Gopi

Gopi is a word of Sanskrit (गोपी) originating from the word Gopala referring to a person in charge of a herd of cows. In Hinduism especially the name gopika (feminine form of Gopi) is used more commonly to refer to the group of cow herding girls famous within Vaishnava Theology for their unconditional devotion (Bhakti) to Krishna as described in the stories of Bhagavata Purana and other Puranic literatures. Of this group, one gopika known as Radha (or Radhika) holds a place of particularly high reverence and importance in a number of religious traditions, especially within Gaudiya Vaishnavism. In Gaudiya Vaishnavism, there are 108 gopikas of Vrindavan.

Prominent gopis

The gopis of Vrindavan total 108 in number; Krishna charit describes the number as 16,000. They are generally divided into three groups: Gopi friends of the same age as Krishna; maidservants; and gopi messengers. The first group are the most exalted (Varistha), Krishna's contemporary gopi friends, the second group are the maidservants and are the next most exalted (Vara), and the gopi messengers come after them. The varistha gopis are more famous than all the others. They are eternally the intimate friends of Radha and Krishna. No one can equal or exceed the love they bear for the divine couple. The primary eight gopis are considered the foremost of Krishna's devotees after Srimati Radharani. Their names are as follows :

Bharath Gopi

Gopinathan Velayudhan Nair, also known as Bharat Gopy, (2 November 1937 – 29 January 2008) was an Indian film actor, producer, and director. He was one of the first actors to be associated with the New Wave cinema movement in Kerala during the 1970s.

He has won many awards, including the National Film Award for Best Actor for his role as Sankarankutty in Kodiyettam (1977), and hence he got the name Bharath. His well known roles include Aiyappan in Yavanika, Vasu Menon in Palangal, Prof. "Shakespeare" Krishna Pillai in Kattathe Kilikoodu, Dushasana Kurup in Panchavadi Palam, Nandagopal in Ormakkayi, Mammachan in Adaminte Vaariyellu, Shankaran in Chidambaram, and Krishnan Raju in Aghaat.

As a filmmaker he is known for Ulsavapittennu (1989) and Yamanam (1991). He produced the movie Padheyam (1993) directed by Bharathan. In 1991 the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri for his contributions towards the arts. On 24 January 2008, Gopi was hospitalised with chest pains. He died five days later following a cardiac arrest.

Gopi (1970 film)

Gopi is a 1970 Hindi film produced by T S Muthuswami and S S Palaniappan, the film is directed by A. Bhimsingh. It stars Dilip Kumar, Saira Banu, Pran, Om Prakash, Durga Khote, Farida Jalal, Johnny Walker, Lalita Pawar and Aruna Irani. This is a remake of 1964 Kannada Movie Chinnada Gombe starring Kalyan Kumar and J Jayalalitha, which was produced & directed by B. R. Panthulu. This film is remembered for Om Prakash and Dilip Kumar class act . Om Prakash tragic act is highlight of this movie.

Cast

Production

According to film expert Rajesh Subramanian,Rajendra Kumar was first signed for the film. The producers felt Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar would make a perfect pair and requested Rajendra Kumar, who returned the signing amount and quit the film.

Awards