Dauji Temple


Vraj Mandal Parikarma – by Rajshekhar Das Brahmacari
Here one can see the largest and most famous deity of Lord Balarama in the whole of
Vraja, who is known affectionately as Dauji, which means Krishna’s elder brother. The deity is
almost seven feet tall and was installed by Vajranabha Maharaja. It is said that once Balarama(Dauji), while herding cows at this place and showed His original form as the Supreme Personality
of Godhead to the cowherd boys, therefore Vajranabha established the deity of Dauji here as the
presiding deity of the eastern petal of the lotus of Vraja. Sometimes Dauji is mentioned as being
the presiding deity of the southern petal, but this post is also credited to Lord Varaha, who
resides at the southern-most tip of Vraja at Saukari-Vateshwara (Batasar). This temple of Dauji
marks the most southerly point on the Vraja Mandala Parikrama route. The Puranas say that
Baldev is also one of the famous upavanas or sub-forests of Vraja.
In the course of time, the deity of Dauji was lost and probably hidden during the period
of the Greco-Bactrian, Saka, and Kushan invasions of India that began around 150 BC. It is most
likely that all the prominent deities of Vrindavana Dharna were hidden in kundas or buried
underground during this period including; Govindaji, Gopinathaji, Madana-mohana. The city of
Mathura fell under the control of the invading armies and by the the turn of the l ST Century
became their southern capital of the Kushan Empire. The Kushans, who were Turko-Iranians,
are originally believed to have been Zoroastrians, but soon converted to Buddhism and under the
leadership of Kushan kings like Kanishka, Vasishka, Huvishka, and Rajulu, Buddhism became
the most prominent religion in Northern India for the next seven hundred years. During their
rule, Mathura was converted into one of the most important places of Buddhist culture and
learning in the whole of India.
The deity of Dauji had not yet been rediscovered during the time of Lord Chaitanya or
the Six Goswamis, but was discovered around one hundred and fifty years later, lying at the
bottom of an ancient kunda in the town of Baldev (Baldeo). During the re-installation ceremony
of the deity, it is said that the local residents poured milk from a hundred thousand cows into
the kunda where Dauji was found, as an offering to the deity. The kunda then became celebrated
as Ksirasagara-kunda, which means the kunda containing the ‘ocean of milk’. This same kunda
is also called Sankarshana-kunda, which is another name of Lord Balarama. In the temple, the
deity of Dauji or Lord Balarama can be seen holding a cup of varuni-rasa in His left hand. Hidden
to the side of Lord Balarama is the Lord’a eternal consort Revati Devi, who is visible from just
one side of the alter doorway, probably because her deity was installed at a later date sometime
after the temple was built.
This temple is dedicated to Lord Balarama or Dauji, Krishna’s elder brother, who is said
to have performed pastimes and played childhood games with His cowherd boyfriends at this
place. It said that this very large deity of Lord Dauji was originally installed here by King
Vajranabha but in the course of time was lost. The deity was rediscovered buried in the ground
by Shrila Narayana Bhatta and· with the financial help of Raja Todarmal, Emperor Akbar’s
Finance Minister, a temple was built and the ancient deity of Dauji was re-installed at this place.
Narayana Bhatta spent the rest of his life engaged in the ‘seva-puja’ of Lord Dauji, for whom
Narayana Bhatta had a special attraction.
Shri Vraj Mandal Parikarma
A large deity of Däüjé resides nearby, to the east of Triveëé-küpa, in the middle of dense thorny héìsa bushes. This temple was built by Räjä Öoòaramala on the order of Çré Näräyaëa Bhaööa. Çré Näräyaëa Bhaööa was a Gauòéya Vaiñëava äcärya. He took birth in the state of Madhuräpattana in South India. His father, Çré Bhaööajé of the Bhaööabhäskara Tailaìga brähmaëa-paramparä of that place, was famous for his erudition. Çré Näräyaëa Bhaööa became detached from the material world at the age of fourteen and came to Vraja around 1546 AD. He was especially dedicated to Çrématé Rädhikä. It is well known that the present deity in the Çréjé Temple in Varsänä manifested as a result of the special prayers of Çré Näräyaëa Bhaööa. These deities manifested on the second day of the bright moon in the month of Äñäòha (July) in 1570 AD. Çré Näräyaëa Bhaööa had undivided faith in Vraja. In his famous work, Vraja-bhakti-viläsa, he describes all the pastime places of Kåñëa in Vraja in great detail. Çré Näräyaëa Bhaööa inaugurated the enactment of räsa-lélä, which is still being carried out today. The priests and brähmaëas of the Çréjé Temple, Varsänä, take initiation from the descendants of Näräyaëa Bhaööa Gosvämé. Bhaööajé’s main engagement was serving in the Däüjé Temple in Üïcägaon.

The temple of Çré Baladeva
Çré Balabhadra, His younger brother Kanhaiyä and the sakhäs
used to come to Bhäëòéravana to pasture the cows. Çré Balabhadra
presides over the forests on the east side of the Yamunä, like
Bhadravana, Bhäëòéravana, Baelvana, Gokula-Mahävana and
Lohavana. Therefore, all these places have temples of Çré Baladeva.
It is recommended that one visit the temple of Baladeva in
Bhäëòéravana.

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English lectures

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Hindi Lectures

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Marathi Lectures

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