Arrival of Srila Prabhupada along with his associates:

On the same day (Sunday, October 3, 1929) after the installation ceremony of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s footprint at Kanai Natshala, Srila Prabhupada came to Rajmahal along with his associates. There he delivered Harikatha in the Nanaksai temple premises. From there, he took the train at 9pm and reached Tinpahar station. He spent the night there amidst Harikatha. From there Srila Prabhupada took another transport. After facing many hurdles and overcoming them through Harikirtana Srila Prabhupada finally arrived at the Mandar Hill station at around 8 pm on Monday, October 14, 1929, Ekadashi Tithi. 

Geographical location of Mandar hill:

Mandar hill is a small mountain located in Baosi block of Banka district in Bhagalpur division of Bihar state. It is about 700 feet high and situated about 45 km south of Baosi Bhagalpur town and about halfway between the Bhagalpur and Dumka national highway.

Srila Prabhupada’s statement about the distinction between the karmis and the devotees:-

When two devotees went to see the deity of Sri Madhusudan Deva at Bausi instead of seeing Sri Caitanya lotus feet first, Srila Prabhupada said, “Kṛṣṇa can not be attained without the shelter of the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya. Also Kṛṣṇa can not be attained when one abandons the shelter of Sri Radha. We will therefore install the lotus footprint Sri Chaitanya first and later go to Bausi to see the deity of Shri Madhusudan. The smartas do not have these understandings. They only focus on how they can execute their material enjoyments and acquire punya during their lifetimes, so that they will attain the opportunities of uninterrupted sense enjoyments more and more after death. These are the sole concern of the smartas and they give advice to others in order to that. Thus the original paramartha is not available here and there. Very few people are concerned about that. 

Srila Prabhupada glorifies Madhusudan Dev, a deity of Vishnu worshipped in Mandar: 

Description of twenty four vilāsa expansions of the svayam-rūpa vrajendra-nandana Kṛṣṇa

 Srila Prabhupada started speaking about Shri Madhusudan in Mandar and said , “From Krishna’s first ‘prābhava vilāsa quadruple forms’ the Vaibhava vilāsa forms are manifested. They are twenty-four in number and different orders of weapons in each of their four hands. The first ‘prābhava vilāsa quadruple forms are the original Chatur Vyuha and the cause of all other Chatur Vyuhas aka all Vaibhava vilāsa forms. This prābhava vilāsa expansiona are the Master of Mathura and Dvaraka dham. Krishna with His Adi Chatur Vyuha (primary quadruple forms) resides in Pura (Mathura & Dvaraka). Narayana with the secondary Chatur vyuha in Vaikuntha is the Vilāsa expansion of the former Chatur Vyuha. The secondary Chatur Vyuha forms have three prakasa expansions of each of Them. Thus They are (3 × 4 = 12) twelve in number and the presiding deities of twelve months and twelve tilaka mantras. Kesava, Narayana and Madhava are the manifestations of Vasudeva; Govinda, Vishnu and Madhusudana are of Sankarshana (this Govinda is not same as the Svayam Rupa Govinda); Trivikrama, Vamana and Sridhara are the prakāsa forms of Pradyumna; Hrishikesha, Padmanabha and Damodara belong to Aniruddha. Each deities of the secondary quadruple forms have two more vaibhava expansions. Vasudeva’s vilāsa forms are Adhokshaja and Purushottama, Sankarshana’s are Upendra and Achyuta, Pradyumna’s vilāsa forms are Nrsimha and Janardana, and Aniruddha’s are Hari and Krishna (this Krishna is not svayam rupa Krishna). All the twenty figures except the secondary chatur vyuhas are the presiding deities of the twelve months and the twelve tilakas, namely Kesava, Narayana, Madhava, Govinda, Vishnu, Madhusudana, Trivikrama, Vamana, Sridhara, Hrishikesha, Padmanava and Damodara; And the remaining eight vilāsa figures of the second chatur vyuha namely Purushottama, Achyuta, Narsimha, Janardana, Hari, Krishna, Adhokshaja and Upendra, are vaibhava vilāsa. So these twenty vaibhava vilāsa and Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha of secondary chatur vyuha total (20 + 4 = 24) twenty four figures are always present in Their respective Vaikunthas in eight sides.

Sri Madhusudan Deva in the form of the deity:-

All the expansions are present as arca (worshippable deities) in this universe. For instance Keshava in Mathura, Purushottama  Jagannatha in Nilachal, Bindumadhava in Prayag; Vasudeva, Padmanabha and Janardhana in Kerala, south India and Anandaranya respectively, Lord Vishnu in Vishnu Kanchi, Hari in Mayapur, Haridwar and Sridham Mayapur Navadvipa, Madhusudana in Mandar and other places.

