PANDHARPUR TRAVEL DIARY --PART  TWO   

                                         

There was once a merchant named Pundarika in the town now known as Pandarpur. He was extremely greedy and saw his parents as a road block to his prosperity. When they became old and infirm he decided to drive them out of his home. Fortunately for them, they were able to join a group of poor devotees who were going to Benares by foot. Later Pundarika himself undertook the pilgrimage to Benares but in  a horse drawn chariot. He crossed his parents on his way, but did not even bother to stop.

 After some time, when Pandurika stopped on the bank of a river to rest, he met Rohit Das, a cobbler who had a hermitage by the river bank. Rohit Das, though extremely poor, spent all of his time taking care of his parents, even if that meant that he disregard his own comforts.

That night, Pandurika saw three ugly women taking bath in the pond of the hermitage and rising up as divine beings. He asked them who they were and they answered that they were the rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Godavari. They had to bear the sins left by people who bathed in them and got cleansed by coming to the Hermitage of Rohit Das

 A sea of change descended on Pundarika. He went back to his parents, begged for forgiveness and from that time onward, spent all his time caring for them. 

One day Vishnu took the form of a cowherd boy and went to the house of Pundarika. He was told by Pundarika that, he was busy  looking after his parents and did not have time to take proper care of him. Lord Vishnu, informed him, who He was but Pundarika apologized for not being able to receive him as he was too busy taking care of his parents. He gave Lord Vishnu a brick to stand on and asked him to wait there until he was done with his parent's care. Since that day, Lord Vishnu has been standing on that brick. The name of the town is now Pandharpur after Pundarika and the Lord was given the name Vittala since he stands on a brick.

  Pandharpur is one of the most prominent pilgrimage places in Maharashtra. It is located on the banks of the Bhimā river, which is alternatively known as Chandrabhāgā because of its half-moon-like shape.Pandharpur, also known as Pandhari, hosts the renowned Vitthal temple  on the banks of Bhimā.” Vithoba” ", "Pāndurang", and "Pandharināth" are the popular alternate names of the deity, Vitthal, who is regarded as a form of Lord Krishna  who is  an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Rakhumāi or Rukmini  is Vitthal's consort in the temple.

A holy shrine of quite antiquity that holds Vithoba, a localized version of Lord Krishna is one among the numerous devout destinations in Pandharpur. The temple is believed to be centuries old and the most amazing aspect in this holy shrine is the scripture that dates back to the year 1195.The devotees used to rub their back on this scripture, which is believed to absolve them from the wheel of rebirths.

The Lord is seen accompanied by his consort Rukmini. The deities look truly impressive with its blackish colour and in Navarathri and Dusshera celebrations they would be clothed with new clothes everyday. The temple is open for the public for the whole day during Vari. After Vari the temple is washed with water and the deities would be fed with special meals.

 The worship of Vitthal in the Pandharpur temple is based mainly on the contents of the Puranas, and the contributions of the Vaishnav  saints of Maharashtra and Karnataka during the 13th through the 17th centuries. Some of these saints are Dnyaneswar, Namdev,Chokhamela,Gora Kumbhar ,Eknath Tukaram Purandara Dasa,Vijaya Dasa, Gopala Dasa,and  Jagannatha Dasa .

 The Pandharpur temple covers a large area and has six gates. The eastern gate is known as the "Namdev Gate."

  Pandharpur hosts four annual pilgrimages ("Yātrās") of  devotees. Among them, the pilgrimage in the month of Āshādh (June–July)  attracts the largest number of pilgrims—around 500,000 to 700,000 people. The pilgrimages in the months of Kārtik (October–November), Māgh (January–February) and Shrāvan (July–August) attract the second, third and fourth largest numbers of pilgrims respectively.

There are some other important holy places around Pandharpur. The deities include the Goddess Tulja Bhavani (Goddess of family – Kul Devata of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj) at Tuljapur, Saint Shri Swami Samarth (God Form of Dattatreya) at Shri Kshetra Akkalkot, Lord Dattatreya at Ganagapur, etc. All these places are located in or near the Solapur District.

   Pundalik or Pundarik is a central figure in the legends of the God Vithoba, generally considered a Vaishnava deity identified with deities Vishnu and Krishna   He is credited to have brought Vithoba to Pandarphur, where Vithoba's central shrine stands today. Pundalik is also perceived to be the historical founder of the Varkari Sect which is centered on the worship of Vithoba.  Pundalik is the founder of the Varkari cult and the one who promulgated the cult . He tried to unify Shiva and Vishnu, The Hoysala King Vishnuvardhan  built the Pandharpur Temple. Pundalik was a mystic, who not only founded the Varkari Sect but also was the first to identify Vithoba with Lord Vishnu. His fame also led to naming of Pandharpur to Paundrika-Kshetra--the sacred place of Pundalik.