Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
There are two villages located very close to each another, the first one is called Bathain Kalan, also known as Bada Bathain (Big Bathain), while the second village is half a kilometer to the north and called Bathain Kurd, also known as Chota Bathain (Small Bathain). The name of both villages is derived from the word ‘baithna’ which means ‘to sit down’. It is said that one day while herding the cows at this place, Krishna saw the gopis in the distance and asked Balarama to sit down (baithna) at this place and wait for Him while He went to meet Radharani. It is also said that Nanda Maharaja and his minister Upananda, would hold some of their important meetings at this village and the place where they took place was called the baithaka or sitting place. In the Bhakti-ratnakara it is said, “See this village named Baithana. When the cowherd men had a conference, everyone came to this place and sat. Because they all sat here, this place is known as Baithana.” The Bhakti-ratnakara also says that Shrila Sanatana Goswami often came to this village and spent time here performing bhajana, much to the satisfaction of the local Vrajavasis, who had great affection for Sanatana and held him in high esteem.
The location of Nanda Baba’s baithaka is unknown but in the village one can visit the Dauji Mandira and Balabhadra-kunda, which is sometimes called Krishna-kunda, and is the place where the cowherd boys enjoyed water sports (jala-krida) with Krishna and Balarama. During the annual Holi-mela festivities, there is a huge celebration held on the banks of this kunda known as the Holanga-mela, where the local version of ‘Lathamar-holi’ is enacted. This is where the ladies of Bada Bathain enjoy abusing and then beating the men from Chota Bathain with long bamboo sticks known as lathis, while the men try to protect themselves with shields or broken off tree branches. The Holi-mela as well as Lathima-holi is celebrated in Varsana, Nandagrama and a number of other places around Vraja during the month of Phalgun (Feb/March).
