Gaura-purnima is a Vaisnava festival that occurs in the month of March every year. It is the celebration of the birth of the saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Gaura Purnima means "Golden Full Moon", a reference to Chaitanya. The festival is spent by his followers fasting and chanting congregationally. A feast is enjoyed by them at moonrise.

Gaudiya Vaishnavas celebrate the festival as part of Navadvipa-mandala Parikrama. As a part of celebration, devotees present dramas and classes about Lord Chaitanya’s activities. The Deities of Gaura-Nitai receive new clothes, and the devotees engage in extra kirtan on the day of Gaura-purnima.

It is believed that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Person, Krishna Himself, in the form of his own devotee. He is believed to have appeared in this world to spread love for Krishna. His disciples, followers and scholars consider him as the latest avatar of Krishna. Their belief is based on the evidence found in vedic literature.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu influenced many leading religious scholars of India and their followers to become Krishna’s devotees. A Sanskirt academy named Navadvipa was started by him in his youth. Navadvipa was one of the top centers of learning in India, then. He gained reputation as an excellent scholar. When he was 24 year old, he renounced the worldly pleasures and traveled to the sub-continent. He encouraged every one he met, to chant ‘the Hare Krishna mantra’. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had spread love by chanting the holy names of the lord. He appeared in 1486 in Sridhama Mayapur, West Bengal. Teachings of Lord Chaitanya is the book in which all the activities and teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu are detailed in.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness, ISKCON, is a continuation of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's sankirtan movement. ISKCON Baroda has celebrated Gaura-purnima with a lot of enthusiasm and devotion. Below are few pictures taken at ISKCON Baroda

- Sumana