The Kshira Chora Gopinath temple is located in Remuna. It is
a small town located 9-km east of Balasore,
about halfway between
Calcutta and
Puri . The name "Remuna"
is derived from the word "Ramaniya" which means very beautiful.
It is said that Sri Rama carved 'Gopinath' with His arrow and that Sita
worshiped this deity in Chitrakut. King Langula Narasingha Dev, the king
of Orissa, brought this Deity to Remuna in the 13th century from
Chitrakut. This king also arranged to have dug the two big tanks,
'Brajapokhari' and 'Kutapokhari'.
GOPINATHA TEMPLE
Sri Gopinatha is the Deity who stole sweet-rice for 'Madhavendra Puri'.
Being worshiped on the altar with Sri Gopinatha are Sri 'Madana Mohana',
Sri 'Govinda', 'Radha-Rasabihari', and 'Chaitanya Mahaprabhu' with Lord
'Jagannatha' on one side and numerous 'Shalagram-Shilas' on the other
side.
Lord Gopinatha, flanked by Sri Govinda and Sri Madana Mohana, is made of
black stone. Sri Gopinatha stands in bas-relief. Govinda and Madana
Mohana, who were brought from Vrindavana in about 1938 by a devotee named
"Chaitanya Dasa Babaji", are free standing.
One can get delicious 'Kshira' here call 'Amrita-Keli'. The Gopinatha
Kshira is a preparation of condensed milk, sugar, and cream, with a
sprinkling of raisins. It comes in pots of various sizes, which are
personally tasted by Lord Gopinatha Himself. Sri Gopinatha is known as "Kshira
Chora Gopinatha" because He stole and hid a pot of 'Kshira' out of
love for Madhavendra Puri. 'Chora' means thief.
The Temple's Renovation
'Rasikananda' renovated the present temple, after the prior temple built
by king 'Gajapati' Maharaja 'Langula Deva' was destroyed by Muslim
invaders. Rasikananda found the Gopinatha Deity in a pond 4-km from the
temple, where Gopinatha was hidden to protect him from being destroyed by
the Muslim king. Rasikananda was the foremost disciple of 'Syamananda',
who helped transport the important writings of the 'Goswamis' from
Vrindavana to Bengal. The 'Samadhi' tomb of Rasikananda 'Prabhu' is near
the temple.
In the temple room one will find many pictures of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's
pastimes, as well as a picture of the 'Pancatattva' over the main altar.
The 'Pujaris' every morning bathe and dress the Deities in full view of
the congregated devotees. Each day a few hundred pilgrims come to this
temple, and on Sundays up to a thousand people visit. The temple is
located about a half a km from the village of Remuna. Western devotees are
allowed in the temple.
During "Chandana-Yatra", the Deities are smeared with cooling
sandalwood pulp ('Chandana'). The temple priests apply 'Chandana' to the
chest of the temples' three Krishna Deities-Madana-Mohana, Govinda and
Gopinatha. On 'Aksayatritiya' the Deities' entire bodies are smeared with
sandalwood.
The Legend Of The Deity
Over 500 years ago Madhavendra Puri was going to
Puri to get some
scented sandalwood to bring to his Sri Gopal Deity in Vrindavana. When he
stopped at Remuna and saw Sri Gopinath, his heart was filled with devotion
and joy. When he saw the delicious 'Kshira' offered to the Deity he
desired to taste some so he could offer the same preparation to "Sri
Gopal". Madhavendra Puri would only accept food that was offered to
him. Because he was not offered any of the 'Kshira' he left the temple
without tasting it.
After finishing the worship to Gopinath the 'Pujari' took rest. In a
dream Gopinath told him to get up and take the pot of 'Kshira' that He had
hidden under His garments and to give it to Madhavendra Puri. The 'Pujari'
got up and found the sweet rice and brought it to Madhavendra Puri. The
'Pujari' told him "For you Sri Gopinath has stolen 'Kshira'. There is
no other fortunate man like you." This is how the Deity got the name
Kshira Chora Gopinath.
Madhavendra Puri established an Ashram in Remuna and stayed there for
some time. The wooden sandals of Madhavendra Puri are worshiped in this
Ashram.
When Lord Chaitanya came here, flowers from the body of the Deity fell
down on His head. Sri Chaitanya then danced in overwhelming joy.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
In the area the other places one can visit include the Samadhi of
Madhavendra Puri, the Samadhi of 'Rasikananda Prabhu' (inside the
Gopinatha temple compound), and a Shiva temple where "Gargamuni"
is said to have had his ashram. Near the Gopinatha temple there is a
Jagannatha temple and
a few other temples.
HOW TO GET THERE
Rail: The nearest train junction to Remuna is at
Balasore, which is the first major town
in Orissa coming from
Calcutta . One
can get a night train from Calcutta that stops in Balasore in the early
morning hours. From there one can get a taxi or bus to Remuna. If one has
arrived Remuna in the morning, one can see the Deities and then catch a
night train to Puri
.
Road: There are regular buses from Balasore to Remuna.
WHERE TO STAY
Remuna is a very small village, so there are not many places to stay.
There is a small guesthouse near the temple that has a few basic rooms
with private bath. There is a guesthouse built by a religious lady with
fairly nice facilities for those who want to stay overnight in Remuna to
see the Deities. There is a good assortment of hotels in the nearby towns
of Balasore and Chandipur.