Navadvipa

Navadvipa City
Population: 120,000

Navadvipa is 130 km north of Calcutta, next to the Ganges River. Across the Ganges River from this city is Mayapur. Navadvipa was the capital of Bengal in the 11th and 12th century. There are many temples here.

Delivering Devananda Pandita and Gopala Capala
This story is described in Caitanya Bhagavata. One day Lord Caitanya and Srivasa Pandita were walking in Kuliya (present day Navadvipa) when they came across Devananda Pandita. Lord Caitanya went up to Devananda Pandita and told him you call yourself a Pandita and you teach Srimad Bhagavatam, but what do you know about Srimad Bhagavatam. Srivasa Pandita went to one of your lectures. Because he started crying your student threw him out and you took no notice of this action. Therefore you can not understand the essence of Srimad Bhagavatam. By the mercy of Vakresvara Pandita, Devananda was able to understand the glories of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He then went and begged forgiveness from Srivasa Pandita.

This story is from Caitanya Caritamrita. One night while kirtana was going on in the house of Srivasa Thakur, a brahmana named Gopala Capala placed all the paraphernalia for worshiping the goddess Durga outside Srivasa Thakura’s door. The brahmana, Gopala Capala, wanted to defame Srivasa Thakura by proving that he was actually a sakta, or a worshiper of the goddess Durga, but was externally posing as a Vaishnava. Srinivasa Thakura called all the respectable gentleman in the neighborhood and he told them. “Every night I worship the goddess Bhavani. Since the paraphernalia for the worship is present here, now all you respectable brahmanas and members of the higher castes can understand my position.” The assembled gentlemen exclaimed: “What is this? Who has performed such mischievous activities? Who is that sinful man?”

After three days, Gopala Capala was attacked with leprosy and blood oozed from sores all over his body. Gopala Capala felt unbearable pain and his entire body burned with distress. Since leprosy is an infectious disease, he left the village and sat underneath a tree on the bank of the Ganges. One day he saw Caitanya Mahaprabhu and he spoke to Him. “My dear nephew, I am Your maternal uncle in our village relationship.” He asked Him to deliver him by His mercy. Lord Caitanya told him, you have offended Srivasa Thakur and for this offense you will have to fall down into hell for ten million births.

When Lord Caitanya returned to the village of Kuliya after accepting the renounced order of life and going to Jagannatha Puri, Gopala Capala took shelter of the Lord’s feet. The Lord told him, “You have committed an offense at the lotus feet of Srivasa Thakur and you should go beg for his mercy. If he gives you his blessing and you do not commit sins again you will be freed from these reactions.”

Then the brahmana, Gopala Capala, went to Srivasa Thakura and took shelter of his lotus feet and by Srivasa Thakura’s mercy he was freed from all sinful reactions.

Devananda Gaudiya Math
In the area where this temple is located is where Sri Caitanya forgave Devananda Pandita for his offenses. Whoever comes here becomes free of all offenses. The Radha-Krishna Deities on the altar are named Radha-Vinod Bihari. There is a Varaha Deity on the left called Kola Varahadeva. In Satya-yuga, Lord Varaha appeared before one of His devotees who lived in Navadvipa, named Vasudeva. He told him how He would advent Himself in Kali-yuga as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Lord Caitanya also showed His Varaha form in this area.

This Math was established by Bhakti Prajnan Kesava Gosvami Maharaja. His samadhi mandir is here. He appeared on January 1, 1898, within Gaura Mandala, in the district of Barisal in Bengal, in the village of Banari Para. Before going to university he would read Bhagavad-gita, Caitanya Caritamrita and Srimad Bhagavatam. In 1915 he took first initiation from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. In 1919 on Gaura Purnima he took Vaishnava initiation. He preached in Puri, Allahabad, Assam, Mathura and many other places. He took sannyasa from Srila Sridhar Maharaja in 1941 in Katwa. Soon after this he established this temple. He gave sannyasa to A C Bhaktivedanta Srila Prabhupada.

How To Get There To get here you first go to the town of Navadvipa. You then take a rickshaw. From the boat ghata it takes about 15 minutes (Rs 8). The sign over the gate says Sri Devananda Goudiya Math. There are statues of two elephants and lions fighting on the gate and devotees with folded hands.

Dhameswara (Mahaprabhu Bari) Temple
The Deity of Lord Caitanya in this temple is said to have been worshipped by Lord Caitanya’s wife, Srimati Vishnupriya, after the Lord took sannyasa. This Deity of Lord Caitanya has His two arms extended out towards the devotee. Vishnupriya was 16 when Lord Caitanya took sannyasa. She died when she was 96, so she worshipped this Deity for 80 years. There are wooden shoes here, which are said to have been worn by Lord Caitanya.

