The village of Gadeigiri is situated in the Jagatsinghpur district of east central Orissa. The village Gadeigiri is named after its founder Gadai Giri who migrated from the district of Midnapur (now West Bengal) in the 17th century. He was a businessman who regularly came to the area to sell utensils and bell metal items. Every year Gadai Giri would come during the rainy season, stay for four or five months, and then return to Midnapur.
Gadai Giri was a gentle and saintly person. Gadai Giri had only one son, who was named Gopal Giri. Gopal Giri was influenced by the devotional qualities of his father and was very devoted to Lord Jagannath. Every year he would go to Puri to see the Rathayatra festival. He was also very attached to performing sankirtan, and was expert in many different styles of sankirtana. Gopal Giri had a desire to worship a deity of Gopal. Unable to find such a deity, he decided to go to Puri, thinking that if he would render service to Lord Jagannath there, then somehow Gopal would come to him. Arriving in Puri, he stayed in the area known as Kundei Benta Sahi, near Grand Road. As he was very scholarly, he easily obtained service in the office of the king, where he became the
poddar, or cashier for the temple of Lord Jagannath.
Gopal Comes from Vrindavan
Gopal Giri had long cherished the desire to worship a deity of Gopal. During the Rathayatra festival in Puri he would approach devotees and sädhus coming from Vrindavan and ask them to bring him back a deity of Gopal. They would readily agree, “Yes, yes. Next time I will bring a Gopal deity for you.” But no one ever brought a deity.
At this same time, in Vrindavan there was one renounced devotee who was worshiping a deity of Gopal. One night the sannyasi had a dream that his deity was speaking to him.
About this, Srila Gour Govinda Swami says:
Gopal Giri was serving in Puri as a government cashier. He was always thinking, “If I can get a Gopal deity I’ll offer worship to Him.” But he thought, “How can I go to Vrindavan?” He had a strong desire to get a deity.
At that time this deity of Gopal was in Vrindavan and a sannyasi Vaishnava, a renunciate. He was doing madhukari, begging, and he was keeping that deity in his jhola, (a cloth tied as a bag). During the day, he would go and do madhukar, then in the evening he would cook whatever had had begged and offer it to Gopal. In this way he was leading his life.
One night this Gopal deity told the Vaishnava, “You take Me to Gopal Giri, the son of Gadai Giri. He wants to offer Me worship. I want to go there. Take Me there.” But the Vaishnava thought that it was only a dream. He did not take it seriously. After a few days Gopal came again in a dream and beat him with a cane on his legs. It was such a severe beating that his legs were bleeding.
The sannyasi Vaishnava woke up and begged apology, “Please forgive me for my offense. I did not take Your order seriously. But You have beaten me so severely, how can I go there with such wounds on my legs?” Gopal said, “When Gopal Giri touches you it will be healed, otherwise you cannot be cured. You go there at once, don’t make any delay.”
The only way was by walking. It took him two and a half months to reach Puri. At this time Gopal Giri was staying in a rented house at Kundhei Benta Sahi in Puri. The Vaishnava reached Puri in the evening and stayed near the Jagannath temple. Early the next morning he inquired, “Who is Gopal Giri? I want to meet him.” Many people knew Gopal Giri, he was famous as the cashier of the Jagannath temple. So he quickly found Gopal Giri at his rented house.
The Vaishnava arrived and offered his obeisances to Gopal Giri. He then took the deity from his bag and presented him to Gopal Giri. Gopal Giri was amazed, “What is this? Who are you, and where has this deity come from?”
The Vaishnava replied, “You wanted Gopal to worship. So Gopal has come from Vrindavan. I was in Vrindavan carrying this Gopal. He told me to hand Him over to you, and He beat me.” He showed Gopal Giri his legs and said, “If you touch it, it will be cured, otherwise it will not be cured.” So Gopal Giri immediately touched him and the injury was gone.
Gopal Giri was very happy that Gopal had fulfilled his desire. He couldn’t go to Vrindavan, but Gopal had come to him. Gopal Giri went to the market and purchased rice, dal, and vegetables. He prepared prasad and gave some to the Vaishnava. Then he went to the king and offered his resignation, saying, “I don’t want to serve any more.” When he returned to his room he opened his bag and told that Vaishnava, “You can take as much money as you want.”
The Vaishnava said, “No, I don’t want any money. I only want to do service for Gopal. Wherever Gopal goes, I will go. I want to go and serve Him. I am not one to sell Gopal. I am a servant. I won’t take any money.”
Later on, Gopal Giri again went to see the king. The king asked him, “Why did you resign?”
“I have a temple in my village and I had a desire to get a deity of Gopal to worship.”
