The Opening Ceremony of the Lord's Temple

(Excerpt from Gaudiya, 1935 16^th March)

The Adbhuta Mandira at Yogapitha

Now, the hearts desire of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is being exhaustively fulfilled by Gaura-sakti Om Visnupada Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and this is obvious to all that can see. Everyone can observe with their own eyes what kind of splendorous progress is increasing day by day in the service of Sridhama Mayapura.

svetadvipa-nama, navadvipa-dhama
vede prakasir pache

"Later, the Vedas will reveal that Navadvipa-dhama is non-different from Svetadvipa."

(Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-khanda, chapter 23, Verse 290)

(NB. In his Anubhasya commentary to this verse, Prabhupada Sarasvati Thakura writes: "The word veda means 'four.' "Realization that Sri Navadvipa-dhama is Svetadvipa has dawned on the living entities about 400 years, or 404 years, or 444 years after the appearance of the Supreme Lord.")

These words of the Vyasa of Sri Caitanya-lila are now being gloriously fulfilled today. Exactly four centuries after the appearance of Lord Gaura, the gospel of Sridhama Mayapura Navadvipa revealed itself in the heart of the eternal associate of Sri Gauranga, Om Visnupada Bhaktivinoda Thakura. At that time, the Visva Vaisnava Rajya Sabha was re-founded and the necessity to observe the appearance day of the full-moon of Sri Mayapura Navadvipa was practically preached in the world. Nowadays, this appearance day festival of Sri Gaurasundara has become a national celebration in Bengal. The one who introduced this was Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

In 404 Gaurabda, after searching through all the places in Navadvipa and through all the evidence available, and following the will of the mahajanas and the conclusions of the scriptures, Bhaktivinoda Thakura revealed Sri Navadvipa-dhama Mahatmya. In 408 Gaurabda, the Deity of Sriman Mahaprabhu was revealed in Yogapitha in Sridhama Mayapura by the greatest realized Vaisnavas as well as by many leading personalities of Bengal and Bharata-varsa. At that time, thousands of holy devotees from Vraja-ksetra and gauda-mandala, and thousands and thousands of pilgrims from many different regions were present in the holy dhama.

When Sriman Jiva Gosvami Prabhu was performing Navadvipa parikrama, Nityananda Prabhu told him about Sri Mayapura: 

cari-sata-varsa gaura-jana dhari
haile sri murti seva habe sarvopari

"400 years after Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's appearance, the worship of His Deity will manifest and He will be worshipped in a magnificent manner."

This prophecy of Sri Nityananda Prabhu was fulfilled. We hear even more from the mouth of Sri Nityananda:

punah kabhu prabhu techa habe balavan
habe mayapure ei rupa vasasthana

adbhuta mandira ei haibe prakasa
gauranga nitya-seva haibe vikasa

"By the Lord's desire, this place will become prominent again and people will live in Mayapura as before.

A wonderful temple will appear, from where Lord Gauranga's eternal service will manifest."

Let the inhabitants of the world see with their own eyes and feel within the core of their hearts how these statements of Sri Nityananda Prabhu have been fulfilled by one who is non-different from Nityananda Himself. Today, by the grace of Sri Nityananda's manifestation of Sri Gurudeva, the Bhakti-vijaya-pataka (the flag of pure devotion, also referring to Bhakti-vijaya Prabhu who built the temple) flies over the sky-scraping adbhuta temple.

  Sri Sakhi-carana Bhakti Vijaya

Also, Sri Navadvipa-dhama Pradarsini (theistic exhibition) was held in Sridhama Mayapura in 444 Gaurabda. The more the enemies of the holy dhama try to check the power of Lord Gaura and the more demoniac attempts they show in order to restrict the manifestation of lila-sakti, the more the holy dhama will reveal itself. The history of the self-manifestation of Sridhama is indeed adbhuta in itself.

After unbiased research, Sarkara Bahadur accepted the actual position of Sridhama Mayapura and established Mayapura Post Office.

Then, in 448 Gaurabda, in order to fulfill Sri Nityananda's prediction, the great soul Sri Sakhi-carana Bhakti Vijaya dug the foundation for the great temple at Yogapitha. Following the desire of Sri Gaura's associate, the Deity of Adhoksaja Visnu, Who was worshipped in the house of Sriman Mahaprabhu, manifested Himself from the earth in the presence of a large number of people on Wednesday 15^th June 1934.