The ontological identity of Madhusudan Deva in Mandar:-

Lord Madhusudan is one of the prakāsa expansions of Sankarshana, belonging to the second set of chatur vyuha. Sankarshana is the shelter of the Jiva potency. Paravyoma i.e. the spiritual abode is the realm of Sankarshana. Through one of His partial expansions Sankarshana expands Himself as the first purusha avatara, the form of Vishnu lying in the ocean of cause and the origin of mahat-tattva. Kāla (time), svabhava (innate disposition), prakṛti which inheres the subsequent causes and effects, the mind (manas) and other mahat-tattva, mahabhuta and other ahankaras (ego), sattva and other gunas (mode), indriyas (senses), virat (cosmic being), svarat (self-resplendent), sthavara (stationary beings) and jangama (moving beings) all are His vibhutis (representions). This Sankarshana is the immanent indweller (antaryami) and the worshippable deity of Lord Shiva. That is why the temple of Lord Shiva must be located near to the lotus feet of Madhusudan Deva. Being unaware of these conclusions of Bhagavata, the followers of panca-upasaka sect (smartas; worshipers of the five forms manifested by the unqualified formless Brahman) tried to turn this temple into a Shiva temple. From Gaya, Sri Gaurasundar arrived at the temple in 1427 shaka era or 1505 AD. First He visited the dilapidated temple of Madhusudan Deva. Then He went to see all the mountains. Srila Prabhupada asked Sri Pramod Bhushan Chakraborty Mahasaya, the editor of the daily Nadia Prakash (later Srimad Bhakti Pramoda Puri Goswami Thakura, the founder of Sri Gopinath Gaudiya Math) to recite the relevant portion from Sri Caitanya Bhagavata. He began to sing it in his natural melodious voice.

“dharma karma vakya sastra kathā kavya rase

mandare aila prabhu kateka divase”

Translation: On the way the Lord discussed dharma-karma, scriptures and poetics. Finally He arrived at Mandar within a few days

“dekhiya mandare madhusudana tathaya

bhramilena sakala parvata svalilaya”

Translation: The Lord first saw the Deity of Madhusudana at the top of the hill, and then He wandered about the hill according to His desire.

Glorification of Mandar, the place of Lord Madhusudan Deva by Srila Prabhupada:

When the singing was over, Srila Prabhupada started glorifying Mandar. In this universe, Lord Jagannatha is present at Nilachal Purushottama dhama in the form of deity (arca) for the prosperity of living entities. Similarly at Mandar, Sri Madhusudan Deva has appeared in the form of deity (arca) along with His eternal abode. This place is non different from Vaikuntha. This is one of the twenty four holy places where the deities are served following the panca-ratra scripture. The land of Nilachal was marked with the lotus feet of Sri Gaurasundara. The land of Mandar also was touched by His feet which are worshipped even by Brahma & Shiva. At Nilachal the Lord is worshipped in a grand manner inside a big temple. There is nothing like that in Mandar. 

Installation of Sri Chaitanya’s footstool in the temple by Srila Prabhupada:-

Srila Prabhupada became anxious to install the footprint of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the newly-built temple. Devotees started Sankirtan accompanied by mridanga & karatala. When Srila Prabhupada installed the footprint with his own hands, the devotees from all four directions raised their voices and chanted the victory sound in the name Sri Sri Guru Gauranga. Śrīla Prabhupāda washed the stone-engraved footprint in Ganga water. Then he worshipped the footprint with some wild flowers, tender leaves, tulasi manjari and lotus naturally grown in a nearby lake and plucked by the devotees. 

Homage by Srila Prabhupada:-

Again the victory sound in the name of Guru & Gauranga arose and filled the sky. The sound resonated and echoed again and again. It seemed that the mountain became conscious and started chanting. Śrīla Prabhupāda prostrated before the footprint, rose up and stood with folded hands and started offering his obeisances. Transmitting the spark of the energy of Chaitanya to every devotee’s heart, Prabhupada began to circumambulate around the Padapitha temple with sankirtana. After circumambulating once, he prostrated in front of the lotus feet each time. At that time he was in a wonderful mood. In this way he circumambulated three times with the sankirtana group.

Establishing stone plaques:-

Srila Prabhupada’s associates installed three stone plaques in Bengali, English and Sanskrit in front of the padapitha temple. Those were established as a commemoration of the arrival of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the service of Srila Prabhupada and his associates.

In Sanskrit: 

kalyavde shara shunye shatru nigame mandara namachale

sri chaitanya daya nidheh padayugam bhaktarchitam samvabhau

sri Siddhanta Sarasvatitiha paramo hamsah padañkam prabhoh

gauravde nidadhau triveda nigame Gaudiya sanrakshakah

Translation of the Bengali stone plaque:-

This footprint is installed in 1427 shaka era, 443 Gaura era by the sole custodian of Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya, Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Maharaj with the devoted efforts of Sri Bhakti Gunakara and at the expenses of zamindar Sri Indra Narayana Chandra Mahodaya of Nisarchati.

Stone plaque in English — 

The FootPrint of Sri Chaitanya Deva who visited this Mandar is installed by Sri Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami in the Gaur era 443 under the auspices of Bhakti Gunakar at the expense of Indra Narayan Chandra of Nirshachati.