The Chida-dadhi Mahotsav - panihati festival

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The Chida-dadhi Mahotsav, also known as the Chipped Rice Festival of

Panihati, is a yearly celebration of the pastimes of Srila Raghunatha dasa

Goswami and Lord Nityananda Prabhu. This astonishing pastime took place on

the banks of the Ganges at Panihati, which is just north of Calcutta. Lord

Caitanya and his associates enjoyed many transcendental pastimes here.

Chida-dadhi Mahotsav remembers how the Lord mercifully reciprocated with His

devotees by arranging, through Nityananda Prabhu and Raghunatha dasa, to

provide an ecstatic feast of yoghurt and chipped rice, along with various

other nectar foodstuffs. Linked below is an excerpt from

Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya lila chapter 6, which describes this wonderful

pastime in detail.

 

The chipped rice festival took place just before the monsoons, when it is

very hot (45 - 50 C) and muggy (80 - 90 % humidity), so naturally the most

cooling of foodstuffs were offered. Cool yoghurt (dadhi) and chipped rice

(chida) were offered with sugar, bananas, milk sweets and cakes.

 

Our feast menu begins with Ganges Curd Upma, a moist and delicious

preparation of vegetables and grain. Before offering, a flavorful stream of

yoghurt is poured around the base of the Upma, in honor of the festival

goers who had to stand in the Ganges to enjoy their prasadam because there

was no room left on the river banks.

 

A light and simple Cracked Urad Dal is offered, with a side of Banana

Chapatis drenched in Orange Cardamom Butter. A sumptuously rich Cauliflower

& Red Pepper Sabji is simple to make, and brings smiles to the devotees.

 

A dry curry of Peas and Paneer is stuffed in a hollow Lemon, which adds nice

flavor to the preparation. Rava Idli is a savory cake that goes nicely with

the Aloo Kerala Fry, a spicy fried patty of potato and bitter melon.

 

Nestled amongst the whites of rice and yoghurt is a delightful Stuffed White

Baby Eggplant which is filled with spiced almond butter, then wrapped

together with lemongrass and baked.

 

Another pungent savory is the Baigan Sarson, a treat of diced eggplant

wrapped in mustard greens, then crispy fried in ghee. Roasted Okra Raita

provides a smooth and mellow touch with the spicy dishes, while the Rhubard

& Dried Cherry Chutney adds a tangy flavor to the Idli and savouries.

 

The nectar preparations from the original Chida-dadhi festival are, we hope,

faithfully represented by Chida-dadhi Pots. These two wonderful sweet rices

are served in traditional clay bowls. In one pot, chipped rice is prepared

in sweet yoghurt with bananas, while the second pot contains rice in a

sweet, thick kheer with ghee, bananas and camphor.

 

A milksweet cake, the Gunja-Mala Malpoori is encircled with fresh red and

black berries, reminiscent of the garland Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave

Raghunatha das to wear around his neck.

 

Srila Raghunatha dasa gave up eating all foodstuffs after the departure from

this world of Srila Sanatana, and from that time on Raghunatha would only

take buttermilk in leaf cups. He continued in this way until the departure

of Rupa Gosvami, after which Raghunatha gave up all eating and drinking. In

honor of this topmost associate of the Lord, we offer Banana Leaf Cups of

Buttermilk

 

The feast is complete with a tart Lime Cooler blending honey, ginger and

anise that would surely please all those sitting in the Panihati sun, on the

banks of Ganga-Ma.

 

Where is Panihati? Panihati is located on the banks of the Ganges 10 miles

North of Calcutta (North 24-Parganas north of modern day Kolkata -

Calcutta), in West Bengal India. It is the site of many wonderful spiritual

pastimes of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His close personal associates. In

this region at this time of year June, pre-monsoon it is so hot, often up in

the mid-to-high 40s C (45 - 50 C), and so humid. The most cooling of foods

in such a temperature is yogurt, cool yogurt (dahi or dadhi or doi) This

pastime of the Lord is about how the devotees pleased Lord Chaitanya and how

the Lord reciprocated with the devotees in a very wonderful and pleasing

festival called the Panihati Cida-dadhi mahotsav.

 

In the village of Panihati, Raghunatha dasa obtained an interview with

Nityananda Prabhu who was accompanied by many kirtana performers, servants

and others. Sitting on a rock under a tree on the bank of the Ganges, Lord

Nityananda seemed as effulgent as hundreds and thousands of rising suns.

Many devotees sat on the ground surrounding Him. Seeing the influence of

Nityananda Prabhu, Raghunatha dasa was astonished. Raghunatha dasa offered

his obeisances by falling prostrate at a distant place, and the servant of

Nityananda Prabhu pointed out, "There is Raghunatha dasa, offering You

obeisances."

 

Hearing this, Lord Nityananda Prabhu said, "You are a thief. Now you have

come to see Me. Come here, come here. Today I shall punish you," the Lord

called him, but Raghunatha dasa did not go near the Lord. Then the Lord

forcibly caught him and placed His lotus feet upon Raghunatha dasa's head.

"Make a festival and feed all My associates yogurt and chipped rice."

Hearing this, Raghunatha dasa was greatly pleased.

 

Raghunatha dasa brought chipped rice, yogurt, milk. sweetmeats, sugar,

bananas and ether eatables and placed them all around. As soon as they heard

that a festival was going to be held, all kinds of brahmanas and other

gentlemen began to arrive. Thus there were innumerable people. Seeing the

crowd increasing, Raghunatha dasa arranged to get more eatables from other

villages. He also brought two to four hundred large, round pots. He also

obtained five or seven especially large earthen pots, and in these pots a

brahmana began soaking chipped rice for the satisfaction of Lard Nityananda.

