Seventeenth Century Revival
At the beginning of the 17th century, when all those who had been principals in the movement had long since passed away, the sect entered into a period of great interest.
Here, as elsewhere, the history of the period is largely a record of outstanding personalities who became dynamic centres of influence.
There were 3 such personalities whose character and power made them worthy successors of the first great leaders:
These men were Śrīnivāsa Āchārya, Narottama Datta and Śyāmānanda Das. Much of the literature of the period is concerned with these men, and their activities in the spread of the Vaishnava faith.
They had all studied under some of the immediate disciples of Chaitanya and had spent a number of years at Vrindāvan, undergoing the highly intellectual as well as ascetic discipline of the Gosvāmī circle there.
They had grown up in the period succeeding Chaitanya's death, when the cult of his deity had become fixed and veneration for his character had deepened with the years.
They were both scholars and saints, learned in the intricacies of Vaishnava theology and saintly in life, with that peculiar combination of ascetic and revivalist, which has been the predominant trait of Vaishnava sainthood in Bengal since Chaitanya's time.
A considerable literature grew up dealing with the travels, the triumphs, and the sanctity of these men.
Śrīnivāsa came into prominence through his conversion of a famous rājā, named Vīra Hāmvīra, who was a notorious robber. This man became a vigorous Vaishnava, and used his wealth and influence in the propagation of the faith:
He was the ruler of the independent State of Vishnupur, which embraced a considerable portion of what is now the district of Bankura and more besides.
His was one of the oldest ruling houses of Bengal, known as the Malla Rājās; they were in power before the Muslim rule.
At this time it was a powerful State, and became a noted centre of Vaishnavism. Numerous temples were built and endowed by this raja and his successors.
They are of some importance architecturally, because of their beautiful brick carving and because they represent the most complete set of specimens of the distinctively Bengal style of temple architecture to be found today .
The second of the trio, Narottama Datta, was the son and heir of Krishnānanda Datta, a wealthy rājā of Kheturi, of the present Rajshahi district. The establishment maintained by this family was on the scale of a small court, and the boy grew up as something of a prince.
His inclinations were not in harmony with this kind of life, and he ran away at an early age to Vrindāvan, where he dedicated himself to the life of the vairāgī.
He became an ascetic of great fame and sanctity, attracting many disciples, among whom were numerous Brahmans.
Narottama founded a Chaitanya temple at Kheturi, and wielded great influence among high and low.
Kheturi became one of the active centres of the faith. A great festival was held here in the second decade of the century, to which every Vaishnava in Bengal was invited.
It was carried out on a lavish scale, and, judging from the references to it in the literature, it must have been a notable incident in the development of the sect.
From Kheturi Narottama's disciples in their proselytizing zeal went up to the eastern borders of Bengal, to Tipperah and Manipur, where the ruling chiefs now accepted the Chaitanya cult.
Others "spread the tenets of Vaishnavism in the Dacca district - and other places where the Vaishnavas showed great activity in preaching their propaganda."
The temple at Kheturi is of interest because of its image of Viṣṇupriyā, the wife of Chaitanya, associated with those of Chaitanya and Nityānanda. An annual mela is held here in October.