The king was very pleased and said, “All right, your desire is very noble. I have no objection. But sometimes you must come to Puri with your kirtana party and chant in Jagannath’s temple.
Gopal Giri also had a Radha deity made and installed. Their temple was a mud hut. He made all arrangements for Gopal, providing agricultural property so that in the future there would not be any difficulty for Gopal's maintenance. Gopal Giri was a wealthy person. His family had landed property and they were famous for kirtana. Every day kirtan was going on. At last that land has come to me. Now we are taking care, constructing a nice temple for Gopal
The king gave Gopal Giri some extra months’ salary and allowed him to go. Gopal Giri then sent a message to Gadeigiri for a kirtan group to come to Puri to accompany Gopal to His new home. When the Gajapati king heard the kirtan of the Gadeigiri villagers he became very pleased. It is written in the madala-panji, the history book of the temple of Lord Jagannath, that whenever the kirtan party from Gadeigiri comes they should be allowed to perform kirtan in the temple.
Gopal Giri installed the Gopal deity in Gadeigiri and requested the renunciate from Vrindavan to perform Gopal's daily worship. After serving Gopal for twenty years, the renunciate departed this world and was given samadhi, ritual burial, near Gopal's temple. After this, Gopal Giri engaged other renounced Vaishnavas for the daily worship of Gopal.
After Gopal Giri departed at the age of 85, responsibility for Gopal's service passed on to his son, Dinabandhu Giri. Dinabandhu Giri also lived to be 85, and after his departure Gopal's care was handed on to his son Abhiram Giri. Abhiram Giri served Gopal until he passed away at the age of 90, and Gopal's service then passed on to his son Bhagavat Charan Giri. From the time of Gopal Giri the family had engaged only sannyasis to perform the daily worship of Gopal. This tradition stopped during the life of Bhagavat Charan Giri. Bhagavat Charan Giri had two sons, Bhikari Giri and Lakshman Giri, and he passed away at the age of 82. Bhikari Giri had one son, Govinda Giri. Govinda Giri passed away in 1963 at the age of 88. Before he departed he entrusted Gopal's service to his son Bauri. Bauri Giri is still remembered today in the Gadeigiri area as being a paramahamsa and a premi-bhakta, a very advanced devotee. Bauri Giri was always doing kirtan for Gopal's pleasure. He became famous for his kirtana, and his reputation spread far beyond Gadeigiri.
Many high government officers and other prestigious persons would come to hear, including Bala Mukunda Kanungo, the famous deputy magistrate. Bala Mukunda Kanungo’s son was Nityananda Kanungo, who became the governor of the state of Bihar. Nityananda Kanungo’s daughter-in-law, Chhabi Kanungo, was later inspired to donate to Srila Prabhupada the property in Bhubaneswar on which now stands ISKCON’s Sri Sri Krishna Balaram Temple.
Bauri Giri left this world on Friday, January 24, 1969. Bauri Giri left behind him three sons, Gopinath Giri, Jagannath Giri, and Dinabandhu Giri, and two daughters, Pata Devi and Hade Devi. The eldest son Gopinath Giri was entrusted with Gopal's service. Both Gopinath and Jagannath Giri were expert in kirtan and were always singing bhajans for Gopal. Before leaving, Gopinath Giri entrusted the service of Gopal to his eldest son Ghanashyam Giri.
Gopaljiu Publications (Oriya Division)
In order to highlight and popularize the Oriya spiritual books written by Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja, the publication board (O.D) was established in the name of Gopaljiu, the beloved deity of our revered Gurudev.
The following twenty-two spiritual books in Oriya have been published under the guidance of our beloved Gururdev, Srimad Gour Govinda swami.
- Sadhusanga 12. Sudhanam Bhajan
- Nityadharma Sanchard 13. Premabhakti Sudhan Pathe
- Amruta Prabah 14. Sri Ekadasi Brata Katha
- Kali Panchak 15. Gour Virah Lila
- Sri Jagannath Lila Rahasya 16. Mahajan yen Gatasha Pantha
- Sri Nityananda Charitamruta 17. Harinam Chintamani
- Sri Bhagabat Kathamruta 18. Sankhipta Pouranik Charitabali
- Sri Udhabgita 19. Parthana
- Sri Gurutatwa 20. Bhakti Maipurnya
- Sri Guru Vandana 21. Gruhasta Dharma
- Bhakti Ratnamalla 22. Bhakta Prahallad
To encourage the devotees and readers, a10% discount is available on the sale of books.
For further inquiries, please contact,
Sripad Chaitanya Gunamani Das, Production Manager
Gopaljiu Publications Board(O.D)
Sri Krishna Balaram Temple, ISKCON, IRC Village, Bhubaneswar-751015, Orissa.
Landline No. (0674) 2554480
