Belpukur

Yesterday, a devotee came to our house to tell us about the temple at the birthplace of Sacimata, the mother of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, at a place called Belpukur. He said it was just past Bamanpukur, which is the first large village after the Yogopitha on the main road, not far from our house. He was the hereditary Goswami of the place, which was one of the holy sites developed by the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust, and he showed us a picture of the Deity, Who was very beautiful.

So after school, I took the kids for a ride to see this holy place. It ended up being a lot further away than we thought, and was really inside the interior villages of Navadvip Dhama. We stopped on the way and the kids had fun in the big mustard seed crops - thats the yellow flowered plants in the picture.

It was several kilometers from the main road and we didn't get back until after dark - but it was really worth it. It was such a beautiful place, very loving and spiritual feeling at that place. It is the family home of Sacimata, and her father, Nilambara Cakravarti, the astrologer who gave the name giving ceremony to Lord Caitanya.

Mother Saci is none other than Mother Yasoda, and Nilambara Cakravarti is Gargamuni from Krishna lila. You feel a very loving motherly feeling at this holy site - a very special place in Navadvip Dhama.

The blue Krishna in the photos is the Deity at the place of Sacimata's family house, and the black Krishna with Radha, is another temple we found just a little way before this place on the road. The Deity here is also very beautiful.

Photos are here