-
Tel/Fax:+912226121322,Cell:+9109869420322/+9109820253565Email:[email protected],[email protected]|Website:www.parikramaholidays.com
THE PANDHARPUR WARI
OCEAN OF FAITH
Every single day the Palkhi has to reach a pre designated place
by Sunset
On the 11TH Day of the bright moon in the month of Aashaad
[July] many devotees of the Warkari clan, singing & dancing all
the way to the rhythmic beats of Cymbals & the Mrudunga
(traditional Indian drum), reach the temple town of Pandharpur, to
have a glimpse of Lord Vitthal. The clan, which consisted of only a
handful of followers about half a century ago, today boasts of four
to five hundred thousand pilgrims or warkaris as they are known.
There is no definite information available on the origins of this
Wari Tradition which is a pilgrimage on foot to Pandharpur.
However, there are some references made by Sant (saint) Namdev
about Vitthalpant, Sant Dnyaneshwars father, joining the Wari to
visit Pandharpur in the month of Aashaad & Kartik (October /
November). So we can infer that the state of Maharashtra has seen
this tradition being followed since at least the last 800 years.
History tells us about many sects that have developed under of a
King; however the Warkari clan has developed entirely due to the
patronage of the people. This is perhaps because it is a peoples
movement constantly working towards creating awareness about
devotion & righteousness. Defying existing rituals, the clan
willingly opened its doors to people of all casts & creeds,
giving everyone a sense of belonging to a group. This has given
warkaris a measure of popularity. As such, the number of people
joining this clan has increased considerably.
-
Tel/Fax:+912226121322,Cell:+9109869420322/+9109820253565Email:[email protected],[email protected]|Website:www.parikramaholidays.com
Lord-Vitthal
The Wari custom was prevalent even in Sant Tukarams household.
He turned this private event into a social one. It is said that he
was followed by 1400 devotees carrying the symbolic cymbal. On the
8TH Day of the waning moon in the month of Jyeshtha (June) Sant
Tukaram would to go to Alandi to pay a visit to Sant Dnyaneshwars
Tomb & on the 9TH Day he would continue in the direction of
Pandharpur. After his death, his younger brother Kanhola &
later his Son Narayan Baba continued to follow the tradition. On
the 7TH day, Narayan Baba would keep Sant Tukarams Padukas
(footwear) in the Palkhi (Palanquin), on the 8TH day he would go to
Alandi to keep Sant Dnyaneshwars Padukas in the same Palkhi. The
next day he would set off on his journey to Pandharpur.
Leaving the Alandi Mandir start of the wari
This custom was followed from 1680 to 1832. From 1829 to 1832
there was a conflict between the descendants of Sant Tukaram More,
on the rights of servitude. In 1832, Haibat Baba Pawar Arfalkar, a
Sardar of Shinde from Gwalior started a separate Palkhi of Sant
Dnyaneshwar from Alandi in order to avoid the consequences of the
conflict in the more household on the whole
-
Tel/Fax:+912226121322,Cell:+9109869420322/+9109820253565Email:[email protected],[email protected]|Website:www.parikramaholidays.com
tradition. From then onwards, Sant Dnyaneshwars Palkhi &
Sant Tukarams Palkhi arrive separately to Pandharpur. The Sardar
was also helped by Sardar Shitole of Ankali. The names of
Khandobaji Baba and his cymbal player Shedge Baba also featured
amongst the aides of Haibat Baba. And so the order of dindis
(groups) with the Palkhis was fixed: first that of Alandikar, then
that of Khandobaji Baba, followed by Shedge Baba. After a few years
the conflict in the more household terminated. Since Sant
Dnyaneshwars palanquin procession was being conducted separately,
Sant Tukarams Palkhi was taken independently through Dehu City via
Pune City to Pandharpur. Today, Sant Tukarams Palkhi procession
starts from Dehu & reaches Pandharpur via Aakurdi, Pune.
Lonikalbhor, Yavat, Varvand, Baramati, Indapur, Akluj & Wakhri
respectively. Sant Dnyaneshwars Palkhi goes through the cities of
Alandi, Pune, Saswad, Jejuri, Lonand, Faltan, Natepute, Malshiras,
Velapur, Shegaon & Wakhri to Pandharpur.
Warkaris Takepart in the Folklore
Both the Palkhis meet at Wakhri and proceed to Pandharpur. In
this procession, a wide variety of people from all social and
economic backgrounds flow into the sea of Warkaris and worship with
same fervour & devotion. Apart from its spiritual benefits,
this pilgrimage has other positive effects. People become aware of
diverse regions & agricultural conditions, social variety &
changeand most importantly, how to live life on meager necessities.
A person who has experienced a lot of worldly sorrows achieves a
sort of detachment from the everyday life and manages to get
temporary relief from it. In the eyes of Lord Vitthal, everyone is
equal. They are his worshippers & have no other identity. This
doctrine of parity & humanity is integrated into participants
by means of this wari. Even though we live in a world that is
becoming increasingly materialistic, thousands of devotees still
find the time & commitment to join in the journey on foot,
braving the sun & the rain, to get a new lease of life and gain
spiritual happiness. They walk 250 Km. to seek the blessings of
Pandurang (Lord Vitthal) in Pandharpur. The Warkari, who had left
for Pandharpur chanting the names of saints all the way, returns
home with renewed zeal. According to the Warkari ideology, the soul
is the essence of every beings life. God is a part of this essence.
So, the sole objective of a Warkari in life is to ensure that the
divine remains a part of the living experience.