 

In one place, chipped rice was soaked in hot milk in each of the large pots.

then half the rice was mixed with yogurt, sugar and bananas. The other half

was mixed with condensed milk and a special type of banana known as

canpa-kala. Then sugar, clarified butter and camphor were added. After

Nityananda Prabhu had changed His cloth far a new one and sat on a raised

platform, the brahmana brought before Him the seven huge pots.

 

On that platform all the most important associates of Sri Nityananda Prabhu,

as well as ether important men, sat down in a circle around the Lord. Among

them were Ramadasa, Sundarananda, Gadadhara dasa, Murari, Kamalakara,

Sadasiva and Purandara. Dhananjaya, Jagadisa, Paramesvara dasa, Mahesa,

Gauridas and Hoda Krsnadasa were also there, Similarly, Uddharana Datta

Thakura and many other personal associates of the Lord sat on the raised

platform with Nityananda Prabhu. No one could count them all.

 

Hearing about the festival, all kinds of learned scholars, brahmanas and

priests went there, Lord Nityananda Prabhu honored them and made them sit on

the raised platform with Him. Everyone was offered two earthen pots. In one

was put chipped rice with condensed milk and in the ether chipped rice with

yogurt. All the other People sat in groups around the platform. No one could

count how many people there were. Each and every one of them was supplied

two earthen pots, one of chipped rice soaked in yogurt and the other of

chipped rice soaked in condensed milk.

 

Some of the brahmanas, not having gotten a place on the platform, went to

the bank of the Ganges with their two earthen pots and soaked their chipped

rice there. Others, who could not get a place even on the bank of the

Ganges, got down into the water and began eating their two kinds of chipped

rice. Thus some sat on the platform ,some at the base of the platform, and

some on the bank of the Ganges, and they were all supplied two pots each by

the twenty men who distributed the food.

 

At that time, Raghava Pandita arrived there. Seeing the situation, he began

to laugh in great surprise. He brought many other kinds of food cooked in

ghee and offered them to the Lord. This prasada he first placed before Lord

Nityananda and then distributed among the devotees. Raghava Pandita said to

Lord Nityananda, "For You, sir, I have already offered food to the Deity,

but You are engaged in a festival here, and so the food is lying there

untouched."

 

Lord Nityananda replied, "Let Me eat all this food here during the day, and

I shall eat at your home at night. I belong to a community of cowherd boys,

and therefore I generally have many cowherd associates with Me. I am happy

when we eat together in a picnic like this by the sandy bank of the river.

Lord Nityananda made Raghava Pandita sit down and had two pots delivered to

him also. There were two kinds of chipped rice soaked in them.

 

When chipped rice had been served to everyone, Lord Nityananda Prabhu, in

meditation, brought Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

arrived, Lord Nityananda Prabhu stood up. They then saw how the others were

enjoying the chipped rice with yogurt and condensed milk. From each and

every pot, Lord Nityananda Prabhu took one morsel of chipped rice and pushed

it into the mouth of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as a joke. In this way Lord

Nityananda was walking through all the groups of eaters, and all the

Vaisnavas standing there were seeing 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. Then Nityananda Prabhu smiled and sat down. On

His right side He kept four pots of chipped rice that had not been made from

boiled paddy. Lord Nityananda offered Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu a place and

had Him sit dawn. Then together the two brothers began eating chipped rice.

Seeing Cord Caitanya Mahaprabhu eating with Him, Lord Nityananda Prabhu

became very happy and exhibited varieties of ecstatic love. Lord Nityananda

Prabhu ordered, "All of you eat, chanting the holy name of Hari. Immediately

the holy names "Hari Hari" resounded, filling the entire universe.

 

When all the Vaisnavas were chanting the holy names "Hari Hari" and eating,

they remembered how Krsna and Balarama ate with their companions, the

cowherd boys, on the bank of the Yamuna. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord

Nityananda Prabhu are extremely merciful and liberal. It was Raghunatha

dasa's good fortune that They accepted all these dealings. Who can

understand the influence and mercy of Lord Nityananda Prabhu? He is so

powerful that He induced Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to come eat chipped

rice on the bank of the Ganges. All the confidential devotees who were

Cowherd boys, headed by Sri Ramadas, were absorbed in ecstatic love. They

thought the bank of the Ganges to be the bank of the Yamuna.

 

When the shopkeepers of many other villages heard about the festival, they

arrived there to sell chipped rice, yogurt, sweetmeats and bananas. As they

came, bringing all kinds of food, Raghunatha dasa purchased it all. He gave

them the price for their goods and later fed them the very same food. Anyone

who came to see how these funny things were going on was also fed chipped

rice, yogurt and bananas. After Lord Nityananda Prabhu finished eating, He

washed His hands and mouth and gave Raghunatha dasa the food remaining in

the four pots. There was food remaining in the three other big pots of Lord

Nityananda, and a brahmana distributed it to all the devotees, giving a

morsel to each. Then a brahmanas brought a flower garland, placed the

garland on Nityananda Prabhu's neck and smeared sandalwood pulp All over His

body, When a servant brought betel nuts and offered them to Lord Nityananda,

the Lord smiled and chewed them. With His own hands Lord Nityananda Prabhu

distributed to all the devotees whatever flower garlands, sandalwood pulp

and betel nuts remained

 

After receiving the remnants of food left by Lord Nityananda Prabhu,

Raghunatha dasa, who was greatly happy, ate some and distributed the rest

among his own associates. Thus have I described the pastimes of Lord

Nityananda Prabhu in relation to the celebrated festival of chipped rice and

yogurt.