Samadhi of Srila Rupa Goswami (Left)

Samadhi of Srila Jiva Goswami (Right)

Samadhi of Srila Bhugarbha Goswami (Left)

Srila Bhugarbha Goswami and his brother's son, Lokanatha Goswami, were among the first pioneers of Gaudiya Vaisnavism who settled in Vrndavana. According to the Caitanya-caritamrta, Bhugarbha was a disciple of Sri Gadadhara Pandita. In Kavi Karnapura’s Gaura-ganodesa-dipika he is identified in Krsna-lila as Prema-manjari. Bhugarbha Goswami passed away on the 14th day of the bright fortnight in the month of Karttika.

Samadhis at Radha Damodar

Samadhi of Srila Krsna Dasa Kaviraja Goswami
Srila Krsna Dasa Kaviraja was born in about 1520 in the town of Jhametpur in the district of Burdwan in Bengal. It is said that he took initiation from Srila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami. In his later years, due to the great faith he showed in Nityananda Prabhu, he was blessed by Him in a dream and instructed to travel to Vrndavana. When he arrived there, the devotees requested him to write about the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Seeking the blessings of Sri Madana-mohan, he asked the Deity to give permission to begin his task. At that moment, the garland from around the Deities neck fell and the devotees took this as a sign of approval from the Lord. The result of the Lord’s benediction was the Sri Caitanya-caritamrta.

He also wrote the Govinda-lilamrta for which he was honored by the Vaisnava community with the title ‘kaviraja’ (king of poets). His spiritual identity is Kasturi-manjari in Krsna’s eternal pastimes.

Samadhis of Maharaja Vira Hamvira and Queen Sulaksana.
Maharaja Vira Hamvira was the King of Vanavisnupura in the district of Bankura and a disciple of Srinivasa Acarya. His wife was Sulaksana and his son was Dhira Hamvira (or Dhadi Hamvira). At first, Vira Hamvira was a tyrant and a dacoit who originally stole the books of Srinivasa when he was taking them to Bengal with Narottama Dasa Thakura and Syamananda Goswami. Later the king converted to Vaisnavism. According to Bhakti-ratnakara, Srila Jiva Gosvami named him Caitanya Dasa. When Maharaja Vira Hamvira installed the Deity of Lord Kalacanda, the installation ceremony was conducted by Srinivasa Acarya.

Puspa-samadhi of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was born in the holy pilgrimage place of Jagannatha Puri to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, a great Vaisnava acarya in the line of succession coming from Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Although employed as a government magistrate, Srila Bhaktivinoda worked tirelessly to establish the teachings of Lord Caitanya in India. He envisioned a worldwide spiritual movement and prayed for a son to help him achieve his dream.

On February 6, 1874, in the sacred pilgrimage town of Jagannath Puri, where Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura served as superintendent of the famous Jagannatha temple, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta appeared in this world. He was given the name Bimala Prasada. At the age of seven, Bimala Prasada had memorized the more than seven hundred Sanskrit verses of the Bhagavad-gita and could speak illuminating commentaries upon them. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, the author of many important books and other writings on Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophy, trained his son in printing and proofreading.

By the time he was twenty-five years old, Bimala Prasada had acquired an impressive reputation as a scholar of Sanskrit, mathematics, and astronomy. His astronomical treatise, Surya-siddhanta, won him the title Siddhanta Sarasvati in recognition of his immense learning. In 1905, following the advice of his father, Siddhanta Sarasvati accepted spiritual initiation from Srila Gaura-kishora dasa Babaji. Although Srila Gaura-kishora dasa Babaji was illiterate, he was renowned throughout the continent as a great saint and Vaisnava acarya. Siddhanta Sarasvati, although a great scholar, exhibited humility and dedication in the presence of Srila Gaura-kishora. Satisfied with such humility and dedication of his highly educated disciple, Srila Gaura-kishora gave Siddhanta Sarasvati his full blessings and requested him to "preach the Absolute Truth and keep aside all other work." Upon the disappearance of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in 1914, Siddhanta Sarasvati became editor of his father's journal, Sajjana-tosani, and founded the Bhagawat Press for the publication of Gaudiya Vaisnava literature. In 1918 Siddhanta Sarasvati accepted the renounced order of spiritual life, assuming the title Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja. For purposes of propagating Gaudiya Vaisnavism throughout India, he organized the Gaudiya Math, with sixty-four branches throughout the country. The headquarters of his mission, the Caitanya Math, is located in Sridhama Mayapura, the birthplace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta adjusted ancient traditions to conform with technological and social conditions of the twentieth century. He considered the printing press a most effective means of spreading this message throughout the world and was himself the author of many important translations, commentaries, and philosophical essays. He was the first spiritual teacher in this line to allow his renounced preachers (sannyasis) to wear Western clothes and travel in modern conveyances rather that on foot. Throughout the 1930s, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta expanded and increased his missionary work and succeeded in reestablishing Gaudiya Vaisnavism as the leading force in Indian spiritual life.

On January 1, 1937, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura passed from this world. His samadhi is in Caitanya Matha in Sridhama Mayapura.

Puspa-samadhi of Srila Bhakti Pramoda Puri Maharaja
Srila Bhakti Pramoda Puri Goswami Maharaja took birth in the village of Ganganandapur in Jessore district, East Bengal in1898. As a child he worshipped the Deity of Krsna and was familiar with such books as Caitanya-caritamrta, Caitanya-bhagavata and the Srimad Bhagavatam.

