Sri Nama Hatta, the marketplace of the holy name, is located in Sri Navadwipa Dhama.
History of Nama-hatta
Just over 500 years ago, Shri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in the Shri Chaitanya Bhagavata, gave the following order to His pioneering preachers Shri Nityananda Prabhu and Shri Haridas Thakura:
suno suno Nityananda, suno Haridasa,
sarvatra amara ajna koroha prakasa,
prati ghare ghare giya koro ei bhiksa,
bolo Krsna, bhaja Krsna, koro Krsna siksa
“O hear Me, hear Me Nityananda! Hear Me Haridasa! Simply disseminate My order everywhere. Go from house to house and beg [the residents as follows]: ‘Speak about Krsna, worship Krsna and teach [others] about Krsna.’”
[Caitanya-bhagavata Madhya-Lila 13.8-9]
Over 100 years ago, the great Acharya Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, in the line Gaudiya Vaishnavasim, again took up the preaching mission of the Lord Caitanya and recorded the following words in reference to the Nama-hatta preaching work:
boro sukher khabor gai
surabhi-kunjete namer hat khule’che / khoda nita
“I am singing news of the greatest happiness! At the place known as Surabhi Kunja in Shri Navadvipa, the Marketplace of the Holy Name has now been opened-and Lord Nityananda Himself is the Proprietor.” [Vaisnava-Siddhanta-Mala]
