Travels of Bengalis in the past
----- Sumana Dam
The fact that a significant part of Shri Chaitanya's (1486 - 1534 CE) life involved travel first came to my attention while reading "Bangalar Itihas," Volume II, written by the renowned archaeologist, historian, and writer Rakhaldas Bandopadhyay. Detailed descriptions of Shri Chaitanya's various journeys can be found in the poetic works of Chaitanya biographers such as Vrindavan Das, Govind Das, Krishnadas Kaviraj and Jayananda. Undoubtedly, he undertook these pilgrimages on foot. Given the passage of time, many new settlements have emerged, place names have changed, and several rivers or canals have shifted their courses or dried up. Therefore, not all locations mentioned in those texts are identifiable today. However, with the help of Google Maps, I have found several places, though some remain elusive or uncertain. I have noted these in brackets () during the writing. Places that I could not locate are marked with a question mark (?).
According to Vrindavan Das's "Chaitanya Bhagavata," after his father's death, Shri Chaitanya went to Gaya for performing Pindadan. On the way, he visited Mount Mandar and saw Madhusudan. He visited the sixteen holy places including Tirtha, Brahmakund, Pretashila, Ramgaya, Uttaramanas, Dakshinamans, Vishnupad, Bhimgaya, and Shivgaya. In Gaya, he was deeply moved by the sight of Vishnu’s holy feet. (At this time, the devotion of the great scholar and debator Vismambhar began to gain prominence.) There, he met Ishwar Puri, later visited his birthplace Kumarihatta (Halisahar), and received initiation from him. At the age of twenty-four (1509 CE), Shri Chaitanya (then known as Vishwambhar and Nimai) left home, went to Katwa, and was initiated by Keshav Bharati, taking the name Shri Krishna Chaitanya.
From Katwa, he traveled to Shantipur to the house of Acharya Advaita, and from there proceeded to Purushottam (Puri). According to Govind Das, the author of "Korchha," who accompanied Chaitanya on this journey, he traveled from Burdwan, crossed the Damodar, and went through Kashipur (Keshpur?), Haji-pur (Hajipur in East Medinipur's Ramnagar region), Medinipur, Narayanagar (here he visited Dhaleshwar Shiva, Kasba Narayanagar in West Medinipur), and reached Jaleswar. From there, he traveled to Hariharpur (Orissa), Balasore, and Nilgahr, crossing the Baitarani and Mahanadi rivers, finally reaching Bhubaneswar and visiting the Lingaraj Temple. His companions included Ishan, Pratap, Gangadas, Gadhadhar, Banshwar, and others.
Jayananda, the author of "Chaitanya Mangal," provided a slightly different description of the route. According to him, Chaitanya traveled from Shantipur to Ambuya (possibly Ambika Kalna in East Bardhaman), Kachmani, Betra (a region in Memari), and then to Kulin gram (East Bardhaman). He passed through Debnad (Damodar river), Seyakhala (is this the Seyakhala in Hooghly?), and reached Tamalipta (Tamluk). After seeing Vishnu at Mantreshwar (?), he crossed the Subarnarekha and arrived at Barasat (?). He then traveled to Danton and Jaleswar (present-day Odisha) and reached Amardaha (a village in Gopiballavpur). From there, he visited Banshda (East Medinipur), Ramchandrapur (East Medinipur), and arrived at Remuna (Odisha), where he saw Gopinath and Siddheshwar. He then went to Bangalpur (Odisha), passed near Asurgarh (Odisha), and reached Bhadrak. From Bhadrak, he went to Tungda and arrived at Jajpur, visiting Birja and Navigya before proceeding to Ekamravan (Bhubaneswar). He traveled through Purushottampur (Odisha), Patna (Patna in Kendujhar district, Odisha), and Amral before reaching Cuttack, where he visited Rajarajeshwar and then Bhubaneswar. From Bhubaneswar, he went to Kapileswar, Kathatipada, Kamal, and Atharanala (bridge at the entrance to Puri), and finally reached Purushottam or Puri. According to Jayananda’s "Chaitanya Mangal," Chaitanya was accompanied in Puri by Krishnadas, Haridas, Syamdas, Premdas, Mohant Brahman, Gopidas, Raghunathdas, Narahari, Damodar Swami, Gadhadhar, Kashi Mishra, Shankar Bharati, Paramandapuri, Saraswati, and Sarbabhauma Bhattacharya.
