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ASHRAM
A view of Braj Gopika Dham
This
small but beautiful ashram is situated on a stretch of thirty
acres of land in a sylvan setting. It is located about 65 kms
from Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Orissa and 70 kms from the
holy city of pilgrimage – Shri Jagannath PURI. The famous
Chilka Lake is only 20 kms away from the ashram. The National
Highway 5 which runs between Kolkata and Chennai is only 2 kms
from it. This Highway is the ancient trade route which the
traders and travelers used on their way South or up North.
As
the legend goes and as the local people believe, the piece of
land on which the ashram stands is a consecrated land because
Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the divine incarnation of Shri
RadhaKrishna had rested here on his way to South. This belief is
upheld by the local historians as well.
Visitors
to the ashram are immediately overtaken by the surrounding
greenery and quiet of the place. Picturesque peaks of the
Eastern Ghat mountain range regale the eyes of the viewer and
lend serenity to the scenic setting.
The
inmates of the ashram are all dedicated volunteers who strongly
believe in the organic brand of farming and accordingly grow
many types of vegetables and also flowers on the premises.
The
ashram has a small dairy of its own. The cattle are well looked
after by a resident veterinary surgeon. In fact, villagers from
the nearby area also bring their cattle for treatment to the
ashram.
The
ashram becomes a hub of frenetic activity every year in January
when Shri Maharajji himself comes here to preside over the
Sadhana Camp. Thousand of devotees from all over swarm here to
do Sadhana in his benign presence.
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