Mahesh Pandita, is one of the twelve cowherd boys (Dvadasha gopala) of Vrindavana, who had appeared in order to assist Nityananda Prabhu manifest His magnanimous pastimes.He is counted as the seventeenth expansion to have arisen out of Lord Nityananda’s trunk of devotional service.Sri Krishnadasa kaviraja has described him as a very liberal person ,who remained forever immersed in relishing the ecstatic love of God.
mahesa pandita — vrajera udaara gopala
dhakka-vadye nritya kare preme matoyala
(Caitanya Caritamrta, Adi, 11.32)
From the above verse it is also clear that Mahesh pandita enchanted the hearts of one and all with his ecstatic dance to the tune of kettledrums. He was formerly the cowherd boy Mahabahu, an intimate associate of Sri Krishna and Balarama in Vrindavana.
Here at Palpara, situated within the district of Nadiya, are preserved his worshipable deities – Sri Gaura Nitai, Radha Govinda, Madana Mohana, Gopinatha and Saligrama Sila.’The Gaudiya Treasures of Bengal’ considers itself exceedingly fortunate to have been able to visit this holy place and obtain their enchanting darsana.Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati mentions in his anubhashya commentary that Mahesh Pandita used to originally reside on the eastern side of Jirat in a village known as Masipura or Yasipura. After the village was destroyed due to shift in the course of the Ganges, his worshipable deities were brought here to Palpara.
A Visit to Sri Mahesh Pandita’s Sripat at Palpara :
We found the place to be quiet, serene and far away from the monotony of material existence. The temple is not very big, and only a handful of devotees stay and serve over here. But the atmosphere is very peaceful and spiritually vibrant. Especially the darsana is heart capturing. We also had the good fortune of honoring Maha Prasada in this temple.We learnt from the local devotees that Sri Mahesh Pandita’s samadhi is situated not very far from this place. A ten minutes walk brought us to his samadhi and we offered him our prayers. Sri Mahesh Pandita’s Sripat at palpara is presently under the care of the followers of Charan Das Babaji.
What to See :
- The worshipable deities of Sri Mahesh Pandita
- A ten minutes walk from the temple shall bring you to Sri Mahesh pandita’s samadhi. The local devotees shall guide you to the location of this place.
We worship the lotus feet of our spiritual master ,whose causeless mercy has empowered us ineligible fools ,to gain entrance and take up service in this sacred land of Palpara.We seek shelter of this holy abode, and pray that its glories remain forever imprinted in our heart.‘The Gaudiya Treasures of Bengal’ offers millions of obeisances and humbly prays to Sri Mahesh Pandita that we advance in our Krishna consciousness, and are able to serve Sri Guru & Vaishnavas, by our honest and sincere efforts. We seek his blessings and compassion , in successfully rendering this humble service of reciting the pastimes and revealing the pastime places of the Supreme Lord and His beloved associates.We shall consider ourselves greatly fortunate and our existence meaningful if Lord Gaurahari and our dear spiritual master are kindly pleased with our endeavours.
How to Reach :
One travelling from Kolkata can board a Krishnanagar local train from the sealdah station and get down at Palpara. On reaching Palpara, he/she can book an auto rickshaw to directly reach this ancient dham. The journey should not take you more than 1.5 hours. Sri Mahesh Pandita’s temple is quite renowned (especially in Palpara) and hence you should not find any difficulty in locating it.
Accommodation – One can opt to put up at any of the good hotels at Ranaghat. Palpara is not very far from Ranaghat city.Alternatively, one can choose to avail the guest house facilities of Iskcon Habibpur, which is also not very far from this place.
Nearest major airport – Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (Kolkata)
Nearest major Railway station – Palpara
(Please note that we neither necessarily recommend these hotels/accommodation centers mentioned above nor do we guarantee that they will provide the required facilities/services to the visiting pilgrims. We are not in any way related to the governance of these hotels/accommodation centers. The visiting pilgrim is advised to choose an accommodation as per his own discretion)
To Learn more about the exalted pastimes and pastime places of Nadia and Kalna , purchase this below book from our bookstore. Click on the Image below :
