Alandi (near Pune)-
Pandharpur Yatra, thousands of 'Warkaris' walk the 240 km route to Pandharpur near Sholapur in Maharashtra. The pilgrimmage takes
21 days of walk with the phalkis. Devotees come from all parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka to Alandi. The bullock driven chariot is followed by thousands of devout pilgrims all along the route.Pilgrims sing devotional songs all the way with their musical instruments - 'Veena' and 'Dhol'.
The Yartra started on
09 July 2007 from Alandi. Views of Pilgrim's progress from
Alandi &
Dehu .
Thousands of devotees come in trucks equipped with tents, cooking utensils, LPG, stove, fire wood, food items, berth to sleep. They camp all the way in tents, cook the food and walk daily with the phalki by singing songs. Hundreds of makeshift tents make the yatra comfortable to devotees.
Pandharpur is one of the most respected pilgrimage sites in Maharashtra. It is located on the banks of the Bhima river, which is also known as Chandrabhaga (fondly referred as it appears like a half-moon, actual Chandrabhaga river is now called Chenab and is in J&K). Pandharpur hosts the famous Vithoba temple, on the banks of the river. Vithoba is considered to be Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu; Vitthala is said to have been derived from the word Vishnu in Kannada. Vithoba's consort
is Rakhumai or Rukmini.
The worship of Vishnu - Vitthala - at Pandharpur is derived mainly from the puranas and has been augmented by the contribution of the great Vaishnava saints of Maharashtra and Karnataka from the 13th through the 17th centuries: Dnyaneshwar, Namdev, Sant Eknath, Tukaram, Purandara Dasa, Vijaya Dasa, Gopala Dasa, Jagannatha Dasa.
This temple, covering a vast area, has a total of six gates. The eastern entrance to this temple is known as the Namdev gate. The sanctum enshrines a standing image of Vithoba also known as Panduranga, Pandhari or Vitthala. Vitthala is said to have been derived from the word Vishnu in Kannada.
Pandharpur hosts four "Yatras" in a year - of which "Aashadhi Yatra" attracts most (around 0.5 to 0.7 million) pilgrims to Pandharpur. Pilgrims take holy bath in river Bhima and usually stand in queues 3 km long in order to take "Darshana" of Lord Vitthala. The second most important yatra is Kartiki.
Warkaris do not leave Pandharpur on wednesday. Pandharpur, known as “Sourthern Kashi of India, proudly hosts the of Maharashtra. The Vitthal of Pandharpur is undoubtedly the premier deity of Maharashtra. It is, perhaps, the greatest centre of attraction for the masses as far as S. India. Sholapur (65 km).
Panduranga is a sanskritized form of Pandarga, the old name of Pandharpur. Pundalik, a saint was closely associated with this shrine, and hence this shrine is also known as Pundarika pura. Stylistically the image dates back to the 5th century AD.
There are inscriptions in this temple dating back to the 13th century. Namdev, the 13th century saint was closely associated with this temple. Copper plate inscriptions of the Rashtrakootas place this shrine in the 6th century AD. There is also a shrine to Pundalik at Pandharpur. Pandharpur is also the birth place of famous painter M.F. Hussain.
More than 1.5 million devotees had visited the Pandharpur temple in 2007 pilgrim season.