Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami
From the book “Sri Vraja-maṇḍala-parikramā”:
Coming from Chaṭṭīkarā, Nanda Bābā camped at Ḍerāvalī, and from there he came and camped here at Ḍīg. He stayed here for some time before going to Kāmyavana, and from Kāmyavana he went to Nandagaon. At Dīrghapura Śrī Kṛṣṇa shook, or loosened (digā), the patience, virtue and bashfulness of Śrīmatī Rādhikā by the charm of His beauty and the sweetness of His flute. Hence, this place has been named Ḍīg.
Ḍīg was also famous during Tretā-yuga. Just as Śatrughna and Bharata inhabited Mathurā and Bharatapura respectively, Lakṣmaṇa resided in Dīrghapura. There is a famous temple of Lakṣmaṇa here. Kṛṣṇa-kuṇḍa, the temple of Sākṣī-Gopāla and Rūpa-sāgara are some of the places to visit here. The Vraja-yātrā camps here while performing parikramā.
Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
Dirghapura gains mention in the Skanda Purana with regard to Nanda Maharaja’s journey from Gokula to Nandagrama. After leaving Gokula, Nanda Maharaja first stayed at Shakatikara (Chhatikara). From Shakatikara, Nanda Maharaja moved to Dirghapura where he stayed for some time before moving to Kamyavana and then finally to Nandagrama, where he built his permanent residence. Besides Dig, the name of this town is sometimes spelled as Diga or as Deeg. However, the word ‘dig’ means ‘direction’ as in ‘digpal’ (dikpal) meaning ‘guardian of the directions’ in reference to Lord Shiva as the protector of the holy dhama. Some scholars say that the name of this town is derived from the word ‘diga’ or ‘dirgha’ which means ‘to slacken’ or ‘loosen’ like the reigns of a horse-drawn chariot when riding. The word ‘dirgha’ can also refer Krishna, who could slacken the strict moral principles kept by Radharani and the gopis, simply by His charm, His incredible beauty, or by the sound of His transcendental flute.
Local historians have said that in the Treta-yuga, when Lord Rama’s brother Shatrughna established His kingdom at Mathura, His brother Lakshmana established his kingdom here at Dirghapura. There is a very ancient temple in the town dedicated to Lakshmana, who it is said was the family Deity of the local Jat kings. Historians also say that Rama’s other brother Bharata established His kingdom at nearby Bharatapura. In more recent history, Dig was the capital of the great Jat kingdom founded in 1722 CE and was at one time ruled over by one of the most famous Jat kings, Suraj Mal. This kingdom encompassed the same area as the ancient kingdom of Matsya, which now forms part of the modern-day Bharatpur District. During the British rule, the great fort at Dig became a bastion and stronghold of the Jat forces and was the scene of many a fierce battle. Dig Fort could not be captured by the British due to its strength and impregnability, which withstood the fire-power of a large battery of British cannons.
There is a story that a former king of Dig was most unhappy because the Vraja Mandala Parikrama did not visit his city as it was not one of the tirtha-sthanas, but instead took another route to Adi-Badrinatha via Devashirsha, Munishirsha, and Paramadana. Therefore the king pleaded that as Dig fell within Vraja Mandala, the parikrama should also visit his town. The king jokingly said that if the devotees performing parikrama did not come to Dig voluntarily, he would send the local police-force with canes (lathis) and forcibly bring the parikrama devotees to Dig. Due to seeing the great desire of the king to host the devotees and have the Vraja Mandala Parikrama visit Dig, the parikrama route was changed and the devotees started coming to Dig and spending the night at the hospitality of the king. From that time on, the Vraja Mandala Parikrama began to visit Dig. It is said that to please the king, one devotee jokingly gave Dig the name of Lathavana, or the ‘forest of canes’, with regard to the king threatening to send his police with lathis to coerce the Vraja-yatris
The town of Dig is sometimes pronounced as Deeg and it has become a popular destination with foreign tourists who visit the famous Dig Fort and the exquisite Monsoon Palace (also known as Gopala Bhavan), with its unique water-gardens containing over five hundred fountains. There is also a large lake at Dig which is known as Rupasagar where the famous lakeside Jal Mahal palace is located.
