Sri Ekachakra Dham:
History and Glory

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
17 February 2016

I rented a helicopter to bring Gurudev here, and made the nat mandir big specially so that a helicopter could land there—that was my plan. Also, this room here [at the veranda of His Divine Grace] is very big because I made it for Gurudev. I do not need a big room, I like a small room, but I made it big for Gurudev's veranda. But Gurudev could not come—when I was coming here, I thought, "What can I do?" He did see this building (Sri Hadai Pandit Sri Padmavati Smriti Kunja) with his own eyes, and he was very happy. Now he can see everything from his place... Gurudev ordered me to make this and by Gurudev's mercy, Gaura Nitai appeared here; it is my happiness.

Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur wanted to make a Gaudiya Math temple here in Ekachakra, but it was not possible in his lifetime. Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj came here once, and Gurudev also came here once or twice—he came on preaching in a nearby town Kandi. Later, I got there one place, a small temple, and arranged the service there. Actually Gurudev did not go to so many places in India, only to one-two places, and one of them was Kandi, it about one hour or forty-five minute journey from here. Gurudev told me that he had gone there with some devotees by an old jeep. It was before I joined the mission.

Gurudev told also that Nityananda Prabhu's place is a good place, the only problem is that the local people are sahajiya—the birthplace of Nityananda Prabhu is occupied by sahajiya—that is why Gurudev hesitated a little to make a temple here. I came here for the first time in 2004 with the desire to make a temple, but at that time Gurudev did not agree to make it. Later, when he was in America in 2007, I remember I was in Siliguri at that time, Gurudev called me and said, "Now the inspiration has come to me, and if you can find some good land in Ekachakra, it will be good."

I was searching, searching, and by the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu we got this place. Before there were only crop fields around. Now people are making new buildings in the area and slowly, slowly they are coming closer to our temple. There is also the Pandav tala nearby—the place where the Pancha Pandavs stayed during their exile. I like this place...

Actually construction is a very heavy job. When I was making Govinda Kunda, I lost seven kilograms weight, and here also it was very difficult. When I came here for the first time, after we registered the land, I slept under the Nari-pota tree (নাড়ি পোঁতা, in front of the temple, just outside the gate, it is a place of Nitai's playground and the place where the placenta of Nitai's mother was buried). I came in January, winter season, and it was very cold. I went to the market, bought some plastic and put it on the ground. I got inside it like in a sleeping bag, but still I could not sleep the whole night—sometimes I went into the car, sometimes back into that plastic bag.

The next morning I rented three rooms (two for living and one for the kitchen, and there was also a veranda) for 50 rupees per day (1500 rupees per month). Within the next twenty-two hours I made a "household"—I went to Rampurhat and bought everything that was necessary for one family of five-six devotees (gas cylinder, gas, utensils, oil, bedsheets, mattresses, etc.). We always had photographs of Gurudev and Radha Krishna and Mahaprabhu's Deities with us. In the room where I lived, I made a small place for the Deities' room. At noon I gave some money and took prasadam at the Iskcon temple, but in the evening I said, "No, we will cook ourselves. We will cook simple—some mashed potato (aloo siddha) and soya bean potato rasa." So, we cooked, did arati, Tulasi parikrama, and took prasadam. It was a temporary temple created just within one day—within just a few hours!

Then three workers came from Nabadwip and we started the construction at our land. The first building was a small tin shed that was built at the place where the goshala is now. Also, I got one strong man and gave him a responsible service—I told him to take care of the construction. Every seven days or every three-four days when I got time, I would come by car to supervise—I would come, take prasadam, check the construction progress and leave, I did not stay here. Now this devotee is looking after the Nrisingha Palli construction.

After this building (Sri Hadai Pandit Sri Padmavati Smrti Kunja) was finished, we left the rented house where the devotees had been staying and started building the nat mandir and the temple.

Now everything is complete. This year I am not bringing anything from Nabadwip. Every year I have been bringing rice, dal, vegetables—a truck full of bhog—but this year Niriha Maharaj told me he would manage from there, and I told him I would help. He has the capacity to do it, so he is doing it. He was the temple manger in Siliguri before: it is a small temple, but he has got qualification.

Our fortune is very good—we have come to the holy Dham of Nityananda Prabhu. You cannot come here unless you have a great fortune. The glories of Nityananda Prabhu's Dham are unlimited and hidden. "নিতাইয়ের করুণা হবে ব্রজে রাধাকৃষ্ণ পাবে, Nitaiyer karuna habe Vraje Radha-Krsna pabe": if you do not have mercy of Lord Nityananda Prabhu, you cannot get mercy of Radha-Krishna.

Our Param Gurudev, Gurudev of our Gurudev, Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, was staying in Mayapur (at that time our Math was not there), and when Prabhupad Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, his Gurudev, left, he went to Vrindavan. There Prabhupad sent him a message, "What I have given you, I gave you so that you could preach the teachings of Rupa and Raghunath, and what are you doing? You are staying in Vrindavan, but you must go and rescue everyone." So, he left Vrindavan and came to Nabadwip, to the place where our Math stands now.

Many of his godbrothers wanted to take sannyas from Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, and also many devotees wanted to receive initiation from him, but at first he did not accept any disciples. Then, one time he came here, to the birthplace of Nityananda Prabhu. When he paid his obeisance there and begged Doyal Nitai for His mercy, he heard some akash dhvani, "Prabhupad Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur has already given you his mercy. First you must distribute that mercy to others, then ask Me for mercy. When you become empty, I will give you mercy. First distribute what you have got." After that, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj started giving initiations and he received mercy of Nityananda Prabhu...

This place is the eternal abode of Nityananda Prabhu...

অন্ধীভূত চক্ষু যার বিষয ধূলিতে ।
কিরূপে সে পরতত্ত্ব পাইবে দেখিতে ॥

andhibhuta chaksu yara visaya dhulite
ki rupe se para-tattva paibe dekhite

"Our eyes are blinded by the dust of the illusory environment. How can we then see the transcendental world?"

Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day is on Saturday... We do not know, we cannot recognise who will join the festival—we do not have that kind of eyes. We do not know who will come, but our duty is to take their foot dust—it is sufficient for us.

Here Nityananda-Balaram performs His pastimes, here nearby is the Pandav tala, there is Nari-pota in front. It is such a beautiful and quiet place...

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