Text 67] The Advent of Lord Caitanya 85

On the right side of Bankima Raya is a Deity of Jahnava, and on His left side is
SrimatT Radharani. The priests of the temple describe that Lord Nityananda Prabhu
entered within the body of Bartkima Raya and that the Deity of Jahnava-mata was
therefore later placed on the right side of Bankima Raya. Afterwards, many other
Deities were installed within the temple. On another throne within the temple are
Deities of Muralidhara and Radha-Madhava. On another throne are Deities of Mano-
mohana, Vrndavana-candra and Gaura-Nitai. But Barikima Raya is the Deity origin-
ally installed by Nityananda Prabhu.

On the eastern side of the temple is a gh@a known as Kadamba-khandi on the
bank of the Yamuna, and it is said that the Deity of Bankima Raya was floating in
the water and Lord Nityananda Prabhu picked Him up and then instailed Him in
the temple. Thereafter, in a place known as Bhaddapura in the village of Viracandra-
pura, about half a mile west, in a place underneath a nima tree, Srimati Radharant
was found. For this reason, the Radharani of Bankima Raya was known as Bhadda-
purera Thakurani, the mistress of Bhaddapura. On another throne, on the right
side of Barikima Raya, is a Deity of Yogamaya.

Now the temple and temple corridor rest on a high plinth, and on a concrete
structure in front of the temple is a meeting hall. ft is also said that on the northern
side of the temple there was a Deity of Lord Siva named Bhandisvara and that the
father of Nityananda Prabhu, Hadai Pandita, used to worship that Deity. At present,
however, the Bharidigvara Deity is missing, and in his place a Jagannatha Svami
Deity has been installed. Lord Nityananda Prabhu did not factually construct any
temples. The temple was constructed at the time of Virabhadra Prabhu. In the
Bengali year 1298, the temple being in adelapidated condition, a ’rahmacdri of the
name Sivananda Svami repaired it.

In this temple there is an arrangement to offer foodstuffs to the Deity on the ba-
sis of seventeen seers of rice and necessary vegetables. The present priestly order of
the temple belongs to the family of Gopijana-vallabhananda, one of the branches
of Nityananda 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 gosvdmis who take charge of the temple management one after
another. A few steps onward fromthe tempie is a place known as Visgramatala, where
it is said that Nityananda Prabhu in His childhood used to enjoy sporting in various
pastimes of Vrndavana and the pastime of rasa-/7/a with His boy friends.

Near the temple is a place named Amalitala, which is so named because of a big
tamarind tree there. According to a party named the Nedadi-sampradaya, Virabhadra
Prabhu, with the assistance of twelve hundred Nedas, dug a great lake of the name
Svetagariga. Outside of the temple are tombs of the Gosvamis, and there is a small
river known as the Maudesvara, which is called the water of Yamuna. Within half a
mile from this small river is the birthplace of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. It appears that
there was a big meeting 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-Nityananda Deities are existing. The temple was constructed by the late
Prasannakumara Karapharma. A tablet was installed in his memory in the Bengali
year 1323 in the month of Vaisakha (April-May).
