2024 - Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati | Commemorative Coin

The 4th commemorative coin for the year 2024 was released to mark the 150th Birth Anniversary of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupad.

Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, originally named Bimala Prasad Datt, stood as a prominent Gaudīya Vaisnava Hindu guru, ācārya, and revivalist in early twentieth-century India. Revered as Srila Prabhupāda by his followers, a title later extended to his disciple A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Born in 1874 in Puri (then Bengal Presidency, now Odisha) to the renowned Bengali Gaudiya Vaishnava philosopher Kedarnath Datta Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Bimala Prasad received Western and traditional Indian education, earning the title Siddhānta Saraswatī. In 1900, he initiated into Gaudiya Vaishnavism under Vaishnava ascetic Gaurkishor Dās Bābājī.

In 1918, after the deaths of his father and guru, Bimala Prasad embraced the ascetic order, adopting the name Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami. He founded the Gaudiya Math in Calcutta, evolving it into a dynamic missionary and educational institution with branches in India and abroad.

Remembered for his intense oratory and writing style, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati opposed monistic Hinduism, advocating traditional krishna-bhakti. His mission, a potent reformist movement in Bengal during the 19th and early 20th centuries, faced internal dissent post his 1937 demise, resulting in the fragmentation of the united mission in India. Despite challenges, the movement regained momentum. In 1966, ISKCON, founded by Prabhupāda's disciple Bhaktivedanta, played a pivotal role in globalizing Gaudiya Vaisnava teachings. Presently, Prabhupāda's branch boasts over 500,000 adherents worldwide.

Release Function: