Tota Gopinatha Matha, Puri – Legends

Tota Gopinatha Matha, Puri – Legends

After renunciation of world life, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu stayed at Jagannatha Puri for 18 years. Most of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu disciples remained in Bengal. They used to visit Puri once in a year to attend Ratha Yatra and to pay respect to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. One of the disciple, Gadadhara Pandita couldn’t bear to be separated from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Even Mahaprabhu also felt the same. So, Gadadhara Pandita was permitted to stay with Mahaprabhu in Puri.

Gadadhara Pandita resided in the garden where Tota Gopinatha Temple stands today. Gadadhara Pandita would read Bhagavatam every day to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Once, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu visited here after worshipping Jagannatha, saw Lord in his Syama Sundara form. On Seeing this form of Lord, he experienced the mood of separation from Krishna. He experienced the same feelings as he would in Vrindavana.

He saw Cataka Parvata as Govardana, the ocean as Yamuna, and Vata Vriksha as Vamshi Vata where Krishna played his flute to attract Gopi’s. One day in same separation mood Mahaprabhu was digging the soil. He suddenly found the top portion of a deity. Chaitanya informed Gadadhara about his find. Both together excavated a beautiful idol of Lord Krishna from the sand. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu named the deity as Gopinatha.

As the idol was found in garden, which is called Tota in Oriya language, devotees started to address the idol as Tota Gopinatha. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu entrusted the guardianship of the idol to his disciple Gadadhara Pandita. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ended his worldly life in Jagannatha Puri by entering into the knee of the Tota Gopinatha Deity.

If devotees come to this temple in early morning around seven and by giving a donation, devotees can see the crack in the knee of Tota Gopinatha where Lord Chaitanya entered the idol and left this material world. The Idol of Tota Gopinatha was previously in standing form and was being worshiped by Gadadhara Pandita. But after the departure of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Gadadhara was heartbroken. His body got bent over from intense agony of separation from his Guru.

Although, he was only 47 years old, Gadadhara became lean and thin like an old man. Incapable of lifting his arms, Gadadhara could neither dress Tota Gopinatha nor offer him Chandana and flower garlands. Gadadhara decided to engage another priest in worshiping the Lord. Tota Gopinatha appeared in the dreams of Gadadhara and informed that he wanted only Gadadhara to serve him. Gadadhara informed Lord about his inability.

Lord Gopinatha reiterated him to serve and also informed him that he would be short to enable him serve with ease. Next morning when Gadadhara entered the shrine to serve Gopinatha, he was astonished to see Lord in sitting posture as promised in his dreams. After the demise of Gadadhara Pandita, Tota Gopinatha was taken care by Mamu Thakura. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to call him as Mama (Uncle). Thus, he was known as Mamu Thakura among the people.