The village Gadeigiri is named after its founder Gadai Giri who migrated from the district of Midnapur, presently in West Bengal, in the seventeenth century. He was a businessman who regularly came to the area to sell utensils and bell metal items. Every year Gadai Giri would come during the rainy season, stay four or five months, and then return to Midnapur. Gadai Giri was a gentle and saintly person. He would rise early each morning and perform kirtan. Then, after taking some flat rice and water, he would go out selling brass utensils door to door. When evening arrived he would spend the night in some village and join with the local people in their daily custom of singing kirtan and reciting Srimad Bhagavatam. He soon became well known as a good kirtan singer and devotee and he received frequent invitations to take part in the different sankirtan festivals celebrated for the pleasure of the various local deities of Baladeva Jiu, Brindaban Bihari Jiu‚ Radha Madan Mohan Jiu, and Dadhi Baman Jiu.

Gopal Giri

Gadai Giri had only one son, who was named Gopal Giri. Gopal Giri was influenced by the devotional qualities of his father and was very devoted to Lord Jagannath. Every year he would go to Puri to see the Ratha-yatra festival. He was also very attached to performing sankirtan, and was expert in many different styles of kirtan.

Gopal Giri had a desire to worship a deity of Gopal. Unable to find such a deity, he decided to go to Puri, thinking that if he would render service to Lord Jagannath there, then somehow Gopal would come to him. Arriving in Puri, he stayed in the area known as Kundei Benta Sahi, near Grand road. As he was very scholarly, he easily obtained service in the office of the king, where he became the poddar, cashier, for the temple of Lord Jagannath. Gopal Giri led a very regulated life. While staying in Puri he would daily go to see Lord Jagannath. While at the temple he would sit on the bais pahaca, the twenty-two steps inside the compound leading up to the main darsana area, and there he would read Srimad-Bhagavatam. In the evening he would take prasadam and go home. Every Sunday he would go to the Satalahari Math, a temple near the ocean, where he would sit and read Srimad Bhagavatam and chant harinam. He was very attached to Srimad Bhagavatam.

Gopal Comes from Vrindavan

Gopal Giri had long cherished the desire to worship a deity of Gopal. During the Ratha-yatra festivals in Puri he would approach devotees and sadhus coming from Vrindavan and ask them to bring him back a deity of Gopal. They would readily agree, “Yes, yes. Next time I will bring a Gopal deity for you.” But no one ever brought a deity.

At this same time, in Vrindavan, there was one renounced devotee who was worshiping a deity of Gopal. One night this Gopal deity appeared in the sannyasi’s dreams. Srila Gour Govinda Swami tells this story:

Gopal Giri was serving in Puri as a government cashier. He was always thinking in his mind, “If I can get a Gopal deity I’ll offer worship to Him.” But he thought, “How can I go to Vrindavan?” He had a strong desire to get a deity.

At that time this deity of Gopal was in Vrindavan with a sannyasi Vaishnava, a renunciate. He was doing madhukari, begging, and he was keeping that deity in his jhola, [a cloth tied as a bag]. During the day, he would go out and do madhukari, then in the evening he would cook whatever he had begged and offer it to Gopal. In this way he was leading his life.

One night this Gopal deity told the Vaishnava, “You take me to Gopal Giri, the son of Gadai Giri.” He wants to offer Me worship. I want to go there. Take me there. But the Vaishnava thought that it was only a dream. He did not take it seriously. After a few days Gopal came again in a dream and beat him with a cane on his legs. It was such a severe beating that his legs were bleeding. The sannyasi Vaishnava woke up and begged apology, “Please forgive me for my offense. I did not take Your order seriously. But You have beaten me so severely, how can I go there with such wounds on my legs?” Gopal said, “When Gopal Giri touches you it will be healed, otherwise you cannot be cured. You go there at once, don’t make any delay.”

So he started walking. At that time there was no communication system, no train or bus. The only way was by walking. It took him two and a half months to reach Puri. At this time Gopal Giri was staying in a rented house at Kundhei Benta Sahi in Puri. The Vaishnava reached Puri in the evening and stayed near the Jagannath temple. Early the next morning he inquired, “Who is Gopal Giri? I want to meet him.” Many people knew Gopal Giri; he was famous as the cashier of the Jagannath temple. So he quickly found Gopal Giri at his rented house.

Gopal Giri had just finished his bath and was putting on tilak. The Vaishnava arrived and offered his obeisances to Gopal Giri. He then took the deity from his bag and presented Him to Gopal Giri. Gopal Giri was amazed, “What is this? Who are you, and where has this deity come from?”

The Vaishnava replied, “You wanted Gopal to worship. So Gopal has come from Vrindavan. I was in Vrindavan, carrying this Gopal. He told me to hand Him over to you, and He beat me. He showed Gopal Giri his legs and said, “If you touch it, it will be cured, otherwise it will not be cured.” So Gopal Giri immediately touched him and the injury was gone.

Gopal Giri was very happy that Gopal had fulfilled his desire. He couldn’t go to Vrindavan, but Gopal had come to him. Gopal Giri went to the market and purchased rice, dal, and vegetables. He prepared prasad and gave some to the Vaishnava. Then he went to the king and offered his resignation, saying, “I don’t want to serve any more.” When he returned to his room he opened his bag and told that Vaishnava, “You can take as much money as you want.“

The Vaishnava said, “No, I don’t want any money. I only want to do service for Gopal. Wherever Gopal goes, I will go. I want to go and serve Him. I am not one to sell Gopal. I am a servant. I won’t take any money.”

Later on, Gopal Giri again went to see the king. The king asked him, “Why did you resign?”

“I have a temple in my village and I had a desire to get a deity of Gopal to worship.”

The king was very pleased and said, “All right, your desire is very noble. I have no objection. But sometimes you must come to Puri with your kirtan party and chant in Jagannath’s temple. .

Gopal Giri also had a deity made of Radha and installed Her. Their temple was a mud hut. He made all arrangements for Gopal, providing agricultural property so that in the future there would not be any difficulty for Gopal’s maintenance. Gopal Giri was a wealthy person. His family had landed property and they were famous for kirtan. Every day kirtan was going on. At last that land has come to me. Now we are taking care, constructing a nice temple for Gopal.