Khirachora Gopinath Temple — Attraction in Odisha

The Kshira-chora Gopinatha temple is in Remuna, a small town located 9 km from the nearest railway station, Balasore, midway between Puri and Kolkata.

About six hundred years ago, the Deity of Gopinatha here had stolen a pot of sweet rice for Madhavendra Puri, a great Vaishnava sannyasi and the originator of the Madhva-Gaudiya-sampradaya. Therefore, the Lord here became very famous as Kshira-chora, the thief who stole the sweet rice.



The Deities of Madana Mohana, Gopinatha and Govinda

To the right of Gopinatha is the Deity of Govinda and on the left, Madana-mohana. These two Deities were brought from Vrindavana in 1938. There are also Deities of Radha Rasabihari, Lord Jagannatha, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and numerous salagrama shilas in the temple. It is said that Lord Rama carved the Deity of Gopinatha with His arrow and that Sita worshiped this Deity in Chitrakuta. King Langula Narasimha Deva of Utkal brought this Deity to Remuna in the 13th century from Chitrakuta, as instructed by the Lord in a dream and built a temple naming it Shri Gopinatha Mandir.

The present temple was renovated by Sri Rasikananda (a great devotee of Lord Krishna in the disciplic succession from Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu) after the original temple was destroyed by a Muslim invasion. He recovered the Deity of Gopinatha which had been hidden in a pond near the temple at that time.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu visited this temple while travelling to Puri. You can have darshan of His lotus foot prints next to the Garuda-stambha. There is also the samadhi of Sri Rasikananda within the temple precincts.



Kshira-chora Gopinatha Temple, Remuna

Over 500 years ago, Madhavendra Puri established a Deity of Gopala on top of the Govardhana Hill in Vrindavana. Once Gopala Deity appeared in a dream to Madhavendra Puri and asked him to bring sandalwood pulp and camphor from Jagannatha Puri and apply it on the body of the Deity. Madhavendra Puri started his journey and reached Remuna on his way to Puri. He visited the temple of Gopinatha and felt blissful to have darshan of the Lord. He then asked a priest about the food that they offer to the Deity. The priest told him about the special sweet rice, as tasty as nectar, which they prepare for the offering.

Meanwhile sweet rice was brought before the Deity to be offered to the Lord. Madhavendra Puri desired to taste it thinking that he would also prepare similar food in Vrindavana and offer it to the Deity of Gopala. Then he immediately realized his offence that he had desired to taste the food before it was offered to the Lord. Repenting for his unholy thought, Madhavendra Puri left the temple and went to a vacant place for chanting the holy names of the Lord.

On that night, the temple priest saw in a dream Lord Gopinatha who asked him to go to Madhavendra Puri and give him the pot of sweet rice which He had hidden under His garments. The priest got up, found the pot of sweet rice and went to Madhavendra Puri with the pot. Madhavendra Puri became overwhelmed with ecstasy to learn everything from the priest. After taking prasadam, he continued his journey and reached Puri from where he collected sandalwood and camphor.

On his way back, Madhavendra Puri again came to Remuna. There again he had a dream in which the Gopala Deity at Vrindavana told him to grind the sandalwood into pulp, mix with camphor and apply it on the body of Gopinatha Deity. Lord Gopala said that He was non-different from the Deity of Gopinatha. Madhavendra Puri made all arrangements to carry out the order of Lord Gopala.

This tradition is being followed in the temple even today. During Chandana-yatra celebrations, chandana (sandalwood pulp) is applied on the chest of Madana-mohana, Govinda and Gopinatha Deities. On the day of Akshaya Tritiya, the bodies of the Deities are covered entirely with chandana.

Here you can get delicious kshira prasadam (sweet rice), called Amruta Keli. It is a preparation of condensed milk, cream and sugar with a sprinkling of raisins.

To reach this place, you can travel to Balasore from Puri by...

Khirachora Gopinath is a temple of Lord Krisha situated in district called Balasore in Indian state of Odisha near birth place of acharya Baladev Bidyabhusan ji(a Gaudiya Vaisnav Acharya and devotee of Sriman Chaitanya mahaprabhu and follower of MadhvaCharya Sampradaya or Bhramha Sect ) and Remuna.

Accordding to Scriptures the beautiful diety of Khirachora Gopinath was carved by Lord Ram himself by his arrow in Treta Yuga and Mother Sita worsipped in Chitrakuta while they were in Vanvasa for 14years.

This is the place where Thakur ji stole Kheer prasad( condensed milk concoction) for his beloved devotee and another Vaishnav Acharya Sriman Madhavendra Puri Pad while he was travelling to southern india in order to get chandan (sandal wood) from Vrindavan Girraj ji Maharaj by the order Lord Srinath ji (currently placed in Nathadwara in western indian state of Rajasthan). When he halted here in this sacred place of thurji for sojourn, at night Lord had stolen one pot of kheer prasad and had hidden that under his garment for his beloved devotee Madhavendra Puri which was offered to him in the evening and asked the Pujari (Priest) in dream at night to give that hidden kheer prasad to Madhavendra Puri. That's why the name kheer chora ( who steals kheer) Gopinath. Even today also still it is being offered to the Lord and being distributed among the devotees.

After that when he was returning from southern india to vrindavan , he again stopped here and by grace of Lord and his order Madhavendra Puri offered all chandan(sandle wood) to KhiraChora Gopinath instead of Srinath ji.. Since then every year in all the Lord Krishna temple icluding Jagannath Puri across india and the whole world on that auspicious day for 21 days continuous Chandan(sandle) is being offered which is famously called Chandan Yatra(Sandle offering Festival); one of the festival of Vaisnavism.

This Chandan Yatra festival is being celebrated for 21 days or 3 weeks starting from Akshaya Tritiya during summer season when thkurji in all temple is being decorated with Chandan paste in his entire body and give darsan to his devotees.

All glories to khirachora Gopinath and his...

A Mixed Experience at Khirachora Gopinath Temple, Balasore

Last week, I visited the Khirachora Gopinath Temple in Balasore with my family. While the temple's spiritual significance and architectural beauty left a lasting impression, certain aspects of the visit were dampened by poor management.

The temple itself is a stunning piece of history and devotion. The intricate carvings and the serene atmosphere inside the temple provided a deeply spiritual experience. We felt blessed to witness the deities and take part in the rituals, which were conducted with great reverence.

However, the management of the temple facilities left much to be desired. The crowd management was chaotic, with no clear guidance for devotees on where to queue, which led to confusion and unnecessary pushing. This was especially challenging for elderly family members.

Another issue was the lack of cleanliness in and around the temple premises. Considering the temple’s prominence as a pilgrimage site, better hygiene and upkeep should be a priority. The limited parking space and absence of proper arrangements added to the inconvenience.

On the positive side, the prasad (Khir) was delightful and well-prepared, adding a sweet touch to our visit. The local vendors selling handicrafts and offerings were friendly and added a cultural charm to the experience.

Pros:

Beautiful and historic temple with a peaceful ambiance.

Divine and well-organized rituals.

Delicious and authentic prasad.

Cons:

Poor crowd management causing chaos during peak hours.

Lack of cleanliness and basic facilities.

Parking and visitor amenities need significant improvement.

Suggestions:

Introduce a better queue and crowd management system for a smoother darshan experience.

Improve cleanliness and ensure regular maintenance of the premises.

Expand parking facilities and provide proper signage for visitors.

While Khirachora Gopinath Temple holds immense spiritual and cultural value, better management would greatly enhance the experience for devotees. Despite the challenges, the divine energy of the place made our visit memorable, and we hope to return in the future under...