Smrti-mandira BBSR

Śrīla Gurudeva’s Siddha-deha
to be Taken to Safety at Smrti-mandira

The disciples and followers of Śrīla Gour Govinda Swami Mahārāja have decided to transfer his siddha-deha (transcendental body) to the Smṛti-mandira, which is located on the left-hand side of the stairs to the main entrance of the beautiful ISKCON Krishna-Balaram Temple in Bhubaneswar. The devotees in Bhubaneswar have started preparing the new samadhi site in the Smṛti-mandira.

Preparing the new samadhi site in the Smrti-mandira

Sātvata-pati prabhu from Bhubaneswar related that there has been a meeting @ 7 pm last evening where it was discussed how to perform the ceremony of moving the samadhi. There will be 24 hours kirtan and fire yajña prior to commencing digging. The samadhi will be covered during transfer to the Smṛti-mandira, so that no one will see anything. After the installation of the samadhi inside the Smṛti-mandira there will be another fire yajña and a mahā-abhiṣeka of Śrīla Gurudeva’s large murti, followed by a bhoga offering and mahā-ārati. All devotees will be allowed to perform abhiṣeka and are requested to fast until the end. Prasāda will be distributed to all devotees after the ceremony.

Devotees performing Guru-puja at the current demolished samadhi.

Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita prabhu and Puṇḍarīka Govinda prabhu are organising machinery to come from the Paradip Port, which is approx. 150 kilometres from Bhubaneswar. Those who will do the digging have agreed not to work on Saturday; therefore they may start working on Sunday morning.

Current demolished samadhi

We are requesting all devotees to pray at the lotus feet of our most beloved Śrīla Gurudeva that the transfer of the samadhi will proceed without any further obstacles and that it hopefully will not rain.

A Brief History on Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Last Founded Project

After Śrīla AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda had been donated land in Bhubaneswar, he sent his dear disciple Śrīla Gour Govinda Swami Mahārāja there, with the order to build a Temple. Śrīla Prabhupāda had developed some sulkiness towards going to Orissa because his Western disciples were refused entrance to the famous Lord Jagannātha Temple in Jagannātha Purī. Therefore Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted to build a temple in Bhubaneswar where all his disciples could come and have darśana of Lord Jagannātha. He said to Śrīla Gour Govinda Swami, “…Gour Govind you will take me to Orissa…”

Krishna-Balaram Temple in Bhubaneswar with the Smrti-mandira to the left

Śrīla Gour Govinda Swami first went there in early 1975 with an American brahmacari, however they had to leave due to the insistence of this American brahmacari. Then after taking sannyasa in 1975 he went back alone and began the project and moved onto the land, into the hut he had built with his own hands, on Rāma-navami 1976.

Śrīla Prabhupāda’s bhajan-kutir (right) and Śrīla Gour Govinda Swami’s Samadhi (left)

Śrīla Prabhupāda came early 1977, stayed 17 days in that hut and blessed the land and then prior to departing he said, “…I leave all my mercy here…” then promptly pushed his cane three times into the sand, of the ISKCON land in Bhubaneswar. This was to be Śrīla Prabhupāda’s 108th and last founded project. The bhajan-kutir of Śrīla Prabhupāda where he stayed and the samadhi of Śrīla Gour Govinda Swami are spiritual heritage sites. To demolish these is a grievous crime materially and spiritually for our International Society of Krishna Consciousness, and we are greatly hard done by this shocking event.

If you would like to donate to this project please follow the link below.

Or your contribution is welcome via:

Name: ISKCON Bhubaneswar
Bank: HDFC BANK LTD, Branch IRC village Bhubaneswar
Accountnumber: 27811450000029
ISFC Code: HDFC 0002781

This is the bank account of ISKCON Bhubaneswar and HH Haladhara swami is the caretaker of this bank account. 

For PayPal (please use the following email address of the Tattva Vicara Publications books): tvpbooks@gmail.com and mention “Samadhi”.

Thanking you in advance for your kind help and support!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Hare Krishna,
His Holiness Haladhara Swami Maharaj
(disciple of Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaj)