Kolavecha Sridhara Angana
According to Caitanya Charitamrita Sridhara Swami was twenty ninth branches; He was a very dear servant of the Lord. On many occasions, the Lord played jokes on him.
Sridhara was a poor brahmana who made a living by selling banana-tree bark to be made into cups. Most probably he had a banana-tree garden and collected the leaves, skin and pulp of the banana trees to sell daily in the market. He spent fifty percent of his income to worship the Ganges, and the balance he used for his subsistence. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu started His civil disobedience movement in defiance of the Kazi, Sridhara danced in jubilation. The Lord used to drink water from his water jug. Sridhara presented a squash to Sachidevi to cook before Lord Caitanya took sannyasa. Every year he went to see Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Jagannatha Puri. According to Kavi karnapura, Sridhara was a cowherd boy of Vrindavana whose name was Kusumasava. In his Gaura Ganoddesa Dipika, verse 133, it is stated:
khola-vecataya khyatah
panditah sridharo dvijah
asid vraje hasya-karo
yo namna kusumasavah
yo namna kusumasavah
"The cowherd boy known as Kusumasava in Krishna-lila later became Kholaveca Sridhara during Caitanya Mahaprabhu's lila at Navadvipa."
Every day Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu jokingly snatched fruits, flowers and pulp from Sridhara and drank from his broken iron pot. Even though Nimai harassed Sridhara, Sridhara liked Nimai's mischief. But He always would pray that Nimai always do pastimes with him.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura mentions in his Navadvipa Bhava Taranga: "In the center of Madhuvana is the place called Visrama-sthala. There stands the cottage of the Lord's devotee named Sridhara and also a clear pond. After rectifying the Kazi, the Lord of the three worlds came here with His followers and rested. Sri Nityananda Prabhu also came here with Jiva Goswami during His Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama and served by Kolavecha Sridhara.
Practical guide to Kolavecha Sridhara Angana
Darsana Time:All the time
Directions:Enter the mango grove at the back of Sri Jagannatha temple in Rajapur using the small gate at the rear of the temple. Ahead of you on the right side you will see a small building situated amongst a cluster of trees. This is the place.
Point of interest:
1.The building indicates the location of Sridhara's house. This is constructed by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Thakura. This area is not different from Madhuvana forest of Vrindavana where Krishna and Balarama had many pastimes with their sakhas, cowherd boyfriends. One of these sakhas was Kusumasava Gopala sakha who appeared as Sridhara in Caitanya Mahaprabhu's pastimes.
2.Sasthi Tirtha kunda: On the right side of the building you will see a field that is dug out and surrounded by raised edges. This was a Kunda in Lord Caitanya's time. Young Nimai used to play here and also steal bananas from Sridhara's nearby banana patch.
3.Resting place: This place is also known as visrama Sthala (resting place) as Lord Caitanya would take rest here after performing kirtana.