How To Get There On top of the entrance of this temple it says “Dhameswara Sri Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu.” This temple is about a five minute walk from Parama Tala.

Kuliya Dharamshala
This place is also called Srila Gaura Kishor Dasa Babaji ka Bhajana Sthala. To avoid disturbances to his worship of the Lord, Gaura Kishor Dasa Babaji took up residence in an old toilet just behind Kuliya Dharamshala. When the district magistrate heard that he was living in a toilet he went with the chief of police and requested Gaura Kishor Dasa Babaji to accept a bhajana kutir in a clean place. He refused to move. This is where he left his body and entered samadhi.

Yamuna Prasada
At this place the Ganges and Yamuna flow as one river. The left bank is considered the Ganges and the right bank the Yamuna. This place is considered non-different from Vamsivata in Vrindavana.

Praudha Maya and Vriddha (Ksetrapala) Siva
Vriddha Siva and his consort Praudha Maya are the eternal protectors of the holy dhama. Praudha Maya is also situated on the eastern bank of the Ganges. When a good part of Mayapur was covered by the Ganges, some people crossed the Ganges and came to Kuliya and began to worship Praudha Maya at this place. This place therefore became known as Praudhamatala.

Praudha Maya is Yogamaya. Yogamaya covers the holy dhama and does not allow non-devotees to enter. Even though certain person’s bodies are allowed to arrive in the dhama, they still can not understand the glories of the dhama. When Lord Krishna appeared in Braja, Yogamaya also appeared with him. In Braja she is Paurnamasi and in Navadvipa she is Praudha Maya. She stays in another form as Parvati in Simantadvipa.

Previously Praudha Maya and Vriddha Siva were in Mayapur between the ISKCON temple and the Yoga Pitha. Because of the shifting Ganges, the residents of Kuliya (present day Navadvipa) moved them here.

How To Get There This place is in the main bazaar in Navadvipa under a banyan tree. The area where these temples are located is called Parama Tala.

Sri Jagannatha Dasa Babaji Maharaja’s Samadhi and Bhajan Kutir
Previous to coming to Navadvipa, Jagannatha Dasa Babaji performed his bhajan at Surya Kunda in Braja. In the later part of his life he came to Navadvipa Dham. At this time he was considered by the Vaishnavas, including Bhaktivinoda Thakur, to be the most advance rasika Vaishnava in Braja Mandala, Gaura Mandala and Jagannatha Puri. He was therefore known as Vaishnava Sarvabhauma, or the chief of the Vaishnavas.

At the request of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur in 1893 he confirmed the discovery of the birthplace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu at the Yoga Pitha in Sri Dham Mayapur. At that time he was too old to walk and he had to be carried in a basket. When he reached Lord Caitanya’s appearance place he jumped fifteen feet in the air, and started to chant the names of Krishna and dance.

Sri Vamsidasa Babaji Maharaja
He was a contemporary of Srila Gaura Kishora Dasa Babaji. He used to perform his bhajan in a hut at a place called Mutan Chada on the bank of the Ganges in Kuliya. He used to worship his Deities, Gaura-Nityananda, with great devotion.
Because he was so much absorbed in chanting the holy names of the Lord, he would forget when it was Ekadasi. Sometimes he would perform Ekadasi when it was not Ekadasi. Sometimes he would fast for several days without water thinking Ekadasi was that long. To avoid the association of materialistic people he would spread fish bones around his hut so people would think he was not strictly practicing bhajan.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Maharaja along with his disciples fully respected this great personality.

Sri Caitanya Sarasvati Gaudiya Math
This temple was established in 1941 by Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhar Maharaja, one of the chief disciples of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Maharaja. The Deities in this temple are Sri Sri Guru-Gauranga-Gandharva-Govindasundarji and Sri Sri Laksmi Varahadeva. It is known locally as Kolerdanga Math. This temple is located in the Kolerganj area of Navadvipa near the new bridge that goes across the Ganges. It has a new museum. Overnight stays are limited to persons closely affiliated with this Mission. The phone number is (03472) 40752.

Sri Sarasvati Gaudiya Mission
This temple was established by Sri Parivrajacarya Srimad Bhakti Rupa Siddhanti Maharaja and his sannyasa disciple Sri Bhakti Svarupa Maharaja. They were disciples of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja.

Getting Around Navadvipa
If you want to go see the different places in Navadvipa you can rent a rickshaw by the hour for about Rs 15 an hour (plus a tip if the driver is good). It is best to get a rickshaw driver who speaks English. Nipin Saha is a good driver who speaks English and knows Navadvipa. Make sure you make it clear where you want to go, as many times the rickshaw drivers will take you to the wrong place.

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