| Sakhigopal Temple | |
|---|---|
 Shree Gopalaji Temple | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| Deity | Gopinatha |
| Location | |
| Location | Town of Sakhigopal on the Puri Bhubaneshwar highway |
| State | Odisha |
| Country | India |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Kalinga Architecture style |
Sakhigopal Temple formally known as Satyabadi Gopinatha Temple is a medieval temple dedicated to Lord Gopinatha located in Sakhigopal on the Puri Bhubaneshwar highway in Odisha. The temple is built in the Kalinga Architecture style.
It is said that a poor young man of the village, later named Sakshigopala, fell in love with the daughter of the village headman. However, being of a higher economic status, the headman opposed marriage between this young man and his daughter. The villagers, including the headman and the young man, went on a pilgrimage to Vrindavan. The village headman fell ill and was abandoned by fellow villagers. The young man tended to him so well that he soon got well, and, in gratitude, promised his daughter in marriage to the young man. As soon as they returned to the village, the headman went back on his promise, asking the young man to produce a witness in support of his claim.
Lord Gopala, impressed by the young man's devotion, agreed to come and bear witness to the promise on one condition: that the young man lead the way, and he would follow. But the young man must never look back. He led the way to the village, passing a mound of sand. As they passed, the man could not hear the Lord's footsteps and turned back. Immediately the Lord turned into a statue of stone rooted to the spot. The villagers were still so impressed that God himself came to back the young man's claim that the youngsters were married off; they were later appointed as the first priest of the temple built in Lord Gopala's honor who came to bear witness (known in Sanskrit as Sakshi).
King Vajranabh (the great grandson of Lord Krishna) had 16 deities of Krishna and other gods carved from a rare, imperishable stone called Braja and built temples to house these deities in and around Mathura so as to feel the presence of Lord Krishna. The four presiding deities of Braja Mandala are Sri Harideva of Govardhan, Sri Keshava Deva of Mathura, Sri Baladeva of Baladeo, and Govindaji of Vrindavan. There are two Naths—Sri Nathji, who was originally at Govardhan and is now in Nathdwara, Rajasthan, and Sri Gopinath, who is now in Jaipur. The two Gopals are Sri Madana Mohana, who is now housed at Karoli Rajasthan, and Sakshi Gopala, who is now moved to the town of Sakhi Gopal, Odisha, near Puri.
The temple is famous for celebrating the annual Anla Navami Festival (Anla = gooseberry; Navami = ninth day in a lunar cycle). The festival is associated with the practice of touching Radha's feet (Radha was the legendary lover of Lord Krishna). Legend has it that the temple was originally built without a statue of Radha. But when a girl named Lakhmi claimed to be the incarnation of Radha, and it is believed that Lord Krishna (here as Gopala) should not be without his true love Radha, a statue from northern India was installed here. The statue had originally Ghagra and Choli adorned but when it was clad on a traditional saree of Odisha, the feet of the statue were visible and the priests took it as a holy sign. From that day Anla Navami is celebrated and Hindu pilgrims are allowed inside the temple to touch the goddess' feet. Hundreds of thousands of devotees throng the temple on this holy occasion [1] [2]
The food offerings at Sakshigopala temple are made of wheat instead of rice. This is one of the exceptional offerings among the worshiping processes of Vishnu temples all over the world, which is called prasada.
Vrindavan, also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance for Hindus who believe that Krishna, one of the main deities in Hinduism, spent most of his childhood in this city. Vrindavan has about 5,500 temples dedicated to the worship of Krishna and his chief consort Radha.
Govardhan also called Giriraj, is a key pilgrimage centre in India and a municipal town; a nagar panchayat; seat of an MLA of Uttar Pradesh; a Tehsil, in Mathura district in India in the state of Uttar Pradesh. About 23 kilometres from Mathura, the town is on the road link between Mathura and Deeg.
Mathura district situated along the banks of the river Yamuna is a district of Uttar Pradesh state of north-central India. The historic city of Mathura is the district headquarters. Mathura district is home to many important sites associated with goddess Radha and Lord Krishna, who was born in Mathura and grew up in the nearby town of Vrindavan. Both cities are some of the most sacred sites in the Vaishnava tradition, making Mathura district an important Hindu pilgrimage centre.
Sanatana Goswami was a principal follower of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Sanatana wrote a number of works in the bhakti tradition of Gaudiya Vaishnavism and was the senior most of the influential Six Goswamis of Vrindavan, among whom was his brother Rupa Goswami.
Govardhana Hill, also called Mount Govardhana and Giriraj, is a sacred Hindu site in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India on an 8 km long hill located in the area of Govardhan and Radha Kund, which is about 21 kilometres (13 mi) from Vrindavan. It is the sacred centre of Braj and is identified as a natural form of Krishna, the Govardhana Shila.
Radha Kund is a town and nagar panchayat in Vrindavan in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is also one of the pilgrimage sites dedicated to Hindu goddess Radha.
