Imli Tala in Vrindavan: The Place of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

      On the Vrindavan Parikrama road, Imli Tala comes on the right side, past the Madan Mohan Temple. On the left side of the road I saw the River Yamuna flow by. On the right side, there was a white marble building which had the sacred Imli Tala in front of it. This sacred tree had been 'caged' to protect it from vandalism.

      Imli Tala means beneath tamarind tree. Under this sacred tamarind tree, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu spent many days, chanting the holy names of Lord Krishna. It is believed that He visited this sacred tree everyday. Sri Sanatana Goswami later established the worship of Nitai Gauranga here. Many centuries ago, the Yamuna used to flow right across Imli Tala. However, now the river has moved away a bit. The Parikrama Path separates the Imli Tala from the holy river.

Imli Tala in Vrindavan

      Behind the Imli Tala tree was the Gaudiya Matha temple. The altar had beautiful idols of Radha, Krishna, Nitai, and Gauranga. All the walls of the temple were adorned with colourful paintings depicting the pastimes from the life of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The biggest painting was the one above the altar. It depicted Lord Krishna performing Ras Lila with the gopis.

      There must be thousands of tamarind trees in Vrindavan alone. What makes this tree so special and prayer worthy? Ironically, the tree had to bear the brunt of Radha's curse 5000 years ago!

      Till this date, this tree no longer bears ripened hard fruit. When the fruits are half ripe and soft, they fall to the ground.

      Some people believe that this particular tamarind tree here dates back to the era of Radha and Krishna. Others believe that this tree is a descendant of the original tree.