Ram carved Gopinath on the way to Ayodhya

When Lord Ramachandra and Sita Devi were returning to Ayodhya after Their exile, Their flower airplane flew right above this place. In those days, the area used to look magnificent. There were seven rivers flowing through it and the landscape was vibrant with lush vegetation. As Sita was mesmerized by its beauty, she inquried from Lord Rama, "Oh, my Lord, in what form will You appear on Earth when you descend in Dvapara-yuga?"

Lord Rama immediately landed the plane. At that spot there was a large black rock, and He started to carve it with the tip of an arrow to answer her question. "Just see, My dear, this is how I will look when I appear in Dvapara-yuga." Then He showed her the wonderful form of Gopinatha He had carved. Rama also carved eight gopis, four to each side of the Deity, as well as a cow that serves as a base for the lotus feet of Gopinatha. He also carved Ananta Sesa above Gopinatha's head. (That piece of stone is on the altar as well, but we couldn't see it because it was covered with cloth.)

After that, Rama and Sita continued their travel to Ayodhya, and the local brahmanas started to worship the Deity and have continued to do so to this very day. We took this unique opportunity of offer Gopinath our service through prayers and chanting and dancing in a several-hour long kirtana enthusiastically led by Prahlad Nrisimha Prabhu.

The one thing we couldn't miss for the world was tasting the special sweet made only at this place and nowhere else. Ksira is the sweet the Deity was named after. It is made from condensed milk, sugar, and cream with raisins added. Chora means a thief. Once opon a time, The Deity Himself stole a pot of that special tasty sweet to offer to His dear devotee, Madhavendra Puri, who desired in his mind to try it so that later he would know how to prepare it for his own Deity, Govinda. That transdendental pastime has made this temple, Madhavendra Puri and the sweet famous. Soon we got the chance to try it. In the courtyard, there was a room with many clay pots full of condensed milk. The sweets started to disappear when the devotees, hungry for nectar, got to them. Most of us were not satisfied with only one pot! Soon it came time for breakfast, which we took in the prasadam room within the temple complex.

for full story see

narasimhalila.com click World Deity Pastimes

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