Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, born Vishvambhara Mishra, was an Indian Hindu saint from Bengal and the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna with bhajan-kirtan and dance had a profound effect on Vaishnavism in Bengal.
Nityananda Avadhuta, , also called Nityananda Prabhu and Nitai, was a primary religious figure within the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Bengal. Nityananda was Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's friend and disciple. Chaitanya and Nityananda are often mentioned together as Gaura-Nitai or Nimai-Nitai.
Gaudiya Vaishnavism, also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnava Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region of Bengal, with Vaishnavism meaning "the worship of Vishnu". Specifically, it is part of Krishnaism—Krishna-centric Vaishnavite traditions.
Mayapur is a neighbourhood of Bamanpukur, in the Nabadwip CD block in the Krishnanagar Sadar subdivision of the Nadia district, West Bengal, India. It's situated at the confluence of the Jalangi River and the Bhagirathi, a tributary of the Ganges. The area is considered spiritually significant by followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.
The Chaitanya Charitamrita, composed by Krishnadasa Kaviraja in c. 1557, is written in Bengali with a great number of Sanskrit verses in its devotional, poetic construction, including Shikshashtakam. It is one of the primary biographies detailing the life and teachings of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. The stories of Chaitanya's life are mixed with philosophical conversations detailing the process of Bhakti yoga, with special attention given to congregational chanting of the names of Krishna.
Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata is a hagiography of Caitanya Mahāprabhu written by Vrindavana Dasa Thakura. It was the first full-length work regarding Chaitanya Mahaprabhu written in Bengali language and documents his early life and role as the founder of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. The text details Chaitanya's theological position as a combined Avatar of both Radha and Krishna within the belief of his close associates and followers. The writing of Chaitanya Bhagavata was commissioned by Nityananda, who was the guru of Vrindavana Dasa Thakura and close friend of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Advaita Acharya was a companion of the founder of the Gaudiya Vaishnava movement, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and guru of Haridasa Thakur. He was born in the village of Nabagram in Laud, in 1434, some fifty years before Chaitanya, and spent most of his adult life in the town of Shantipur in Nadia with his wife and family. Advaita Acharya had six sons, Acyutananda Das, Krisna Mishra, Gopala Das, Balarama Das Mishra, Swarupa Das and Jagadisa Mishra.
Chhabi Biswas was an Indian actor, primarily known for his performances in Tapan Sinha's Kabuliwala and Satyajit Ray's films Jalsaghar, Devi and Kanchenjungha (1962).
Gufi Paintal, also known as Sarabjeet Singh Paintal, was an Indian actor and casting director.
Debaki Bose (1898–1971), also known as Debaki Kumar Bose, was an Indian director, writer, and actor who is recognized for his contribution in Hindi as well as Bengali cinema. He was born on 25 November 1898 in Akalposh,, Burdwan, Bengal Presidency, British India. He died on 17 November 1971 in Calcutta, West Bengal, India. He is known for his innovative use of sound and music in Indian Cinema. He worked first under the banner of British Dominion Films of Dhiren Ganguly and later with Pramathesh Barua's Barua Pictures and finally he joined New Theatres banner in 1932. He started his own production company, Debaki Productions, in 1945.
Haridasa Thakur was a Vaishnava saint known for playing a part in the initial propagation of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. He is considered to be a known convert of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, along with Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami. His story of integrity and faith in the face of adversity is told in the Chaitanya Charitamrita. It is believed that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu himself designated Haridasa as nāmācarya, meaning the 'teacher of the Name'. Haridasa Thakura was a devotee of the deity Krishna, and is regarded to have practised the chant of his veneration, the Hare Krishna mantra, 300,000 times daily.
Sadhu Babar Lathi is a 2008 Bengali drama film directed by Sanghita Banerjee based on Sirshendu Mukherjee novel in the same name.
Sananda TV was a 24-hour Bengali General Entertainment Channel owned by ABP Group. It was launched on 25 July 2011. However, it was shut down on 7 November 2012.
Byomkesh Bakshi is an Indian Bengali-language crime drama film about the exploits of the fictional detective Byomkesh Bakshi. It is directed by Anjan Dutt and produced by Kaustuv Ray. The film was released on 13 August 2010 and spawned five sequels till date, including Abar Byomkesh (2012), Byomkesh Phire Elo (2014), Byomkesh Bakshi (2015), Byomkesh O Chiriyakhana (2016) and Byomkesh O Agnibaan (2017).
Gurudas Banerjee, also known as Gurudas Bandyopadhyay, is an Indian stage and film actor who was active from the 1940s through the 1980s. As an actor, he commonly played holy men, especially the 19th century Bengali mystic Sri Ramakrishna, a role he was said to "almost monopolize." He acted in more than 80 films, mostly in Bengali. With his wife, actress Molina Devi, he also directed a Calcutta-based theatre troupe, M. G. Enterprises.
Nilachaley Mahaprabhu was a 1957 Indian Bengali biographical film directed by Kartik Chattopadhyay, based on the life of 15th-century mystic Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who started his spiritual journey and Hindu reform movement, part of the Bhakti movement during his years at Nilachal, the shrine of Jagannath at Puri. It stars Asim Kumar in the title role with Dipti Roy, Sumitra Devi, Ahindra Choudhury, Bhanu Bandyopadhyay, Nripati Chattopadhyay and Chhabi Biswas in supporting roles.
Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is a 1953 Hindi devotional biopic film produced and directed by Vijay Bhatt. The film's music was composed by R. C. Boral, with lyrics by Bharat Vyas. The director of photography was V. N. Reddy. Bharat Bhushan won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Asha Parekh, having started her career as a child artist in 1952, and who went on to become a famous actress, was cast in a small role in this film. The starcast included Bharat Bhushan, Durga Khote, Ameeta, Asha Parekh, Ram Mohan, Madan Puri, Kanhaiyalal and B.M. Vyas.
Nimantran is a 1971 Bengali film directed by Tarun Majumdar, based on a story by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, and starring Sandhya Roy and Anup Kumar in the lead roles. At the 19th National Film Awards, it won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali.
Sayak Chakraborty is a Bengali actor and YouTuber who works in Bengali cinema. He is known for his portrayal as Krishna in the TV serial Mahaprabhu Sri Chaitanya, a mythological show, and Karunamoyee Rani Rashmoni a historical drama show which airs on Zee Bangla. He has also appeared in Belashuru, a family drama film directed by Nandita Roy, presently working in TV serial Mangalmayee Maa Sitalafor Sun Bangla.
