-lila and the Ramayana. The Madana Mohana temple has active Radha-Krishna worship. Most of the other temple no longer have active worship.

Most of the major temples in Vishnupur, such as the Radha-Govinda Temple, Kalachand Temple, Madhava Temple, and the Nandalala Temple, are along the south bank of the Lal-bandh. The Patpur Temple is on the bank of the Krishna-bandh.

There are four distinct styles. The first has a single tower. The second is a single tower resting on a square building with a curved roof. Examples of this are the Madana Mohana, Lalji, and Radheshyam Temples. The third type is seen in the Shyam Rai Temple, which has five towers. The fourth type resembles two huts joined by a small tower, as seen in the Krishna-raya Temple, built in 1726.

The Lalgiri Temple has a single tower and was built around 1658. The Madana Mohana Temple is brick and was built in 1694. It is one of the largest temples. The Shyam Rai (1643) and Madana Gopal (1665) are of the pancha-yatana style, temples with five towers. The Syama Rai Temple, dedicated to Radha-Krishna, is especially outstanding because of the carvings on its walls. This temple has some of the best examples of brick carvings. Another interesting temple is the Jor Bangla Temple.

Where To Stay The best place to stay is the Vishnupur Tourist Lodge (03244/52013), 3 km from the railway station. It has rooms with bath from Rs 150/200 to Rs 400 for an A/C room and Rs 50 for a dorm bed. It is next to a tank, by the temples. There are cheaper places such as the basic Tarama Lodge, Rangini Lodge, Bharat Boarding House, and the Lali Hotel, Poka Bandh, North Side.

How To Get There There are no direct trains to Vishnupur. Starting in Calcutta you have to take a train to Kharagpur and from there get another train or bus to Vishnupur. This trip takes over five hours. The trains from Calcutta to Kharagpur depart from Howrah Station. You can also get a train from Howrah Station to Tarakeshwar and get a bus from there. From the Esplanade Bus Stand on Chowringhee Rd in Calcutta (5 hr) there are three buses in the morning before 9 am and another bus at 2.45 pm. There are buses to Durgapur from Krishnanagar, and from there you can get another bus to Vishnupur. It is quicker to go by bus than to go by train.

Panca Kuti
Near this village dacoits that were employed by King Bir Hambir stole the Gosvami’s literature from Srinivasa Acarya, Narottama Dasa Thakur and Syamananda that they had been entrusted with to bring to Bengal.

How To Get There This place is near Vishnupur.
Siuda Area

Kendubilva
This is where Jayadeva Gosvami is from. He wrote the famous song Gita Govinda and was the court Pandita of King Laksman Sen.

How To Get There Kendubilva is about 20 miles south of Siudi, on the bank of the Ajaya River. It is in the district of Virbani.

Vakreshwara
This place is also called Gupta Kasi. The sage Ashtavakra performed austerities here. Lord Nityananda came here during His travels. There is a river called Vakreshwara on the north side of this town. Within the Sweta Ganga temple compound is a Siva-linga known as Vakreshwara.
How To Get There Vakreshwara is 13 miles southwest of Sudi

Calcutta Far South West

Chatrabhoja
This village is also called Khadi. During Lord Caitanya’s time the Ganges divided into hundreds of branches at this place and then again merged. Lord Caitanya passed by Chatrabhoja on his way to Jagannatha Puri. Near Chatrabhoga is Chakra Tirtha. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja established the lotus footprints of Lord Caitanya at this place. In this village is a Deity of Lord Siva known as Vaijurkanatha. There is a festival here every year in March-April called Nanda-mela.

Close to here is the famous tirtha of Anbulinga.

How To Get There Chatrabhoja is six miles south of Jaynagar railway station. It is about 70 km due south of Calcutta. If you go south from Calcutta to Magrahata station. Jaynagar is fourteen miles southeast of this station.

Tamluk
In the past this place was a well known port. During the time of the Mahabharata, the Pandava had a major battle here with one king. This king had a desire to see Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna appeared here as Vishnu Hari, which is two Deities of Arjuna and Krishna. These Deities are still worshiped at this place.

This is where Vasudeva Ghosh, an associate of Caitanya Mahaprabhu lived. After Lord Caitanya took sannyasa he found it too painful to live in Navadvipa so he came here to Tamluk. Vasudeva Ghosh installed a Deity of Lord Caitanya here and worshiped this Deity for his entire life.
How To Get There This place is about 70 southwest of Calcutta. This place is in the district of Medinapur on a river that leads to the ocean.
Pichhalada

This is a small village where Caitanya Mahaprabhu crossed the river Haldi by boat on His way to Panihati. At this place are the impressions of Lord Caitanya feet at the Sri Pichhalada Gaudiya Math.
How To Get There This place is in the district of Medinapur. It is about 14 miles from Tamluk.

