Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
This is the place where Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would sit and rest while walking at noon-time from Imli-tala to His camp at Akrura Ghata, as it is the half-way point between the two places. Many years ago there was a roadside shrine located here beneath a large banyana tree, where the Deity of Lord Chaitanys could be seen as pilgrims passed by on the parikrama path. The word ‘baithaka’ means ‘sitting place’. Some refer to this place as Vishrama-sthala, or the resting place of Mahaprabhu, which is also applicable. However, Akrura Ghata is the actual Vishrama-sthala where Mahaprabhu rested at night. There used to be a temple located next to the baithaka containing the Deities of Lord Jagannatha that were once worshiped by Murari Gupta, who was a close associate of Lord Chaitanya. It is said that many years ago, the old and dilapidated former residence of Murari Gupta in Bengal was being renovated, when two sets of Deities were discovered buried in the ground. According to an inscription found at the site, the Deities of Lord Jagannatha and Gaura-Nitai had previously been worshiped by Murari Gupta and both sets of Deities were then sent to Vrindavana to be worshiped in the holy Dhama. The Deity of Lord Jagannatha was installed here at the Chaitanya Baithaka and the Deity of Gaura-Nitai can be seen at the Pishima Gaura-Natai Mandira near Loi Bazar.
