Ärî Kamalâkara Pippalâi

"Kamalâkara Pippalâi is said to have been the third Gopâla. His behavior and love of Godhead were uncommon, and thus he is celebrated all over the world." (C.c. Adi 11/24)

He is referred to as Kamalâkara Pippalâi in Ärî Caitanya-bhagavata. In Kèëòa-lila, his name is Mahabala.

In the Ärîpat Parjatan and Vaisnava-acara-darpane it is said that he was present during the Danda Mahotsava at Panihati (Sakabda 1439), and also at the festival at Kheturi (Sakabda 1504). He was also present at the festival honoring the disappearance of Dâsa Gadâdhara at Katwa.

In Jayananda's 'Caitanya Mangal' it is stated that Kamalâkara Pippalâi's nature was very intense. Nityânanda gave him the village of Panihati. (Bijoy Khanda)

"Pandit Kamalakanta was extremely intense. Nityânanda gave him the village of Saptagram." (C.B. Antya 5.729)

Kamalâkara Pippalâi married later on in life. He had one daughter by the name Vidyonmala-devi. It is mentioned in Nityânanda-vamsa-vistara that this daughter was later married to Sudhamaya Cattopadhyaya of Mahesa. (They had a daughter at Puri, Narayani devi, who was later married to Virabhadra Gosai. According to Vaisnava-acara-darpana, however, the son-in-law of Kamalakar is Yadunandana. (V.a.d. page 10)

According to the descendents of Kamalâkara Pippalâi at Mahesa, his daughter's name was Râdhârâòî, and Kamalakar's younger brother's daughter was named Rama-devi.

According to Ärî Prasada dâsa Adhikari, the fourteenth descendent from Kamalâkara Pippalâi, who bases his information on the tradition handed down from generation to generation and records within the temple of Jagannath at Mahesa, Kamalâkara Pippalâi's birthplace was Khalijuli, a village near the Sundarvana jungles. He appeared in a family of Suddha-srotriya-radhi-sreni brahmansa, Batsya gotra, in the year 1414 Sakabda (Bengali year 899). His father was a wealthy zamindar. His younger brother's name was Nidhi pati.

The Deity of Jagannâtha was established by Dhruvananda Brahmacari and the worship was later entrusted to Kamalkara. Kamalkara was ordered in a dream to come there to worship Lord Jagannâtha. After he came here his brother set out in search of him and finally found him at Mahesh. He tried to persuade the Lord to return with him to his home, but being unsuccessful, he instead brought all his own family members to Mahesa, including the family priest Candibara Ùhâkura. Mahesa was then a jungle, but due to the presence of Kamalakara it became a beautiful village.

Kamalakara also had a son whose name was Caturbhuja. Râdhârâòî was married to Kamadeva Paòàita of Khardaha, according to the Adhikar family. According to the Vaisnava-acara-darpana, after giving his daughter in marriage, he went to Vèndâvana and left his body there.

According to the Adhikari family he passed away in 1485 (Sakabda, Bengali year 970) at the age of 71, but where and how is not known. There is no samadhi at Mahesh. The opinions of the Adhikari family do not tally with all the scrolls (?) describing the period. There is no record in the family of his association with Nityânanda Prabhu.

The fourth descendant in the line was Rajiva Locana. During his time, the financial condition of the temple was at a low state. Therefore the worship of the Deity was not going on very nicely. However, in the Bengali year 1060, the Nawab of Dhaka donated 1185 bighas of land. At that time the village became known as Jagannâthapur. It was situated three miles south-west of Mahesh. Then the finance minister of the Nawab, Gaurî Caran Raya Chaudhuri of Panihati, made some changes after there was a dispute regarding payment of taxes. He arranged that Cuna-khali Pargana would pay the taxes for Jagannâthapur and that property was endowed for the support of the Deity.

The present temple was constructed by Nayan Cand Mallick in 1162. That family was from Calcutta at Pathuriya Ghata. The previous temple was on the banks of the Gaôgâ but was destroyed due to the shifting of the river.

The present ratha (chariot) of Lord Jagannâtha, constructed of iron, was constructed under the patronage of Kèëòa Candra Babu Mahasaya in the year 1292. This required an expenditure of twenty thousand coins. An earlier ratha had been reduced to ashes by a fire. The first ratha was built by Kèëòa Ram Basu Dewan, from Syambazaar in Calcutta. When that became old, his son, Guru Caran Basu Dewan, made a new one. In the year 1260 that one also burned. Then his son, Kalacand Basu Ray Bahadur, again built another one.

Lord Jagannâtha's Gunja bati was built by Rangamayi Dasi Mallick in 1264. The present descendents of Kamalakara have the title Adhikara.

His dissappearance occured on the thirteenth day of the bright fortnight in the month of Caitra, in Vraja-dham.