SRI KAMALAKAR PIPPALAI

"Kamalakara Pippalai is said to have been the third Gopala. 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 Kamalakanta Pippalai in Sri Caitanya-bhagavata. In
Krsna-lila, his name is Mahabala.

In the Sripat 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 Dasa Gadadhara at Katwa.

In Jayananda's 'Caitanya Mangal' it is stated that Kamalakar Pippalai's nature
was very intense. Nityananda gave him the village of Panihati. [Bijoy Khanda]

"Pandit Kamalakanta was extremely intense. Nityananda gave him the village of
Saptagram." [C.B. Antya 5.729]

Kamalakar Pippalai married later on in life. He had one daughter by the name
Vidyonmala-devi. It is mentioned in Nityananda-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 Kamalakara Pippalai at Mahesa, his daughter's
name was Radharani, and Kamalakar's younger brother's daughter was named
Rama-devi.

According to Sri Prasada dasa Adhikari, the fourteenth descendent from
Kamalakara Pippalai, who bases his information on the tradition handed down
from generation to generation and records within the temple of Jagannath at
Mahesa, Kamalakara Pippalai'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 Jagannatha 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 Jagannatha. 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
Thakura. 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. Radharani was married to
Kamadeva Pandita of Khardaha, according to the Adhikar family. According to the
Vaisnava-acara-darpana, after giving his daughter in marriage, he went to
Vrndavana 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 Nityananda 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 Jagannathapur. It was situated three miles south-west of Mahesh. Then
the finance minister of the Nawab, Gauri 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 Jagannathapur 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 Ganga but was destroyed due to the shifting of the river.

The present ratha (chariot) of Lord Jagannatha, constructed of iron, was
constructed under the patronage of Krsna 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 Krsna 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 Jagannatha'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.