rÄá¸hadeÅ›e janmilÄ á¹hÄkura nityÄnanda
gaá¹…gÄdÄsa paṇá¸ita, gupta murÄri, mukunda
rÄá¸ha-deÅ›e - the place where there is no Ganges; janmilÄ - took birth; á¹hÄkura nityÄnanda - NityÄnanda Prabhu; gaá¹…gÄdÄsa paṇá¸ita - Gaá¹…gÄdÄsa Paṇá¸ita; gupta murÄri - MurÄri Gupta; mukunda - Mukunda.
Here rÄá¸ha-deÅ›e refers to the village of the name EkacakrÄ, in the district of Birbhum, next to Burdwan. After the Burdwan railway station there is another branch line, which is called the Loop Line of the Eastern Railway, and there is a railway station of the name MallÄrapura. Eight miles east of this railway station, EkacakrÄ village is still situated. EkacakrÄ village extends north and south for an area of about eight miles. Other villages, namely VÄ«racandra-pura and VÄ«rabhadra-pura, are situated within the area of the village of EkacakrÄ. In honor of the holy name of VÄ«rabhadra GosvÄmÄ«, these places are renowned as VÄ«racandra-pura and VÄ«rabhadra-pura.
In the Bengali year 1331 (A.D. 1924) a thunderbolt struck the temple of EkacakrÄ-grÄma. Therefore the temple is now in a broken state. Before this, there were no such accidents in that quarter. Within the temple there is a Deity of ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa established by ÅšrÄ« NityÄnanda Prabhu. The name of the Deity is Baá¹…kima RÄya or BÄá¹…kÄ RÄya.
On Baá¹…kima RÄya’s right side is a deity of JÄhnavÄ, and on His left side is ÅšrÄ«matÄ« RÄdhÄrÄṇī. The priests of the temple describe that Lord NityÄnanda Prabhu entered within the body of Baá¹…kima RÄya and that the deity of JÄhnavÄ-mÄtÄ was therefore later placed on the right side of Baá¹…kima RÄya. Afterwards, many other Deities were installed within the temple. On another throne within the temple are Deities of MuralÄ«dhara and RÄdhÄ-MÄdhava. On another throne are Deities of Manomohana, Vá¹›ndÄvana-candra and Gaura-NitÄi. But Baá¹…kima RÄya is the Deity originally installed by NityÄnanda Prabhu.
On the eastern side of the temple is a ghÄá¹a known as Kadamba-khaṇá¸Ä« on the bank of a river called the YamunÄ, and it is said that the Deity of Baá¹…kima RÄya was floating in the water and Lord NityÄnanda Prabhu picked Him up and then installed Him in the temple. Thereafter, in a place known as Bhaá¸á¸Äpura, in the village of VÄ«racandra-pura, about half a mile west, in a place underneath a nima tree, ÅšrÄ«matÄ« RÄdhÄrÄṇī was found. For this reason, the RÄdhÄrÄṇī of Baá¹…kima RÄya was known as Bhaá¸á¸Äpurera ṬhÄkurÄṇī, the mistress of Bhaá¸á¸Äpura. On another throne, on the right side of Baá¹…kima RÄya, is a Deity of YogamÄyÄ.
Now the temple and temple corridor rest on a high plinth, and on a concrete structure in front of the temple is a kÄ«rtana hall. It is also said that on the northern side of the temple there was a Deity of Lord Åšiva named BhÄṇá¸Ä«Å›vara and that the father of NityÄnanda Prabhu, HÄá¸Äi Paṇá¸ita, used to worship that Deity. At present, however, the BhÄṇá¸Ä«Å›vara Deity is missing, and in his place a JagannÄtha SvÄmÄ« Deity has been installed. Lord NityÄnanda Prabhu did not factually construct any temples. The temple was constructed at the time of VÄ«rabhadra Prabhu. In the Bengali year 1298 (A.D. 1891), a brahmacÄrÄ« of the name ÅšivÄnanda SvÄmÄ« repaired the temple, for it had become dilapidated.