Gopiballabhapur
Rasikananda Prabhu, a disciple of Syamananda Prabhu, received a Deity from the king of Mayurbanja. Sri Syamananda named this Deity Gopinathaji.

At this place are the neck beads of Rasikananda Prabhu, his Srimad Bhagavatam, his pot, his tilak, three bamboo flutes and many hand written manuscripts of Vaishnava literatures. These items are located in the house of Nandanandanan Deva, a previous priest.

Sri Rasikananda Prabhu was the chief disciple of Sri Syamananda Prabhu. He was also known as Rasika Murari. He was born in the year 1512 Sakabda in the village of Rahanigram on the bank of the Survanarekha River.

Rasikananda traveled to Remuna with his disciples. They entered the Ksira Chora Gopinatha Temple and there had an ecstatic kirtana. It is said that during this kirtana he merged into the Deity of Sri Gopinatha. Then his disciples also gave up their bodies within minutes of their guru. Near this temple is the puspa samadhi of Sri Rasikananda Prabhu.

How To Get There Gopiballabhapur is on the bank of the Survanarekha River in the Medinapur district. It is about 240 km southwest of Calcutta, close to the border of Orissa It is 16 miles from the southeastern railway station in Sardeha. From there you take a bus to the last bus stop and from there it is eight km to the Survanaredha River. You then hire a boat to cross the river and then you come to Gopiballabhapur.

Dharendra Bahadur
This is the birth place of Sri Syamananda Prabhu, who was born in 1455 Sakabda.

How To Get There This place is in the district of Medinipur near Kharagpur railway station.
Keshiyadi

Sri Rasikananda Prabhu and Sri Sarvananda Prabhu came here. Keshiyadi is in the Medinapur district. There is a Gaudiya Math temple here.
Maldah District (North Bengal)

Ramakeli
Ramakeli was formerly the capital of Gaudadesha. The three brothers Sri Vallabha (Anupama), Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami lived here when they were ministers in the service of Hussein Shah, the Mohammedan King of Bengal. Jiva Gosvami was born here. They had their house on the western bank of Sanatana Tithi. At Rupa Sagar there is a building that was built by Rupa Gosvami. On the eastern side of this building was the palace of Hussein Shah.

When Lord Caitanya was going to Vrindavana he came to this place. Lord Caitanya came here to meet Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami, who at that time were known as Dabira Khasa and Sakara Mallika. When King Hussein Shah heard of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s influence in attracting innumerable people, he became very astonished and began to speak as follows. “Such a person, who is followed by so many people without giving them charity, must be a prophet.”
When the two brothers saw Lord Caitanya they were overwhelmed with joy. In great humility, both brothers took bunches of straw between their teeth and they fell down like rods before the Lord. They told him “Dear Lord, You have incarnated to deliver the fallen souls. You should consider that in this world there is none so fallen as us. We two are millions and millions of times inferior to Jagai and Madhai. We are much more degraded, fallen and sinful than they. If You simply deliver us by Your transcendental strength, then certainly Your name will be known as the savior of the fallen souls.” Lord Caitanya then told them that from this day your names will be changed to Sri Rupa and Sri Sanatana. (Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya 1)
There is a keli kadamba tree here under which Sri Caitanya sat while meeting Sanatana Gosvami.

Nearby is Radha Kunda and Syama Kunda. There is a Madana Mohana temple here that was established by Sanatana Gosvami. There is also a large pond called Rupasagara that was excavated by Sri Rupa Gosvami.

There are also kundas of the eight sakhis: Lalita, Visakha, Citra, Campakalata, Tungavidya, Indulekha, and the twin sisters Rangadevi and Sudevi. These places were constructed by Sanatana Gosvami.

How To Get There This place is in the district of Malda, in north Bengal.

Kanai Natasala
When Lord Caitanya was going to Vrindavana for the first time he stopped at this place. Instead of proceeding to Vrindavana, he returned to Jagannatha Puri. There is an ISKCON temple here. This place is about 50 km (30 miles) west of Ramakeli. Installed here are the footprints of Lord Caitanya. There is an ancient Narasimha Deity here.

Upon receiving information that Lord Caitanya was proceeding toward Vrindavana from Kulia, Narasimhananda Brahmacari absorbed himself in meditation and by his mental activities constructed a very nice road from Kulia to Vrindavana. All of a sudden, however, he broke his meditation and told the other devotees that this time Lord Caitanya would not go to Vrindavana but only as far as Kanai Natasala.

How To Get Here This place is about 200 km northwest of Mayapur in the Murshidabad Area. It is about 50 km west of Ramakeli.

