Nanda Bhavan Temple and Chaurasi Khambha

Nanda Bhavan Temple and Chaurasi Khambha

This is where Krishna and Balarama lived with Nanda Maharaja and Yasoda. There are big Deities here of Nanda Maharaja on the left, Mother Yasoda on the right, and Lord Balarama in the middle. Below them is a Deity of Krishna, Who is in the form of a baby and He is seen swinging in a cradle. The pujaris will allow you to swing the Deity of Krishna on the swing.

The house of Nanda Maharaja was built over 5,000 years ago by the architect Visvakarma. It on the top of the hill at Old Gokula (Mahavana).
It has 84 pillars which is why it is called Chaurasi Khambha. Chaurasi means “84”. The pillars in this temple are said to be from the original house of Nanda Maharaja. There are 8,400,000 species of life within the material world. Each of these pillars is said to symbolize 100,000 species of life, thus representing the total material existence. One of the pillars has marks on it that are said to have been made when Krishna wiped his hands after stealing some butter.

To the left of the entrance of the temple compound is a temple dedicated to Balarama and Revati (the wife of Balarama in Dwarka).

In the temple in the back of the compound is a temple with Deities of Baby Krishna, Vasudeva, Devaki, and Yogamaya in the form of Durga, sitting on her lion carrier.

Yogamaya Temple (Balarama’s Birthplace)
In this temple are Deities of Vasudeva and Rohini and apparently baby Balarama. Vasudeva is the father and Rohini the mother of Balarama. There is also a deity of Yogamaya in this temple. Some people say this is the birthplace of Balarama and other say it is where Mother Yasoda gave birth to a girl, who was exchanged with Krishna and who later took the form of Yogamaya. Yogamaya is the girl child that was born of Nanda Maharaja and Yasoda. She is also known as Durga.
If you go up the steps next to the Jagannatha temple you come to this temple.

Appearance of Balarama
“When Devaki became pregnant for the seventh time, a plenary expansion of Krishna known as Ananta appeared within her womb. Devaki was over-whelmed both with jubilation and lamentation. She was joyful, for she could understand that Lord Vishnu had taken shelter within her womb, but at the same time she was sorry that as soon as her child would come out, Kamsa would kill Him. At that time, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna, being compassionate upon the fearful condition of the Yadus, due to atrocities committed by Kamsa, ordered the appearance of His Yogamaya, or His internal potency.

The Lord thus informed Yogamaya: “Under the imprisonment of Kamsa are Devaki and Vasudeva, and at the present moment, My plenary expansion, Sesha, is within the womb of Devaki. You can arrange the transfer of Sesha from the womb of Devaki to the womb of Rohini.”
On account of being forcibly attracted to the womb of Rohini, He would be known as Sankarsana and would be the source of all spiritual power or bala, by which one could be able to attain the highest bliss of life, which is called ramana. Therefore the plenary portion Ananta would be known after His appearance either as Sankarsana or Balarama.

When the Supreme Personality of Godhead transferred Lord Sesha from the womb of Devaki to the womb of Rohini, both of them were under the spell of Yogamaya. When this was done, people understood that Devaki’s seventh pregnancy was a miscarriage. Thus although Balarama appeared as the son of Devaki, He was transferred to the womb of Rohini to appear as her son.” (Krishna Book,
ter 2)

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