Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
This small temple contains the Deities of Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda that were formerly worshiped by Murari Gupta, a close associate of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. These Deities were brought to Vrindavana and worshiped by an elderly Bengali Vaishnavi known as Pishima Mataji. There are many wonderful pastimes between Pishima Mataji and the Deities of Gaura-Nitai, which she considered to be her children. She was often seen wandering around Vrindavana searching for her two ‘naughty boys’ who she said had run off without her permission. This elderly Vaiashnavi had so much love for the Deities that the temple became known as Pishima’s Gaura-Nitai Mandira.
Murari Gupta kept an important diary of Lord Chaitanya’s Navadwipa pastimes, which was used by Shrila Krishnadasa Kaviraja when compiling his celebrated book Chaitanya-charitamrita. These Gara-Nitai Deities that have been carved from neem-wood are unique, as They exhibit the hand-mudras of Lord Rama and His brother Lakshman. This is due to the fact that Murari Gupta was from his early childhood a great devotee of Lord Rama, Lord Chaitanya once revealed His form as Lord Ramachandra before Murari Gupta. When Murari Gupta asked if he could worship the Deity of Gaura-Nitai, Lord Chaitanya told him to carve the Deities according to his particular devotional mood, therefore the Deities were carved with three very unique features. Firstly, the Deities are standing in Krishna and Balarama’s three-fold bending form known as tri-bhanga-rupa. Secondly, the Deities hand-mudra is that of Rama and Lakshmana holding bows, firing arrows, and giving benediction. Thirdly, the Deities hair is tied in a top-knot similar to the hair-style of Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda during the period of Their Navadwipa-lila. Also in Vrindavana is a Deity of Lord Jagannatha that was formerly worshiped by Murari Gupta. This Deity is presently being worshiped at the Chaitanya Baithaka near Raja Ghata, which is now under the administration of the Gaudiya Math.
