There is also the ancient Deity of Tapovan Hanuman, which is situated next to the temple of Lord Gopinath. This Deity was established 400 years ago by Sant Tulasi Das, the great devotee of Lord Ramacandra.

There are many beautiful stories and sweet pastimes of Sri Sri Danda bhanga Gopinath described in some of the old palm leaf manuscripts, which are found at the temple.One among them which describes how Lord Gopinath would daily come and play a game called “Guchitandu” (a game similar to that of a rural miniature cricket) with His village kid friends. This was during the early 16th century.

At that time there was a great devotee who used to be the pujari of the temple and who used to daily bring many different kinds of sumptuous preparations for Gopinath to eat. In this way there was a very strong, loving relationship between both of them. However, on one fine day, while opening the temple, this pujari unexpectedly found Gopinath to be missing. He became worried and started searching for Him everywhere.

Finally, in his search, he came across a field where he saw Gopinath playing “Guchitandu” with His friends. Seeing this, he became angry and immediately caught hold of a stick to beat Him. When Gopinath realized this, out of fear He ran with great speed towards the temple and jumped over the altar, turning into the shape of His Deity. In this way, Lord Gopinath used to display many of His mischievous pastimes.

There is also another interesting pastime, which reveals information about the presence of Lord Ananta Dev. This also took place during the same period. At that time many visitors would regularly come to the temple and make many offerings for Lord Gopinath. Once there was a rich merchant among the visitors who donated a golden flute for the Lord. After the flute was donated, its news spread all over the area and in this way it also reached the ears of a thief. When the thief came to know about this flute, he became greedy and decided to steal it. Thus, one night heentered into the temple and successfully stole the flute, but while he was on his way out, he saw a huge dreadful black snake with thousands of heads looking at him.

Out of fear he jumped and climbed a huge banyan tree. The snake also followed him and remained below the tree watching at him. The thief could not come down. A whole night passed and during the morning (mangalaarati) when the pujari came back to open the temple, he saw this huge snake, watching someone from below. When he looked up he saw the thief hanging over the tree. Then when he looked down again, the snake disappeared. In this way the thief was caught. From this we can clearly deduce that Lord Ananta Dev, even now, remains personally present as the caretaker of this great Dham.

Actually, the mysterious Dandabhanga pastime of Lord Caitanya was also witnessed by one of the lenkas (confidential spies of the King), who had, in turn, returned back and informed the King about this news. It was informed that an effulgent young sannyasi from Gaudadesha (Bengal) named Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had just arrived to Puri, performing a mysterious pastime. When both the King and Queen heard, about this they became over joyous and excited. They immediately developed a strong desire to visit the site. They visited the siteand the King, after being strongly prompted from within, installed the glorious Deity of The Supreme Lord, Sri Sri Danda bhanga Gopinath. He had also erected a small temple for His Supreme Lordship to stay.

The temple of Sri SriDandabhangaGopinath:

There are ample amount of evidences that confirms the arrival of King Prathap Rudra Dev along with his wife to this site in order to establish the Deity of Danda bhanga Gopinath. Among them, some of the most prominent ones are as follows: 1. It is a known fact that King Prathap Rudra Dev was present on the planet when Mahaprabhu was performing this pastime. 2. It has been evidently mentioned in the most bonafide record book of the Sri Jagannath mandir, named Madalapanji, that the King of Puri, Maharaja PrathapRudra Dev along with his wife Jankadei had visited this site and established the Deity of Lord Danda bhanga Gopinath. 3. In accordance with the revenue records of Puri District, 500 years ago, this place was known as Kamalapura. But now, it is divided into 2 shasanas (sectors), which are named as Viraprathap pur and Jankadeipur respectively. These two shasanas were named after the King and Queen of Puri (i.e. King Vira Prathap Rudra Dev and his Queen Jankadei), especially to memorialize their visit to this site, 500 years ago.

The installation ceremony of the Deity of Sri Sri Danda bhanga Gopinath by the devotee King Raja PrathapRudra Dev, 500 years ago.

Dandabhanga pastime of Nityananda prabhu breaking Danda (staff) of Lord Chaitanya – Srila Krishna Das KavirajaGosvami in his book Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Srila Krishna Das KavirajaGosvami nicely narrates about the journey of SrimanMahaprabhu on his way from Bhubanesvara to Sri Jagannath Puri.

