Ärî Dhanañjaya Paòàita

"Dhanañjaya Pandit was a very rare soul. Nityananda Prabhu was always present in his heart." (C.B. Antya 5.733)

His Ärîpat is at Sitalgram, Mangal Kota Khana, Barddhaman district. There is a railway station at Kaicor on the metre gauge line from Katwa to Barddhaman. If one gets down at Kaicor, then it is about a twenty minute walk to the village of Sitalgram.

Dhanañjaya Paòàita also stayed at Sancra Pancra for some time. According to the opinion of some he was born in the village of Jargram, within the district of Cattagram. He was present during Mahâprabhu's sankirtana pastimes in Navadvipa. After returning from Vrindavana, he also worshiped the Deities at Jalandigram. At present the Deities of Ärî Gopinatha, Ärî Ärî Nitai-Gaura and Ärî Damodara Salagram-sila are being worshipped there. He had no descendants, but he had a brother by the name Ärî Sanjaya, whose son was Ärî Rama Kanai Ùhâkura. His Ärîpat is located at Mulukgrama (near Bolpur). Sanjaya was perhaps the disciple of Dhanañjaya Paòàita. The present sevakas at Sitalgram are the descendants of Dhanañjaya Pandit's disciple.

His disappearance is on the eighth day of the bright fortnight, in the month of Kartik.

He was previously Vasudama Sakha of Vrajalila, one of the twelve Gopalas (Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika 127).

On the left side of the entrance of his Ärîpata at Sitala in Burdwan there is a raised altar with a Tulasi plant which is called Dhanañjaya Panditera Samadhi. The deities of Gaura Nitai, Gopinatha, and Damodara are worshipped there.

Some say he came from Jadagram in Chittagong and his parents were Ärîpati Vandyopadhyaya and Kalindi devi. However, according to Ärî Gaurangamadhuri (a Bengali periodical), Dhanañjaya was born of Adideva Vacaspati and Dayamayi devi in Siyanmuluka village in the Birbhum district. As a child, Dhanañjaya offered his humble obeisances to Tulasi, lying prostrate, three times daily.

Shortly after his marriage to Haripriya he renounced his family and left on a pilgrimage. His affluent father gave him a large sum of money to cover his travel expenses, however, as soon as he saw Lord Caitanya he turned over all the money and took up the begging bowl instead. (Vaisnavavandana)

After having darsana of Lord Caitanya at Navadvipa, Dhanañjaya went back to Sitala where he transformed a number of dacoits and heretics into devotees. Later, while on his way to Vèndâvana, he stayed at Sancra Pancra village (also known as `Dhananjayera Pata') for a few days. After his return from Vèndâvana he installed deities at Jalandi village and then went to Sitala village where his Samadhi exists. His younger brother Sanjaya Paòàita settled at Jalandi and his descendants are still there serving the Radha Govinda deity.