In this temple there is an arrangement to offer food to the Deity on the basis of seventeen seers (about thirty-four pounds) of rice and necessary vegetables. The present priestly order of the temple belongs to the family of GopÄ«jana-vallabhÄnanda, one of the branches of NityÄnanda Prabhu. There is a land settlement in the name of the temple, and income from this land finances the expenditures for the temple. There are three parties of priestly gosvÄmÄ«s who take charge of the temple management, one after another. A few steps from the temple is a place known as ViÅ›rÄmatalÄ, where it is said that NityÄnanda Prabhu in His childhood used to enjoy sporting with His boyfriends by enacting the rÄsa-lÄ«lÄ and various other pastimes of Vá¹›ndÄvana.
Near the temple is a place named Ä€malÄ«talÄ (Imlitala), which is so named because of a big tamarind tree there. According to a party named the Neá¸Ädi-sampradÄya, VÄ«rabhadra Prabhu, with the assistance of twelve hundred Neá¸Äs (Buddhist monks), dug a great lake of the name Åšvetagaá¹…gÄ. Outside of the temple are tombs of the GosvÄmÄ«s, and there is a small river known as the Mauá¸eÅ›vara, which is called the water of YamunÄ. Within half a mile from this small river is the birthplace of ÅšrÄ« NityÄnanda Prabhu. It appears that there was a big kÄ«rtana hall in front of the temple, but later it became dilapidated. It is now covered by banyan trees. Later on, a temple was constructed within which Gaura-NityÄnanda Deities are existing. The temple was constructed by the late PrasannakumÄra KÄrapharmÄ. A tablet was installed in his memory in the Bengali year 1323 (A.D. 1916), in the month of VaiÅ›Äkha (April-May).
The place where NityÄnanda Prabhu appeared is called GarbhavÄsa. There is an allotment of about forty-three bighÄs (fourteen acres) of land to continue the worship in a temple there. The MahÄrÄja of DinÄjapura donated twenty bighÄs of land (about six and a half acres) in this connection. It is said that near the place known as GarbhavÄsa, HÄá¸Äi Paṇá¸ita conducted a primary school. The priests of this place, listed in a genealogical table, were as follows: (1) ÅšrÄ« RÄghavacandra, (2) JagadÄnanda dÄsa, (3) KṛṣṇadÄsa, (4) NityÄnanda dÄsa, (5) RÄmadÄsa, (6) Vrajamohana dÄsa, (7) KÄnÄi dÄsa, (8) GauradÄsa, (9) ÅšivÄnanda dÄsa and (10) HaridÄsa. KṛṣṇadÄsa belonged to the Ciá¸iyÄ-kuñja at Vá¹›ndÄvana. The date of his disappearance is Kṛṣṇa-janmÄá¹£á¹amÄ«. Ciá¸iyÄ-kuñja is a place now managed by the gosvÄmÄ«s of ŚṛṅgÄra-ghÄá¹a in Vá¹›ndÄvana. They are also known as belonging to the NityÄnanda family, most probably on the basis of their relationship with KṛṣṇadÄsa.
Near GarbhavÄsa is a place called BakulatalÄ, where ÅšrÄ« NityÄnanda Prabhu and His boyfriends used to take part in sporting activities known as jhÄla-jhapeá¹Ä. There is a bakula tree there that is wonderful because all its branches and subbranches look like the hoods of serpents. It has been suggested that by the desire of ÅšrÄ« NityÄnanda Prabhu, Anantadeva manifested Himself in that way. The tree is very old. It is said that formerly it had two trunks, but later on, when the playmates of NityÄnanda Prabhu felt inconvenience in jumping from the branches of one trunk to those of the other, NityÄnanda Prabhu, by His mercy, merged the two trunks into one.
Another place nearby is named HÄá¹…á¹ugÄá¸Ä. It is said that Lord NityÄnanda Prabhu brought all the holy places there. Therefore the people in the surrounding villages go there instead of to the Ganges to take bath. It is named HÄá¹…á¹ugÄá¸Ä because ÅšrÄ«la NityÄnanda Prabhu used to perform the dadhi-ciá¸Ä festival of distributing chipped rice with yogurt prasÄdam there and He took the prasÄdam kneeling down. A sanctified lake in this place is always full of water throughout the year. A great fair is held there during Goá¹£á¹hÄá¹£á¹amÄ«, and there is another big fair on the birthday of ÅšrÄ« NityÄnanda Prabhu. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeÅ›a-dÄ«pikÄ (58-63) it is described that HalÄyudha, Baladeva, ViÅ›varÅ«pa and Saá¹…kará¹£aṇa appeared as NityÄnanda AvadhÅ«ta.