Modadrumdvip

The eighth island of Sri Navadvipa Dham embodies the devotional mellow of sevanam, offering service to the Lord. Mamagachi is the local named for Modadrumadvipa. This place is considered nondifferent from Bhandiravana in Braja Mandala and also Ayodhya.

In Satya yuga, Lord Rama along with Sita Devi and Laksman came here during Their exile. Lord Rama built a hut here under a huge banyan tree. This tree can not be seen at the present time. Lord Rama told Sita that he would come here in Kali yuga with a yellow complexion, from the womb of Mother Saci in the house of Jagannatha Misra. He told her that she would take birth as His wife Vishnupriya, and that Navadvipa was very dear to Him and that not even Ayodhya could equal it. He told her that Kausalya, who is His mother now, would take birth as Mother Saci. He told her that this was a great secret and that she should not reveal it to anyone.

Lord Rama, along with Laksmana and Sita spent some time here and then He went to Dandakaranya forest to complete His pastimes.
The friend of Lord Rama, Guhaka of the Nishada tribe, took birth during Caitanya-lila as Sadhananda Bhattacarya, and he had complete faith in Lord Rama. Sadhananda Bhattacarya was present in the house of Jagannatha Misra when baby Nimai appeared. He participated in the sankirtana pastimes at Srivasa Pandita’s house.

Sri Vrindavana Dasa Thakur’s Sripad
Srila Vrindavana Dasa Thakur, the writer of Sri Caitanya Bhagavata, took birth in Modadrumadvipa. He is an incarnation of Veda Vyasadeva, and was a disciple of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. He made many disciples including Gopinatha Brahmacari, a descendent of Sri Kesava Bharati.

His mother was Narayani Devi, the niece of Srivasa Pandita. When she was four she received the remnants of Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s food directly from His own hands. When Lord Krishna was a child, He was nursed by a woman named Ambika who had a younger sister named Kilimbika. According to Gaura Ganoddesa Dipika that Kilimbika was Narayani.

The Deities that Vrindavana Dasa Thakur worshiped, Nitai-Gauranga and Sri Jagannatha, are worshiped here in Mamagachi.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja established the Modadruma Gaudiya Math in Mamagachi.

How To Get There Vrindavana Dasa Thakura is from the village of Mamagachi, which is about one mile from the Purvasthali railway station. It is not far from the Navadvipa railway station.

Madana Gopala Temple
The Deity of Madana Gopal, who was worshiped by Sri Vasudeva Datta, is being worshiped in this temple. Vasudeva Datta’s original temple is close to this place. Gaudiya Math devotees are now managing this temple. This temple is visited on Navadvipa parikrama.

Birth place of Malini Devi
This is where the wife of Srivasa Pandita, Malini Devi was born. It is near Vrindavana Dasa Thakur’s birth place. Not far from here is the house of Sri Sarangadeva and Murari. When Lord Caitanya took sannyasa all these devotees left Antardvipa and came to live in Sri Modadrumadvipa.

Sri Sarangadeva’s House
Sri Sarangadeva did his bhajana in Mamagachi. He is also known as Sarngapani, Sarngadhara and Sarnga Thakura. He used to worship the Supreme Lord in a secluded place on the bank of the Ganges. There is a temple here that is supposed to have been started by Saranga Thakur. There is a temple here managed by the Gaudiya Math that is in front of a big bakula tree. This tree was present during the time of Sarangadeva. This tree has bark on the outside and is hollow inside. It is said that one day Lord Caitanya noticed that this Bakula tree was dying, and He embraced the tree and it came back fully to life, with green leaves and fragrant flowers.

