Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami
From the book “Sri Vraja-maṇḍala-parikramā”:
Near Sunaharā-gaon, to the south-west, is a vast grove of kadamba trees (a kadamba-khaṇḍī). This is the location of a rāsa- maṇḍala and of Ratna-kuṇḍa. In the month of Bhādra on the Caturdaśī of the bright moon, rāsa-līlā is enacted here according to būḍhī-līlā.
Nābhājī’s place of bhajana is also in the kadamba-khaṇḍī. Nābhājī’s previous name was Catura-cintāmaṇi, and he was born in Paya-gaon in Vraja. From childhood, he performed bhajana in an isolated grove of kadamba trees, being detached from the material world. He was a great renunciant. It is said that he would remain absorbed in meditation on different pastimes. Once, while being thus absorbed, he began to pick flowers for the service of Priyā-Priyatama (Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa). He had very long matted hair, which on this occasion became entangled in a thorny bush. He remained standing in that same position for three days. Kiśora and Kiśorī (Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa) appeared there and started disentangling his hair from the bush.
“Who are you?” Nābhājī asked.
Kiśorījī smiled, indicating with Her eyes that Śyāmasundara Himself was disentangling his matted locks. Then, suddenly, They both disappeared. Nābhājī’s life had become blessed. He rolled about on the ground, weeping. He later came to Vṛndāvana to reside at Vihāra-ghāṭa.
Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
The word ‘khandi’ means a ‘forest grove’ containing the same variety of trees and therefore the term kadamba-khandi refers to a large grove of sweet smelling kadamba trees. At this place surrounded by kadamba trees, one can see the Kadamba-khandi Mandira. Although the majority of trees are kadamba there are also some very large banyana trees growing here. There is also a large kunda about one hundred meters to the south of the Mandira known as Krishna-kunda (Ratna-kunda) and a smaller kunda known as Panihari-kunda where the gopis would collect water. One can also see a kadamba tree entwined with a tamala tree, which Vrajavasis believe represents the ‘divine lovers’ Radha and Krishna. Kadamba-khandi is the place where Radha and Krishna performed ‘rasa-lila’ pastimes with the gopis on the crest of the nearby hill where there is a Rasa-mandala shrine that commemorates the event. There is also a rasa-mandala platform 500 meters to the south, on the road to Kanvara, where rasa-lila pastimes were also performed and where a large garden maintained by the Nimbarka-sampradaya is located.
Every year during the month of Bhadra (August/September) a festival is held at Kadamba-khandi where dramatic performances of krishna-lila are enacted in front of large crowds. Shrila Narayana Bhatta was the first to introduce the tradition of krishna-lila dramas that are now part of Vrajavasi folk-culture. It was Narayana Bhatta who discovered Kadamba-khandi and spent some time living here engaged in bhajana. He established the tradition of rasa-lila performances as a means to keep alive the memory of Krishna’s pastimes.
Kadamba-Khandi was also the place where the famous tyagi-baba named Nagaji Maharaja performed his bhajana. The word ‘naga’ or ‘nagaji’ indicates a naked ascetic and the word ‘kathiya’ means a large wooden shackle or belt worn around the waist as an act of penance. It is believed that Nagaji was born at Paya Gaon and is one of the few Vrajavasis to renounce the world and follow an ascetic lifestyle. It is said he became the 39th acharya in the Kathiya-baba lineage belonging to the Nimbarka sampradaya and became known as Chatur-chintamani Devacharya. There is a shrine in the temple here that is dedicated to Nagaji, however at the present time most of the ascetics performing bhajana here and managing the Kadamba-Khandi Mandira and ashrama belong to the Gaudiya sampradaya.