According to Vrindavan Das’s "Chaitanya Bhagavata," he visited the Ambu Linga (Mathurapur in South 24 Parganas?) ghat at Chatrabhog. From there, he crossed to the Prayag ghat (It is probably Tribenishwar, located on the banks of the Birupa River) in Odisha by boat. The peril of this journey is expressed in his writing: "When climbing up the hill, the tiger carries off and runs away. If you fall into the water, the crocodile catches and eats you. In this dangerous water, the bandit returns. If they get you, you lose both wealth and life." After crossing the Subarnarekha, he visited Jaleswar, Banshda (Bansadha in Bhadrak), Remuna (Remuna), Jajpur, and Cuttack (where he saw Sakshigopal temple), and then reached Bhubaneswar. According to "Chaitanya Bhagavata," Nitai, Gadhadhar, Mukunda, Govinda, Jagadananda, and Brahmananda were among Chaitanya’s traveling companions.
According to Vrindavan Das’s "Chaitanya Bhagavata," after spending some time in Purushottam, Shri Chaitanya returned to Gauda. According to Jayananda’s "Chaitanya Mangal," he then traveled Dakshina Patha (to South India). According to Govind Das's "Korchha," he undertook this journey alone, without any companions except Govind Das himself.
Jayananda describes that Chaitanya crossed the Mahanoi (Mahanadi) and reached Katatipada (?) leaving it on his left, went to the Jiar Hills (?) and saw Narasimha. He then crossed the Godavari and reached Panchavati (Panchavati, Maharashtra), bathed in the Kaveri river, and traveled to Trimandranatha (Tirumala Giri, Telangana). However, as there is no Kaveri river in this region, this information seems to be inaccurate.
According to Govind Das's "Korchha," Chaitanya traveled from Puri to the banks of the Godavari. Then he proceeded to Trimandranagara (Tirumalagiri), where he defeated Buddhist scholars in debate. He then went to Panthaguha (Panduvula Cave, Andhra Pradesh), visited Siddhabateshwar (present-day Korpah, Andhra Pradesh), and traveled to Munannagar (Andhra Pradesh), then to Venkatnagara (Venkatnagar, Puducherry). From there, he visited Bagula (?) forest and saw the Girishwar temple, then proceeded to Tripadi Nagar (?) and saw the Ram deity.
He then visited Pananarasingh ( Mangal giri, Andhra Pradesh) and traveled to Vishnukanchi (Kanchipuram), where he saw Trikaleshwar Shiva and Kalatirtha Baraha Murti (Bhubaraha Swami Temple, Tamil Nadu, possibly). Chaitanya bathed at the confluence of the Nanda and Bhadra rivers, known as Sandhitiirtha, but its exact location is unknown. Is it lost now? He then went to Chainpalli Teertha (Trichinapalli), visited Nagar (Nagar, Tamil Nadu), and traveled to Tanjore (Thanjavur), where he saw a mountain called Chandalu, with many caves and ascetics. From there, he visited Padmakote (?) and saw the Devi Ashtabhuja. He then went to Tripatranagara and saw Chandeshwar Shiva (Tripatranagara is unclear but there is a Chandrachureswar Shiva Temple in Hosur, Tamil Nadu).
Wherever Shri Chaitanya went, he attracted people of all ages and genders who engaged in the Hare Krishna chant. Many became Vaishnavas. At every place, Chaitanya's leela (divine activities) was narrated. However, since this narrative focuses on travel rather than religion, these accounts of Chaitanya's life are viewed from a traveler's perspective.
The journey then took him through the vast forest of Jhariban, and after traveling for a fortnight, he arrived at Rangadham (Srirangam, Tamil Nadu), saw the Narasimha deity, and then proceeded to the Rishav Hills (Malaya Hills or Malayadri). He arrived at Ramanath Nagar (?) and touched the feet of Shri Ram. He then visited Tattvakundi Teertha and took a bath in the Tamraparni (Thamirabarani River, Tamil Nadu). Then he went to Kanyakumari, where he viewed the ocean and took a bath.
Afterward, he traveled with a group of ascetics and crossed the Santal hills, then proceeded to Tribankudesa (Tribankur). There, King Rudrapati himself came to meet Chaitanya Dev. Next, he went to Ramgiri (Ramgiri, Karnataka). On top of the hill, he then visited the Shiva Narayana temple in Poyshni Nagar (?) at the Sringeri Math (Sringeri Math, the math of Shankaracharya, Karnataka). He made Ishwar Bharati to realize the essence of Krishna love over dry scholarship. He then proceeded through the rugged, forested paths, and although the poet was scared upon seeing a tiger, Sri Chaitanya, immersed in the name of Krishna, passed through the path. After that, he visited the Nilgiri hills near Kandar Desh (Kannada country or Karnataka). He then arrived in Gurjari Nagar (?). There, he bathed in the Agastya Kund (Badami, Karnataka). Many Maharashtrians and Kulanari also came. Sometimes, Sri Chaitanya spoke in Tamil, and sometimes in Sanskrit.