Saranga Thakur did not accept any disciples, but he was repeatedly inspired from within by the Supreme Lord to do so. One morning he decided that he would accept the first person that he saw as a disciple. When he went to take bath in the Ganges, a dead body was passing by and he touched it with his feet. This dead body immediately came back to life and Saranga Thakur accepted him as his disciple. The parents of the boy wanted their son to come home, but the boy wanted to stay and serve his guru, Sri Saranga Thakur. After this incident Saranga Thakur became known as Saranga Murari Thakur, because the dead person had the name Murari. In Gaura Ganoddessa Dipika Saranga Thakur is stated to be the gopi named Nandimukhi.

How To Get There This place is about a 45 minute rickshaw ride north of downtown Navadvipa. Jahnu Muni’s Asrama and Vasudeva Datta’s birthplace can be visited at the same time.

Vaikunthapur (Narayana Pitha)
Vaikunthapur is on the northwestern boundary of Sri Modadrumadvipa. Lord Narayana is worshiped here by His three potencies, Sri, Bhu and Lila. Vaikunthapur is the abode of Lord Narayana and it exists beyond the Viraja River. This is where Laksmi Priya, the daughter of Vallabha Bhatta, the first wife of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took birth.

In a previous kalpa Narada Muni went to Vaikuntha to have the darshan of Lord Narayana and Laksmi Devi, but he could not see them. He was informed that they had gone to Bhuloka in Sir Navadvipa Dham. So Narada Muni went there and had the darshan of Lord Narayana and Sri Laksmi. Lord Narayana then took the form of Lord Caitanya. He told Narada Muni that in the future he would appear here and perform sankirtana pastimes and liberate the world. At that time you will join me and will be known as Srivasa Pandita. The place where Narada Muni saw Lord Narayana is known as Vaikunthapur. This story is described in Bhakti-ratnakara.

Ramanujacarya came to Modadrumadvipa and had the darshan of Lord Caitanya. Ramanujacarya once went to Puri and Lord Jagannatha told him to go to Navadvipa Dhama, because He would soon appear there in the house of Jagannatha Misra. The entire spiritual sky is in just one corner of Navadvipa Dhama. Any person who does not go to Navadvipa Dhama has been born uselessly. Just one portion of Navadvipa contains Tirupati, Sri Ranga and Yadava Acala. Lord Jagannatha described to Ramanuja that Krishna is fully manifested in the form of Lord Caitanya and that Vrindavana is manifested as Navadvipa.
Ramanujacarya then left Jagannatha Puri and came here to Vaikuntapur. The Lord showed him His form of Narayana, along with his energies, Sri, Bhu, and Lila. The form then changed into Lord Gauranga. Gauranga placed his feet on the head of Ramanuja and Ramanuja then offered prayers to the Lord. He said I must see your pastimes on earth. Ramanujacarya took birth as Sri Ananta, a brahmana in Navadvipa Dham. Sri Ananta came to the wedding of Lord Caitanya and Laksmipriya. This pastime is described in Navadvipa Dhama Mahatmya by Bhaktivinoda Thakur.

Mahat Pura
According to the scriptures this place was previously called Mahat Pura. When Yudhisthira Maharaja was in exile with his four brothers they went to Ekacakra. At this time Lord Balarama appeared to him in a dream and told him that He would incarnate in Ekacakra. He revealed to him His form of Nityananda Prabhu. He told him to go to Navadvipa Dham, where Lord Caitanya would appear.

Yudhisthira Maharaja came to Modadrumadvipa and had the darshan of Lord Caitanya. The place where he had this darshan is called Mahatpura. A person dear to the Lord, such as Yudhisthira Maharaja, is called a mahat-purusa. Thus this place is called Mahatpura. Until about 40 years ago, five very old banyan trees and a sacrificial area that was constructed 5,000 years ago were located here.

Mahat Pura is the same as Kamyavana in Vrindavana. Previously the Pandavas had stayed in Kamyavana in Vrindavana.

Sri Madhvacarya came to Modadrumadvipa with his disciples on his second tour of India. Lord Caitanya told him that in the future He would appear in Navadvipa Dham and that he would accept the Madhvacarya sampradaya. He also told him to travel every where and defeat the false scriptures of the Mayavadis.

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