SRI DHANANJAYA PANDITA

"Dhananjaya Pandit was a very rare soul. Nityananda Prabhu was always present
in his heart." [C.B. Antya 5.733]

His Sripat 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.

Dhananjaya Pandita 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 Mahaprabhu's sankirtana pastimes in
Navadvipa. After returning from Vrindavana, he also worshiped the Deities at
Jalandigram. At present the Deities of Sri Gopinatha, Sri Sri Nitai-Gaura and
Sri Damodara Salagram-sila are being worshipped there. He had no descendants,
but he had a brother by the name Sri Sanjaya, whose son was Sri Rama Kanai
Thakura. His Sripat is located at Mulukgrama (near Bolpur). Sanjaya was
perhaps the disciple of Dhananjaya Pandita. The present sevakas at Sitalgram
are the descendants of Dhananjaya 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 Sripata at Sitala in Burdwan there is
a raised altar with a Tulasi plant which is called Dhananjaya 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 Sripati
Vandyopadhyaya and Kalindi devi. However, according to Sri Gaurangamadhuri (a
Bengali periodical), Dhananjaya was born of Adideva Vacaspati and Dayamayi
devi in Siyanmuluka village in the Birbhum district. As a child, Dhananjaya
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, Dhananjaya went back to
Sitala where he transformed a number of dacoits and heretics into devotees.
Later, while on his way to Vrndavana, he stayed at Sancra Pancra village (also
known as `Dhananjayera Pata') for a few days. After his return from Vrndavana
he installed deities at Jalandi village and then went to Sitala village where
his Samadhi exists.  His younger brother Sanjaya Pandita settled at Jalandi
and his descendants are still there serving the Radha Govinda deity.