Radha-Krishna is the combined form of the Hindu god Krishna with his chief consort and shakti Radha. They are regarded as the feminine as well as the masculine realities of God, in several Krishnaite traditions of Vaishnavism.
Gopala Bhatta Goswami (1503–1578) is one of the foremost disciples of the Vaishnava saint, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and a historical figure in the Gaudiya Vaishnava school of Hinduism. He was part of a group of Vaishnava devotees known collectively as the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan, who were influential in establishing the philosophical basis of the Gaudiya tradition in formalised writings.
Gadadhara Pandita, also known as Pandita Goswami, was a close childhood friend of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Gadadhara Pandita Goswami is described as a handsome young boy, student of Nyaya and ranked highest among the inner circle of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's followers.
Gopinath or Gopinatha is a form of the Hindu god Krishna. It is also one of the primary names of Krishna, meaning, "the lord of the cowherdesses".
Vraja Mandal Parikrama, also called VrajaYatra, is a Nimbarka Sampradaya Hindu pilgrimage related to Krishna with the circumambulation At present Vraja Parikrama Pradhan Mahant Sri Sri 108 Swami Rasbiharidas Kathiababaji Maharajji of 84 kos Vraja region (Braja) which takes 1 to 2 months depending on the route and speed of travel on foot. The Nimbarka Sampradaya tradition Vaishnava Nagaji Maharaj only performed 84 crore Vraja Parikrama 530 years ago. Since this is a site associated with the vedic era Lord Krishna and mahabharata, it is an important place of pilgrimage for Hindus. It is one of 3 main pilgrimage sites related to "Krishna" circuit, namely "48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra" in Haryana state, "Braj parikarma" in Mathura in Uttar Pradesh state and "Dwarka parkarma" at Dwarkadhish Temple in Gujarat state
The Govardhana Shila is a rock from the Govardhana Hill in Braj, Uttar Pradesh, India. Govardhan Hill holds a unique position in Hindu scriptures related to Krishna, the land called Braj where He was born. Known as Govardhan or Giriraj and being the sacred centre of Braj, it is identified as a natural form of Krishna. Indian art overwhelmingly prefers the iconic image, but some aniconism does occur in folk worship, early Buddhism, Shiva's Banalinga, and Vishnu's Shaligrama). They have solar significance, and their use in worship predates the Hindu period in India. The stone is usually brown in colour.
Radha Ramana is one of the combined forms of the Hindu deities Radha and Krishna, besides their BankeBihari and Radha-Vallabha forms.
ISKCON Vrindavan, also called Sri Krishna Balaram Mandir, is one of the major ISKCON temples in the world. It is a Gaudiya Vaishnava temple located in the city of Vrindavan, Mathura district, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu gods Krishna and Balarama. The other deities of temple are Radha Krishna and Gauranga Nityananda.
Kshirachora Gopinatha Temple is in Remuna, Odisha, India. The name "Remuna" is from the word "Ramaniya" which means very good-looking. "Kshirachora" in Odia means Stealer of condensed Milk and Gopinatha means the Divine Consort of Gopis. The reference is to child Krishna's love for milk and milk products. It is Classified one among the 108 Abhimana Kshethram of Vaishnavate tradition.
Sri Radha Raman Temple, is a Hindu temple situated in Vrindavan, India. It is dedicated to Krishna who is worshiped as Radha Ramana. This temple is counted as one of the Seven most revered ancient temples of Vrindavan along with Radha Vallabh Temple, Radha Damodar Temple, Radha Madanmohan Temple, Radha Govindji Temple, Radha Shyamsundar Temple and Radha Gokulnandan Temple. The temple houses the original Shaligram deity of Krishna alongside goddess Radha.
Shri Radha Madan Mohan Ji Temple is a Hindu temple situated at Karauli, in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The temple is located on the banks of the Bhadravati River, a tributary of the Banas River in the hills of Aravali. It is located in the braj region. The temple is dedicated to Madan Mohan form of Krishna. In the central altar, Krishna is flanked with the icons of his consort Radha and Lalita on either side.
Gopal or Gouda is an Indian caste, from Odisha State in East India. Their traditional occupations include dairy farming, cattle herding, cultivation and carrying palanquins of deities. They also worked as Paikas (soldiers) under the kings. Gopal is the name of the milkmen or herdsmen caste in Odisha, which is known by other names in various parts of India.
Shri Radha Madan Mohan Temple, is a Hindu temple situated in Vrindavan of Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is one of the oldest and highly revered temple of Vrindavan. The presiding deity of the temple is Madan Mohan, a form of the god Krishna who is present in the central altar of the temple with his consort goddess Radha and Lalita gopi on either sides of him.
The Ashtasakhi are a group of eight prominent gopis and close associates of the Hindu deities Radha-Krishna in the Braj region. In many sub-traditions of Krishnaism, they are revered as goddesses and consorts of Krishna. According to the Padma Purana, the Ashtasakhi are the eternal female companions of Radha-Krishna in the Dvapara Yuga, with whom they descended upon the earth from their celestial abode of Goloka.
19°49′00″N85°50′15″E / 19.816598°N 85.837626°E