Kancana-gadiya
Dvija Haridasa, an associate of Lord Caitanya is from this village. His two sons, Sridama and Gokulananda were disciples of Advaita Acarya.

How To Get There This village is five miles from Bajarasau station, which is the fifth station from Ajimaganja in the district of Mursidabad, West Bengal.

Teliya Budhari
This is where Govinda Kaviraja lived. He was a part of the Nityananda branch of the tree of Lord Caitanya. He was the disciple of Srinivasa Acarya and the younger brother of Ramacandra Kaviraja. At first Govinda worshiped Durga. Later by the mercy of his mother and brother, he received Vaishnava diksa and gave up the worship of Durga. One time he was very sick and fearing that he would die any day. His brother took him to Advaita Acarya where he received Vaishnava initiation. Immediately after being initiated he became free of any physical disease and also became free of the disease of material attachment.
He composed many devotional songs. Virabhadra Gosvami, the son of Nityananda Prabhu, heard these songs glorifying Lord Krishna and praised him. Jiva Gosvami impressed by his poetic abilities gave him the title of Kaviraja, or king of the poets.

How To Get There This place about 15 km north of Murshidabad and about 140 km due north of Mayapur. It is close to the Ganges.

Saidabad
At this place Hari Nama Acarya, the disciple of Ramacandra Kaviraja established the Deity called Krishna Raya. Visvanath Cakravarti came here when he was young to study Srimad Bhagavatam and other Vedic literatures from Krishna Carana, the grand-disciple of Narottama Dasa Thakur. After being instructed by Krishna Carana, Visvanatha Cakravarti wanted to take initiation from him. Because he was old he advised him to take initiation from his disciple, Radha Raman.
Visvanath Cakravarti wrote three of his most famous books in Saidabad called Bhakti Rasmarita Sindhu Bindhu, Ujjvala Nilamani Kirana and Bhagavatamrita Kana. He taught Sanskrit in the house of his guru.

How To Get There This place is on the bank of the Ganges in the district of Murshidabad.

Devagram
This is the birthplace of Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur. He was born in the year 1576 Sakabda. His father’s name was Rama Narayana Cakravarti. He was educated in Devagram and then in Saidabad

How To Get There This place is in the district of Murshidabad.

Birbhaum District

Valasagram
This is the place of Miniketan Ramdasa, who is one of the main branches of Nityananda Prabhu. Once Miniketan Ramdasa arrived during kirtana at the house of Krishna Dasa Kaviraja. All the Vaishnava devotees worshiped him except the pujari, Gunarnava Misra. He neither spoke to him or showed Miniketan Ramdasa respect. Miniketan Ramdas said that this pujari was no better than Romaharsana Suta. Krishna Dasa Kaviraja’s elder brother then spoke some disrespectful words about Nityananda Prabhu and offended Abhirama Gosvami. Because of this Miniketan Ramdas severely chastised him

How To Get There This place is five miles east of Rampur Hat. It is about 90 km northwest of Mayapur, not so far from Ekacakra.

Kankutia
Sri Locana Dasa Thakur’s wife’s parents lived here. The Deities established by Locana Dasa Thakur, Sri Gopinatha and Gaura-Nitai are worshiped here.

How To Get There This place is located in the Birbhum District.

Nadia District

Chakdah
This is where Mahesh Pandita lived. He was one of the 12 cowherd boys who descended with Lord Balarama from Braja. He was a strong follower of Sri Nityananda Prabhu and he traveled and preached with Him.

It is said that Pradyumna, the son of Lord Krishna, killed the demon Sambrasura here. Therefore, this place is also known as Pradyumnagar.

How To Get There Chakdah is in the district of Nadia.

Chakhandi
Chakhandi is the birthplace of Srinivasa Acarya. His samadhi is also at this place. Srinivasa Acarya was born in a brahmana family on the full moon day in the month of Visakha, in the year 1441 Sakabda. His father was named Caitanya Dasa and he was in Katwa when Lord Caitanya took sannyasa. His mother’s name was Laksmipriya. Srinivasa wrote many Vaishnava songs. His guru was Gopala Bhatta Gosvami. He studied the Vaishnava philosophy from Jiva Gosvami. Jiva Gosvami sent Srinivasa to Bengal, at the request of Jahnava Devi, to carry the Gosvami’s books to Bengal to have them translated from Sanskrit to Bengali. At this time Srinivasa Acarya made King Bir Hambir of Vishnupur his disciple.

How To Get There This place is located in the district of Nadia. There is a station for Chakhandi on the Dihat railway.

Phulia
This is where Haridasa Thakur did his bhajana. He chanted 300,000 names of the Lord each day. Lord Caitanya came here after taking sannyasa.

How To Get There This place is in the district of Nadia, near the bank of the Ganges.

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