The Danda Mahotshabor Chida-dadhi Festival of Panihati

Raghunatha Dasa Goswami, was the only son of the king of Saptagram (now Adi Saptagram, after Bandle Junction Station). The annual income of Raghunatha dasa's family was twenty lakhs rupees. Raghunatha became the follower of Load Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu from his boyhood, hence wanted to detach from family life. Time to time he ran away from home to get the love of Load Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but his parents did not wanted to do so, and tried him to keep in the worldly pleasure.
When Load Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to Santipur, Raghunatha Dasa revealed his desire to Load and bagged him to take to puri. But the Lord instructed him to go back home, take care of his duties with a mood of detachment and worship Sri Sri Radha-Krishna in the mind and assured him that he would meet him in Sri Jagannath Dham Puri. After that Raghunatha Das went back to home.
After 2 years Load Nityananda Prabhu came to Panihati. Raghunatha Das went to Panihati to meet Load Nityananda Prabhu. Seeing the effulgence of Load Nityananda Prabhu, Raghunatha Dasa was astonished and thus he offered Him obeisances from a distance. Load Nityananda Prabhu saw this and became very please and being by nature very merciful and funny, He told Raghunatha with great affection. 'You thief! Now you have come to see Me. Come here. Today I shall punish you!". But embarrassed Raghunatha Dasa did not go near Him. Then the Lord forcibly caught him, 'You thief, instead of coming near, you stay away at distant place. Now that I caught you, I will punish you! Make a festival and feed all my associates yogurt and chipped rice (dadhi and chida).
Hearing this Raghunatha Dasa became very pleased, and immediately sent his own men to the village to purchase chipped rice, yogurt, milk, sweets, sugar and bananas and organized a wonderful feast. Innumerable brahmanas and saintly persons came to attend that festival.
Then Lord Nityananda Prabhu in meditation brought Load Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu who was unseen. From each and every pot of the devotees Lord Nityananda took one morsel of chipped rice and playfully put it into the mouth of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also did the same to Lord Nityananda Prabhu , and laughed as He made Him eat it. In this way Lord Nityananda Prabhu was walking through all the groups of eaters and all the Vaishnavas there saw the fun. No one could understand what Nityananda Prabhu was doing as He walked about. Some, however, who were very fortunate, could see that Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was also present.
The next morning, after taking His bath in the Ganges, Nityananda Prabhu sat down with His associates beneath the same tree under which He had previously sat. Raghunatha dasa went there and worshiped Lord Nityananda's lotus feet. Through Raghava Pandita he submitted his desire. "No one can attain the shelter of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu without Your mercy. Although I am unfit and greatly afraid to submit this plea, I nevertheless request You to be especially merciful toward me by granting me shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu."
Then Lord Nityananda Prabhu placed His lotus feet upon Raghunatha dasa's head and said to him that since he arranged the feast on the bank of the Ganges, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came here just to show him His mercy eating chipped rice and milk. Now all the impediments meant for Raghunatha's bondage are gone.
To celebrate this wonderful occasion each year devotee perform this massive grand festival, and this is one of the big festival of Vaishnava.



See the photos in picassa,

https://picasaweb.google.com/amit.saha70/DandaMahotshabChidaDadhiMahotsabPanihati140611