-
Tel/Fax:+912226121322,Cell:+9109869420322/+9109820253565Email:[email protected],[email protected]|Website:www.parikramaholidays.com
Aware that a common person who has duties to fulfill towards his
family might find Hatayog, hard fasting, re-reading of the holy
texts & scriptures and discussions on moral values very
challenging, the Wari tradition offers instead a simple &
engaging (form of poem) by the saints assert that God is mother,
father, brother & friend. The Warkari ideology says that God
has created all equal without discriminating between nobility &
low-birth, caste, creed or status. Everyone has an equal right to
worship God. During this 250 Km. walkathon all devotees travel and
eat together, so there remains no distinction between different
casts. Even if you take a look at the list of saints names, you
would find that they come from various casts & background.
Eagerly waiting for Darshan
Saints in this Warkari clan include Sant Dnyaneshwar (Brahmin),
Sant Namdev Shimpi (Tailor), Sant Chokhoba, Banka Maharaj, Narhari
Sonar (Goldsmith), Savatoba Mali (Farmer), Gora Kumbhaar (Potter),
Sena Navhi (Barber), Tukoba Wani (Grocer), Eknath & others. The
list also includes the names of female saint poets like Muktabai,
Janabai, Nirmala, Kanhopatra, Bahinabai. These names are as
important in the society as they are in the clan. The Warkari clan
thus strongly attacks the established tenets that low caste people
are not allowed to worship or obtain salvation. The Bharud (form of
poem) of Sant Eknath enlightens people & advises them to join
the procession without discrimination. His compositions oppose
rituals & superstitions. Through his poems, Sant Eknath managed
to entertain & preach at the same time. The poems spread the
message of worshipping Lord Vitthal even amongst the lowest deemed
casts like Godhali, Bharadi, Vasudev, Dombari & Mahar and also
amongst the nomads. Sant Dynaneshwar is considered to be a
Philosopher & a spiritual Guru of the clan. He achieved an
excellent blend of devotion, knowledge, deeds & fate. He even
wrote about it in his Dnyaneshwari and preached that one should no
shun his duties. He translated the holy Bhagwad Gita from Sanskrit
to Prakrit (Marathi) language, making it available to all.
-
Tel/Fax:+912226121322,Cell:+9109869420322/+9109820253565Email:[email protected],[email protected]|Website:www.parikramaholidays.com
The WomenFolk carrying the holy basil plant of water, joyos
& strong in their
pilgrimage
His follower Sant Tukaram too was considered a great saint.
There was a beautiful blend of knowledge, devotion & asceticism
in him. He always expected people to give up discrimination &
fiercely denounced immorality under the guise of religion. He
wanted to take society away from superstitions and belief in ghosts
& spirits, black magic, evil god worship & hypocrisy. Sant
Tukaram was a folk poet in the true sense. His Abhangs integrated
well into the everyday life of society.
The clans activities were considerable considering the period
when womens rights & liberation werent even taken into account.
Sant Dnyaneshwars sister Muktabai (1279 1297), his servant Janabai
(1260 1353), Sant Tukarams disciple Bahinabai (1628 1708) proved to
be effective poets. In times when women were discouraged from
worshipping & striving for salvation, they proved otherwise. So
women too joined in large numbers in this pilgrimage as Malkaris.
The Palkhis timetable is well defined & strictly followed.
Early dawn, after worshipping the Saints footwear, the palkhi sets
out exactly at six. A Tutari (wind instrument) is blown thrice to
alert the Warkaris. At the first signal, the Warkaris get ready to
leave. At the second signal the Dindis [groups] stand in a queue
for the Palkhi procession & at the third one, the procession
starts off. After covering 4 5 Km. the Warkaris halt for half an
hour for Breakfast. They then proceed until they stop again later
this time for Lunch when they make their first offerings to the
Lord.
-
Tel/Fax:+912226121322,Cell:+9109869420322/+9109820253565Email:[email protected],[email protected]|Website:www.parikramaholidays.com
There is another halt for Tea and at six, after sunset, the
procession halts to camp. In the morning, when the palkhi starts
off, the didni (groups of Warkaris) line up in the given order. The
dindis are positioned ahead & behind the Palkhi, and are given
numbers accordingly, the first one being the one closest a saffron
flag. It is not bright saffron but instead the colour which is got
after dipping a mud-coloured cloth in Kaav (dull Orange Brown
colour). Cymbal players & the Warkaris follow this flag bearer
in lines of four. The Mrudung player & Veena player are
positioned in the middle & at the end of the dindi
respectively. Then come the women Warkaris, some carrying the holy
basil plant & some carrying pitchers of drinking water on their
head. There is also a huge number of Warkaris not belonging to any
dindi. They just join the procession carrying their belongings on
their head. These individuals are totally dependant, for food &
shelter, on the residents of the villages along the way. Every
dindi had its own water tanker & trucks to carry their
belongings which include small tents. The management ensured that
these tents are set up and the meals prepared well before the
dindis arrive at the decided spot. Many of the Warkaris, especially
women, are not accustomed to performing their morning ablutions in
the open. So they have to get up early in the morning to get ready
before the others awake. They carry wet clothes with them & let
them dry during the first halt of that day.
Pandharpur Devotees
The dindis also decide the order in which the Abhanga are to be
sung. You can find newly joined Warkaris reading the Abhangas from
books even as they are walking. The Warkari who adorns a garland of
Tulsi [basil] is called a Malkari. His basic duty is to stay away
from meat & alcohol. At the days end they sing bhajan Jayajaya
Ramkrushna Hari & Abhangas, and in the evening they pray and
listen to sermons which refresh them after the days long and tiring
walk. Now-a-days, the Wari also consists of professors, doctors,
businessmen & retired administrators in large numbers. The
procession of 18 21 days reaches the temple town of Pandharpur on
the 11TH day of the waxing moon in the month of Ashadh. The
Warkaris then bathe in the Chandrabhaga River & worship Lord
Vitthal, thus completing their meaningful journey.