The narration is as follows:
[From Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-5, text 140 to 158)]
bhuvanesvara-patheyaichekailadarsanaa vistarivarniyachenadasavrndavana (verse-140)
kamalapureasibharginadi-snanakaila nityananda-hate prabhudandadharila (verse-141)
kapotesvaradekhitegelabhakta-ganasange ethanityananda-prabhukailadanda-bhange (verse-142)
tinakhandakari’ dandadilabhasana bhaktasangeailaprabhumahesadekhina (verse-143)
jagannatheradeuladekhi’ avistahaila dandavatkaripremenacitelagila (verse-144)
bhakta-ganaavistahana, sabenacegaya premaveseprabhu-sange raja-marge yaya (verse-145)
hase, kande, naceprabhuhunkaragarjana tina-krosapathahaila – sahasrayojana (verse-146)
calitecaliteprabhuaila ‘atharanala’ tahanasiprabhukichubahyaprakasila (verse-147)
nityanandekaheprabhu, — dehamoradanda nityananda bale, — dandahailatinakhanda (verse-148)
premavesepadilatumi, tomaredharinu toma-sahaseidanda-uparepadinu (verse-149)
dui-janarabharedandakhandakhandahaila seikhandakanhapadila, kichunajanila (verse-150)
moraaparadhetomaradanda ha-ilakhanda ye ucitahaya, morakarataradanda’ (verse-151)
suni’ kichumahaprabhuduhkhaprakasila isatkrodhakari’ kichukahitelagila (verse-152)
nilacaleanimorasabehitakaila sabedanda-dhanachila, tahanarakhila (verse-153)
tumi-saba age yahaisvaradekhite kibaami age yai , nayabasahite (verse-154)
mukunda data kahe, — prabhu, tumiyaha age ami-sabapacheyaba, nayabatomarasange (verse-155)
etasuni’ prabhu age calilasighra-gati bujhitena pare keha dui prabhuramati (verse-156)
inhokenedandabhange, tenhokenebhangaya bhanganakrodhetenhoinhakedosaya (verse-157)
danda-bhanga-lilaei — paramagambhira seibujhe, dunharapadeyanra bhakti dhira (verse-158)

Translation:
In his book Caitanya-bhagavata, Srila Vrindavana Dasa Thakura has very vividly described the places visited by the Lord on the way to Bhubanesvara. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu arrived at Kamalapura, he took his bath in the river Bhargavi and left his sannyasa staff in the hands of Lord Nityananda.

When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to the temple of Lord Siva known as Kapatesvara, Nityananda Prabhu, who was keeping his sannyasa staff in custody, broke the staff in three parts and threw it into the river Bhargavi. Later this river became known as river Dandabhanga.

When Sriman Mahaprabhu went alone to visit the temple of Lord Siva known as Kapatesvara Mahadev, Lord Nityananda Prabhu, taking advantage of the absence of Mahaprabhu, broke His Danda into three pieces.

After seeing the temple of Jagannath from a distant place, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu immediately became ecstatic. After offering obeisances to the temple, he began to dance in the ecstasy of Love of God. All the devotees became ecstatic in the association of Lord Caitanya, and thus absorbed in Love of God, they were dancing and singing while going along the main road. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu laughed, cried, danced and made many ecstatic vibrations and sounds. Although the temple was only six miles away, to him the distance seemed thousands of miles. Thus walking and walking, the Lord eventually arrived at the place known as Attharanala.

.

Arriving there, he expressed his external consciousness, speaking to Sri Nityananda Prabhu. When Lord Caitanya had thus regained external consciousness, he asked Lord NityanandaPrabhu, “please return my staff.” Nityananda Prabhu then replied, “It has been broken into three parts.”

Nityananda Prabhu said, “When you fell down in ecstasy, I caught you, but both of us together fell upon the staff. Thus the staff broke under our weight. Where the pieces have gone I cannot say. It is certainly because of my offense that your staff was broken. Now you can punish me on this account as you think proper.”

The Lord regained His external conciousness and asked Nityanandaprabhu to return His Danda.

After reaching the place named Attharnala, the Lord regained His external conciousness and asked Nityananda prabhu to return His Danda. But Lord Nityananda Prabhu replied that “it was broken into three parts.”

After hearing the story about how his staff had been broken, the Lord expressed a little sadness and, displaying slight anger, began to speak as follows. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “You have all benefited me by bringing me to Nilacala. However, my only possession wasthe staff, and you have not kept it. So all of you should go before or behind me to see Lord Jagannath. I shall not go with you.” Mukunda Datta told Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, “My Lord, you should go ahead and allow all the others to follow. We shall not go with you.”

(The same ancient road, which existed 500 years ago, leading from Bhubaneshwar to Sri JagannathPuri.)

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then began to walk very swiftly before all the other devotees. No one could understand the real purpose of the two Lords, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu. The devotees could not understand why Nityananda Prabhu broke the staff, why Caitanya Mahaprabhu permitted him to do so, or why, after permitting him, Caitanya Mahaprabhu became angry. This Danda bhanga pastime, of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Nityananda Prabhu, is supremely deep, supremely grave and supremely hidden.

Only to him, who is unflinchingly surrendered and soberly fixed at the Divine Lotus Feet of the two Lords, in his heart of hearts, can the immeasurable glories of this great eternal pastime be revealed.