Pilgrimage to Shri Vitthal Rukmini begins
About 5000 devotees walk over 300 km from
Narayankhed to Pandharpur on National Highway 65 annually twice a
year and back. They are provided food, and water en route by villagers. It
takes about 7 to 8 days to reach Pandharpur and equal time to return.
Hyderabad: Every
year thousands of ardent Lord Vitthal or Vithoba devotees undertake a grueling
walk called Varis to the famed Shri Vitthal Rukmini temple in Pandharpur,
Maharashtra from Narayankhed and other bordering villages in Telangana State.
Varis, as
they are called, walk from their home to the temple and after offering pujas
return home.
With the annual pilgrimage season on, Varis (devotees) have begun to leave in batches from Narayankhed and other places in Telangana while thousands across Maharashtra and Karnataka to Pandharpur. The devotees are growing by the day.
“About 4000
to 5000 devotees walk over 300 km from Narayankhed to Pandharpur on
National Highway 65 annually twice a year and back. They are
provided food, and water en route by villagers. It takes about 7 to 8 days to
reach Pandharpur and equal time to return. For the aged, it may take more time.
Some take a walk to Pandharpur but come back in vehicles. This year too Varis
are leaving in batches,” says Mahareddy Bhupal Reddy, ex-MLA Narayankhed in
Sangareddy district of Telangana State.
Lord Vitthal
or Vithoba Temple, also called southern Kasi, in Pandharpur in Maharashtra is
one of the famed pilgrimage places in the country dating back to 1195 AD.
Located on
the banks of the Bhīma, also known as Chandrabhaga because of its crescent
shape meandering, the temple attracts devotees round the year. The temple was
reportedly built during the Hoysala era by King Vishnuvardhana, also known as
Bitti Deva.
Incarnation
of Lord Vishnu
In Hinduism,
Vithoba is considered as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The worship of Vithoba
in the Pandharpur temple is based on the contents of the Puranas and the
contributions of the Vaishnav saints of Maharashtra and Karnataka, in Bhakti
tradition, during the 13th through 17th centuries.
Pandharpur
is about 380 km from Hyderabad and 72 km from Solapur headquarters. The
Pandharpur Railway Station falls on the Miraj-Kurduwadi-Latur railway track.
Festivities
in June-July
Large
numbers of devotees from all over Maharashtra and surrounding States gather at
Pandharpur mainly to celebrate the Ashadhi and Kartiki Ekadashis (June-July),
in addition to the daily regular rush of devotees.
The
Palanquins (Palakhi) of various Saints originating from various locations
gather at Vakhari, five km from Pandharpur for the Vari festival. The daily
rituals like Kakda Aarati, Mahapooja, Mahanaivedhya, Poshakh, Dhooparati,
Padyapooja, Shejarti, etc. are performed in the main temple.
Jagadguru
Sri Sant Tukaram Maharaj Sansthan announced the timetable for the 339th Palkhi
Sohala of Shri Sant Tukaram Maharaj. The 21-day programme began on June 28.
Along the way many palkis/pilgrims groups join. Major Sant Dnyaneshwar Palkhi
leaves Alandi, while Tukaram begins in Dehu in Maharashtra.
Chief
coordinators Manik Maharaj More, Vishal Maharaj More, and Santosh Maharaj More
announced the details of the yatra route. The Varis culminate at the temple on
the occasion of Shayani Ekadashi.
Varis of Pandharpur
Vari means a regular visitor to a religious
place. Vari of Pandharpur means to walk from one’s own house to Pandharpur for
the Lord and return to the house. The person who goes on this type of Vari
pilgrimage is called a Varkari (the follower of the pilgrimage).
The Varkari goes on this Vari several times a
year. Varkari follows a particular spiritual and moral code of conduct
which is way of a life for him. He remains satisfied in whatever life condition
he is in believing that the Lord has chosen that for him. He keeps his low
level of consumption believing that the Lord is taking care of him. He looks
after others who are needy in terms of food, shelter, thirst, and clothes
believing that he is serving the Lord’s purpose.
Any woman around is treated as a mother of his
own, no hatred of any living being is carried because he believes that all are
the different forms of the one Lord.
Varkari always follows the erudite and spiritual
companions of saints so that he can get guidance for a peaceful life; he also
follows the regular recitation of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita for spiritual
progression. They follow a disciplined family life so that they can achieve
spiritual emancipation. In addition to this, he remains a lifelong devotee of
Lord Vitthal.
The conglomeration of many Varkari is
conventionally called Dindi. They make groups to go on Vari in which they
enjoy music and dance to express the feeling of devotion to Lord Vitthal.
In the Marathi month of Ashadh Shukla Ekadashi,
many such Dindis come from almost every village, town, and city of Maharashtra,
Telangana, Karnataka, and other places to Pandharpur to visit the Lord
Pandurang and express their devotion to him.
Dindis follow the pattern of walking to come to
meet the Lord in Pandharpur that is why they take 15 to 20 days to reach
Pandharpur depending on the place. It has become a kind of spiritual
celebration all over Maharashtra.
Saint Dnyaneshwar
Vari and Dindi tradition is quite old. Father of
Saint Dnyaneshwar along with a group go on Vari pilgrimage by walk-in ancient
times since there were no vehicles barring bullock carts, horses, etc.
However, a proper disciplining of Vari
pilgrimage was brought about by Haibatbaba Araphalkar, a knight of Shinde
dynasty of Gwalior. He started the tradition of taking the paduka (sleepers) of
Saint Dnyaneshwar to Pandharpur along with Dindi.
Saint Tukaram
Saint Tukaram was also a Varkari. His son is
known to have started the tradition of taking the paduka of Saint Dnyaneshwar
and Tukaram to Pandharpur in Dindi around AD 1685. These are two major
traditions of Vari and Dindi.
Four main seasons of pilgrimage (Vari)
Chaitra Yatra–Chaitra is the first month of the
Hindu calendar. Chaitra Shuddha Ekadashi (the eleventh day of the month) is
called Kamda Ekadashi. On this day the first pilgrimage in the year is held at
Pandharpur. Many Varkari devotees gather in Pandharpur to take the darshan of
Lord Vitthal.
2) Ashadhi Yatra /Ashadhi Ekadashi: This
pilgrimage is of supreme importance for devotees. At this time the biggest
numbers of Varkari gather in Pandharpur. This Ekadashi is known as Devashayani
Ekadashi. It is believed that Lord Vitthal starts His sleep from this day. The
holy period of Chaturmas begins from this day. During this period devotees
spend as much time as possible in worshipping Lord Vitthal. During
Aashadhi and Kartiki, the temple remains open to all devotees for 24 hours. The
Dindi of Saint Dnyaneshwar and Saint Tukaram along with thousands of other
Dindis come to Pandharpur followed by millions of devotees. After reaching
there they take a holy bath in river Chandrabhaga and finish the Pradakshina (a
holy peripheral walk of town Pandharpur).
3) Kartiki Yatra: It is celebrated on
Shuddha Ekadashi of the month Kartik. It is believed Lord Vitthal gets up from
His sleep on this day. As a part of the celebration, there are Kirtan and
Bhajan at all the places on the shores of the river Chandrabhaga. Devotees
crowd there on the previous day and stay awake the whole night. Again, the
pilgrimages disburse after Gopalkala at Gopalpur on the day of the full moon
(Purnima).
4) Maghi Yatra: This Yatra is held in Shuddha Ekadashi of the month of Magh. This Ekadashi is known as Jaya Ekadashi. The entire atmosphere of the Pandharpur is dissolved into a devotional mood on this day.
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