This festival, which occurs in March or April, celebrates the appearance of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu just over five hundred years ago in West Bengal. The festivities take place in temples all over the world but especially so in the Mayapur area (near Calcutta), the international centre for all followers of Lord Caitanya.

Lord Caitanya, or Mahaprabhu (the great master), is Krishna Himself appearing as His own pure devotee in order to teach the religious process (yuga-dharma), for this age. In previous ages religious processes were more rigorous but in this age , the age of Kali, (quarrel and hypocrisy), Lord Caitanya taught that one can gain full enlightenment simply by chanting Hare Krsna.

Those who witnessed the pastimes of Lord Caitanya saw Him dance and chant in love of God. Mahaprabhu induced many people to take up the process and taste the spiritual pleasure it bestows on anyone who begins to chant, no matter what their background or level of spiritual qualification.

The present day International Society for Krishna Consciousness continues the work began by Lord Caitanya who predicted that the chanting of the Holy Names of Krishna would spread all over the world.

Gaura Purnima means "Golden Full Moon", signifying that Lord Caitanya took birth at the time of the full moonrise and also that the Lord, being extremely merciful, would benedict everyone with the soothing moonlike rays of His sublime teachings. His followers spend this festival fasting and chanting congregationally, then at moonrise a sumptuous feast is enjoyed by all.

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