He then climbed the peak of a mountain in Bijapur (Maharashtra) and had a visited Har Gauri. Having previously seen Mahendra Malayagiri or Malayadri (Eastern Ghats), he was now delighted to see Sahyadri ( Western Ghats). Gradually, he reached Purnanagar (Pune) and saw Bholeshwar and Debleshwar on the hill, and then went to Jijuri (Jejuri) to see the Khandoba deity. Here, he freed many prostitutes from sin by invoking Krishna's name. He then went to Choranandi Van (?). There, he freed the robbers from their sinful ways through devotion to Hari. The leader of the robbers, Naroji, accompanied him until his death. He went to Nashik, where Surpanakha's nose was cut off. Near Trimuka (Trimbak, Maharashtra), he saw Ram's hermitage and Ram's footprints in the jungle, then went to Panchavati forest (Panchvati, Nashik, Maharashtra) and saw the Ganesh installed by Lakshmana.
He then went to Daman Nagar (Daman). In the kingdom of Suratha (Surat, Gujarat), he saw Ashtabhujā Bhagavati. After bathing in the Tapti River, he visited the Bamana deity (?). He then traveled to Varoacha Nagar (Broach, Gujarat) on the banks of the Narmada River and visited the Boli Raja's tank. After bathing at the great pilgrimage site of Narmada, he went to Baroda and visited Dakorji (?). The king of Baroda came to see Chaitanya Dev. He then arrived in Ahmedabad, a very well-organized city with many palaces and gardens. After seeing the Subhramoti river (Sabarmati River), he met two Bengalis traveling to Dwarka. This shows that more Bengali pilgrims were traveling even then. They went to Somnath, passing through Jaferabad (Jafarabad). Besides the ruins and broken remains, there was nothing left of the Somnath Temple due to the oppression of the Yavanas. He then visited Junagadh, which was adorned with many palaces, and saw the Ranchorji temple (Dakor, Gujarat). Chaitanya Dev then went to Girnar Hill and saw Krishna's footprints. After traversing a long, forested path, he arrived at Prabhas Teerth (Prabhas, Gujarat). He then reached Dwarka, situated by the sea, and saw the Raivatak mountain (Girnar Hill?) and visited its temples.
Now, Chaitanya Dev decided to return to Puri. Following the banks of the Narmada River through Baroda, he passed through Dohad (Dohad, Gujarat), Kukshinagar (Kukshi, Madhya Pradesh), Amjhora Nagar (Amjhora, Madhya Pradesh), Mandura Nagar (Mandla, Madhya Pradesh?), Mandal Nagar (Mandla?), Devghar (Deoghar, Madhya Pradesh), Shivani Nagar (Seoni, Madhya Pradesh?), Mahal Parvat (?), and Chandiipur Nagar (?, where he visited Chandi Devi). He then reached Raipur (Chhattisgarh), Vidyanagar (Chhattisgarh), and Ratnpur (Ratanpur, Chhattisgarh). After passing through these, he arrived at Swarnagahr (Saranagar, Chhattisgarh), where the local king came to meet him. Then, successively, he arrived at Sambalpur (Odisha), Bhramaranagar (Bhangarh, Odisha), Pratapnagari (near Patap Nagar in Bhubaneswar), Daspal Nagar (Dashpalla, Odisha), and Rasala Kund. At Rasala Kund, he had a vision of Kurma Dev (possibly the turtle in the temple). He then returned to Puri via Rishikullya Dham (Rishikuliya riverbank, perhaps the Taratarini Temple was not yet built, so what dham?).
Later, Shri Chaitanya Dev journeyed to the holy land of Vrindavan. This journey is described in the book "Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita," written by Krishna Das Kaviraj. He was accompanied only by Balabhadra Bhattacharya and one of his servants. Instead of taking the main route from Puri, he traveled by a secondary path. He entered a deep forest near Cuttack and walked along a path teeming with tigers and elephants, continuously chanting Krishna’s name. After passing through Jharigram (?), he eventually reached Kashi. After staying in Kashi for some time, he proceeded to Prayag and then to Mathura. In Mathura, he bathed at the 24 ghats and visited various sacred places. He visited Radha Kund in Vrindavan, performed the circumambulation of Govardhan Hill, bathed at Govinda Kunj, and visited Nandishwar, Kamyavan, and other notable sites. After spending a considerable time in Mathura and Vrindavan, Mahaprabhu returned to Puri or Nilachal.
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