On the auspicious occasion of Sri Krsna Janmastami in 1923, he accepted both mantra diksa from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and was given the name Sri Pranavananda Brahmacari.

In 1926, he was charged with running the Dainika Nadiya Prakasa. He held this service for two years, publishing all of his guru’s daily discourses.

After the disappearance of Srila Saravati Thakura in 1937, he continued his vocation of spreading the teachings of Sri Chaitanya through the Gaudiya magazine, first out of the Bagh Bazaar Gaudiya Matha and then later the Sri Caitanya Matha in Mayapura. After he founded the Sri Chaitanya Gaudiya Math, Srila Puri Goswami Maharaja’s godbrother, Srimad Bhakti Dayita Madhava Maharaja, invited him to head the editorial board of Caitanya Vani magazine in 1964. Puri Maharaja served in this capacity for thirty-three years.

After a dream vision, Srila Puri Maharaja took tridandi-sannyasa from his godbrother Srila Bhakti Gaurava Vaikhanasa Maharaja in Champahati in 1946,

In 1989, at the age of 91, Srila Puri Goswami Maharaja established the Sri Gopinatha Gaudiya Matha in Mayapura, and in the following years, he established other temples in Jagannath Puri, Vrndavana, Calcutta and Midnapore.

In 1999, one day before Rasa-purnima, he passed from this mortal world and was taken from Jagannath Puri to the Gopinath Gaudiya Matha in Mayapura and there placed in his eternal samadhi shrine.

Puspa-samadhi of Srila Bhakti Kusuma Sramana Maharaja
Srila Bhakti Kusma Sramana Maharaja was born in 1900 in East Bengal and after an outstanding educational career he graduated as a medical doctor. In 1927 he became a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada and his name became Krsna-kanti Dasa brahmacari. In 1928 became joint editor of the daily spiritual newspaper Dainika Nadiya Prakasa and often traveled with Srila Sarasvati Thakura as his personal secretary. In 1948 he took sannyasa from Srila Bhakti Vilasa Tirtha Gosvami Maharaja and in 1976 he succeeded Srila Tirtha Maharaja as the acarya of Caitanya Matha in Mayapura. He entered the eternal lila of the Lord in 1986 in Sridhama Mayapura where his samadhi mandir is situated.

Puspa-samadhi of Srila Bhaktivedanta Muni Maharaja
Srila Bhaktivedanta Muni Maharaja was a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and accepted the name Sanatana Dasa. In 1959 Sri Sanatana Prabhu took sannyasa with Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada from Srila Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja at Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha in Mathura and became known as Bhaktivedanta Muni Maharaja.

Puspa-samadhi of Srila Bhakti Kamala Madhusudana Maharaja
Narottanananda Dasa Brahmacari was a disciple of Srila Sarasvati Thakura and during his gurudeva’s manifest pastimes he took up various managerial responsibilities in the Gaudiya Mathas in Mayapura, Calcutta and Bombay. Later, he took sannyasa from his close godbrother Srila B.R. Sridhara Deva Gosvami Maharaja. Srila Madhusudana Maharaja was famous for his erudite lectures on Srimad Bhagavatam and was the founder acarya of six branches of the Sri Krsna Caitanya Matha. His samadhi is situated in Mayapura.

Puspa-samadhi of Sri Sakhi-carana Raya (Bhakti Vijaya)
Sakhi-carana Raya was a wealthy salt merchant before he joined Gaudiya Matha and took initiation from Srila Sarasvati Thakura. During his lifetime he performed great service to his spiritual master and the Vaisnavas. He built the yogapitha-mandir on the birth-site of Sri Caitanyadeva in Mayapura, he built the Bhakti Vijaya Bhavan at Sri Caitanya Matha, the Bagh Bazaar Gaudiya Matha and helped to buy land and build the mathas of many of his godbrothers including Srila Sridhara Maharaja’s matha in Navadvipa. In Vraja-mandala, Sri Sakhi-carana Prabhu contributed generously to renovate such holy places as Imli-tala, Srila Lokanatha Gosvami’s Bhajan-kutir and Sri Sri Radha Damodar Temple. His Samadhi is in the precincts of Imli-tala Gaudiya Matha.

Puspa Samadhi of Srila Bhakti Soudha Ashram Goswami Maharaja
Srila Asrama Maharaja was a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. He took sannyasa from Srila Bhakti Gaurava Vaikhanasa Maharaja, founded four maths and opened a school in Calcutta.

Samadhi of Sri Gaurachand Goswami
Sri Gauracand Goswami was the direct descendent of Sri Krsna Dasa Goswami, the original head pujari at Sri Sri Radha Damodar Temple. In 1959 he personally invited Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada to take up residence at Radha Damodar Temple.

He was succeeded by his son Sri Nirmalchandra Goswami, the present sevaite acarya. Sri Nirmalcandra Goswami took up the seva of Radha Damodar at the tender age of 14. He would cook all the offerings, do the puja and aratis and perform the samadhi-seva also. For six years he associated with Srila Prabhupada at Radha Damodar Temple and took the holy association of many great souls including Srila B.R. Sridhara Deva Goswami Maharaja in Navadvipa. Due to his old age and failing health, he now supervises the service to the Deities which is carried on by his five sons:

Sri Kanika Prasad Goswami

Sri Tarun Kumar Goswami (Sringar and Arati)

Sri Karuna Kumar Goswami (Samadhi-seva)

Sri Krishna Balaram Goswami (Public Relations, Donations and Book-stall)

Sri Purnacandra Goswami (Sankirtana)