Ādi Saptagrāma – Śrīpāṭa of Śrīla Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura

Ādi Saptagrāma is situated in the district of Hoogly. Next to Bandel railway station is Ādi Saptagrāma station in Bandel-Bardhamān railway route. One and half kilometers towards west from the station on the eastern side of the GT road this Śrīpāta is situated.

This holy place is the Śrīpāṭa of Śrī Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura and is famous by name ‘Ṭhākura Bāḍi’ (the house of Ṭhākura). He was born in the year 1403

Śakābda in the family of a gold merchant. His father’s name was Śrīkara Datta and mother’s name was Bhadrāvatī. In previous pastime Uddhāraṇa Datta was friend (Sakhā) by the name Vasudhāma. ‘Saptagrāme rahe seha gaura-preme māti’-‘he was staying in Saptagrāma absorbed in love of Gaura.’ He renounced vast wealth, wife and children and accompanied Nityānanda prabhu for preaching ‘loving devotional service.’ He was very dear to Nityānanda prabhu. In the ancient age, this Saptagrāma was a very prosperous city. It is described in Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata (Antya- khanda, 5/449,454-455)-

uddhāraṇa datta bhāgya-vantera mandire
rahilena tathā prabhu triveṇīra tīre
vaṇika tārite nityānanda-avatāra
vaṇikere dilā prema-bhakti adhikāra
saptagrāme sava vaṇikera ghare ghare
āpane nitāicāṅda kīrtane vihare

Lord Nityānanda stayed in the house of Uddhāraṇa Datta which was situated on the bank of Triveṇī. Lord Nityānanda advented to deliver the people of the mercantile community. He gave them the right to develop loving devotional service to the Lord. Nitāicāṅda enjoyed kīrtana pastime in the houses of all the merchants of Saptagrāma.

Once in the year 1429 Śakābda, there was a frightful famine in Bengal. At that time Uddāharaṇa Datta Ṭhākura opened a food distribution centre on a piece of land measuring 30 bighā (10 acre) and conducted free food distribution program generously to all the poor people. He made thousands of distressed people Vaiṣṇavas by motivating them to surrender unto the lotus feet of Śrī Nitāi.

The worshipable Deities inside the temple are Śrī Nitāi on the right, Śrī Gadādhara on the left, and in the middle six handed (Ṣaḍabhūja) Śrī Gaurāṇga Sundara and the brass-metal Deity of Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura. There is a beautiful portico in the front. At the end of the portico is standing Mādhavi creeper planted by Nityānanda prabhu's own hand. At the back of the tem- ple, there is a small pond known as Nupurkuṇḍa, as the ankle-bell (Nupur) of Nityānanda prabhu fell there.

At this temple, on the twelfth day of the waning moon in the Bengali month of Agrahāyaṇa (November-December), a special festival is celebrated till today on the occasion of his disappearance. Nowadays, the administration, sevā-pūjā (worship), festivals etc are all con- ducted and organized by a committee of gold-merchants.

Co-ordinates (copy-paste for easy search on Google Maps): 22.96018948458236, 88.37293745818651