Kshira-chora Gopinatha (REMUNA)
Famous temple of Kshira-chora Gopinatha, the Krishna Deity who stole condensed milk (Kshira) for His dear-most devotee, Sr Madhavendra Puri, lies in a small pastoral village named Remuna in the Balasore (Baleshwar) district of Orissa. Balasore is halfway between Puri and Kolkata, is the nearest railway junction to Remuna. Remuna is called Gupta Vrindavana because Gopinatha had many pastimes here in the mood of Vrindavana with His intimate vraja-madhurya premi bhaktas.
Between 5am-7am visitors can have full darshana of the Deity while the pujari baths and dresses Gopinatha. One can clearly see cows, cowherd boys and asta-sakhis carved in black stone bas-relief Deity of Kshira-Chora Gopinatha. On Gopinatha’s right & left are black stone Deities of Govinda and Madana-Mohana brought. There are also Deities of Radha-Rasabihari, Lord Jagannatha and Mahaprabhu. All Vaishnavas are welcome here for Gopinatha’s special darshana, and the indescribably mouth-watering milk sweet known as amrta-keli, prepared from condensed milk, cream, sugar and a smidgen of raisins.
History of Gopinatha
It was Treta Yug. Lord Rama was in exile and went to Chitrakut along with Sita and Lakshmana. Enthralled by the natural beauty of the place, He decided to stay there for some time. One day, it rained heavily and soon it was green all around. The cows in the hermitages were grazing. On seeing the cows, Lord Rama smiled.
Sita was eager to know why. Rama explained that the scene indicated his next avatar as Krishna, the cowherd, in Dwapara Yug. Sita wished to see Him in that form. Ramachandra went into the forest and took a piece of stone and inscribed on it the Tribhangi posture of Sri Krishna with the `Murali’ in his hands by arrow. He also sculpted the figures of eight sakhis(gopis) at his service. In the left side there is Lalita , Vishakha, Chitra and Indulekha and in the right side Champaklata, Sudevi, Tungvidya and Rangadevi. Further, near His feet the portrayals of his four dear companions namely Sanandan, Subala, Vidagdha and Madhumangala, with cows (गौचारण लीला), destruction of Chanur and Mustika were added. (To have this beautiful darshan please attend mangala aarti at 5.00 am otherwise the vigraha is covered with dhoti and you can only see His face and hands.)
An elated Sita touched the figures and asked Rama how he drew it. Rama touched the stone with the sharp end of his arrow and the image started bleeding profusely. The vigraha had sprung to life by the divine touch. Sita worshipped this vigraha. After that it was worshiped by Lord Brahma.
While returning to Ayodhya, after destroying Ravana and his clan, Rama spent a night in a beautiful place now known as Remuna(This is local belief. Even in Valmiki Ramayan it is stated that while returning from Lanka to Ayodhya through Pushpak plane Lord Ram showed many places to Sita). Sita wanted to have a bath. Rama created a river by discharging seven arrows. Hence the name of the river, Saptasara. Rama returned to Ayodhya.
The vigraha engraved at Chitrakut was being worshiped by Brahma in Treta Yug, Dwapara Yug and for many years in Kali Yug. During Kali Yug, King Langula Narasimha Dev of Orissa, a staunch Vaishnavite renowned for his charity, set out on a pilgrimage. He arrived at Chitrakut. One day, the royal couple while travelling spotted the vigraha worshipped by Brahma and decided to bring it to Srikshetra. At night the idol appeared in his dream and told that His name was Madanagopal and commanded the king to carry it with him.
Next day, they rechristened the idol as Jay Gopal and carried it with them. On the way, they took rest at Remuna. The Lord expressed his wish to stay at Remuna since there were a lot of milch cows there. The king devotedly carried out the orders by a royal proclamation. Since Jay Gopal was encircled by eight sakhis and companions the queen named him `Sri Gopinath.’ After excavating some tanks at Remuna, the king returned to Puri.
How Gopinatha Got the Name Kshira-Chora
THE NAME “Kshira-Chora” means “one who stole condensed milk.” When Lord Chaitanya visited the Gopinatha temple in Remuna, He told the devotees traveling with Him how the Deity had come to receive that name. Lord Chaitanya had heard the story from His spiritual master, Isvara Puri, a disciple of Madhavendra Puri. As related in Chaitanya-caritamrta, it is Madhavendra Puri for whom the condensed milk was stolen.
Madhavendra Puri was a highly advanced devotee of Lord Krishna. While living in Vrindavana absorbed in remembering the pastimes of the Lord, he saw Krishna appear in a dream and tell him He had been buried for a long time in a jungle nearby. Krishna wanted Madhavendra Puri to dig Him up. Following the Lord’s instruction, with the help of the local people Madhavendra Puri discovered a Deity of Krishna named Gopala.
Madhavendra Puri built a temple for Gopala and served Him for two years. Then again one night Gopala appeared to him in a dream and asked him to go to Orissa to get sandalwood to smear on His body.
On the way to Orissa, Madhavendra Puri stopped at the Gopinatha temple in Remuna. He asked the priest what kind of food was offered to Gopinatha, thinking he could offer the same preparations to his own Deity, Gopala. The priest mentioned the condensed milk (Kshira) known as amrta-keli, which was famous because its taste was nectarean.
That evening, while the priest made an offering to the Lord, Madhavendra Puri thought that if the priest were to offer him some of the condensed milk he could taste it and then be able to prepare it for Gopala. He then at once became ashamed for thinking of tasting the Lord’s food during the offering. Feeling he had committed a great offense, he left the temple and went to a vacant marketplace to chant the names of the Lord.
Later that night, the Gopinatha Deity appeared in a dream to the priest and told him He had hidden a pot of condensed milk behind His cloth. Gopinatha told the priest to deliver the condensed milk to a saintly person named Madhavendra Puri. The priest did as told.
Madhavendra Puri felt ecstasy to learn that the Lord had stolen condensed milk for him. After drinking the milk, Madhavendra Puri kept the pot, and every day he would eat a little piece of it.
