The distinguished anthropologist Irawati Karwe wrote, “I found a new definition of Maharashtra: the land whose people go to Pandharpur for pilgrimage.”

Pandharpur, near the city of Solapur, is a sacrosanct destination for the Varkari path within Hinduism, centred around the worship of the deity Vitthal or Vithoba, a form of Vishnu. The Varkaris are a part of the Bhakti movement, a spiritual tradition characterised by the immersive loving worship of a chosen deity. 

The word ‘Varkari’ means “one who performs the vari”— vari in Marathi refers to the annual 21-day pilgrimage to Pandharpur, which devotees of Vitthal perform as an expression of faith. The vari is a symbolic journey of the sants (those who have seen the truth) from their respective hometowns to the abode of Vitthal, and the varkaris carry symbolic palkhis (palanquins) bearing their padukas (footwear). The pilgrimage culminates on Ekadashi, the 11th day of the Hindu lunar month of Ashadha, which falls between late June and July according to the Gregorian calendar. Another pilgrimage is celebrated on the Ekadashi of the month of Kartika, which falls in November.

Helmed by the sants, the poet-saints who were instrumental in shaping the movement, the Varkari tradition reached its zenith from the 13th to 17th centuries. The tradition recognises about 50 sants, who hailed from varied backgrounds, castes, and professions. Chief among them were Dnyaneshwar, an outcast Brahmin scholar and poet; Namdev the tailor; Chokhamela, born into the Dalit Mahar caste; Eknath, a Brahmin; and Tukaram, a farmer and merchant. Other poets such as Muktabai, Janabai and Gonabai have also contributed to the wealth of verse in the tradition.

The earliest of the Varkari saints, Dnyaneshwar and Namdev broke with convention by composing abhangas, devotional songs in praise of Vitthal, in Marathi, the language of their followers, rather than the classical Sanskrit of the priestly class.

The Varkari saints believed that God was omnipresent and dwelt in the hearts of humans. Their teachings were not dogmatic or rigid. Although they encouraged their followers to live a life of austerity and self-sacrifice, theirs was a householder mode of Bhakti rather than an ascetic one. Their abhangas reinforce the message that all people are equal before god. 

In the fourth episode of our series Bhakti Republic, Amit Basole continues his exploration of constitutional values in the poetry of the Varkaris through anecdotes and readings, against a background of original music performances.

Credits:

Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Harshit Hillol Gogoi, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar

Original music tracks performed by Anjali Malkar, Bruce Lee Mani, Junuka Deshpande, Karthik Bhat, and Noel Prashanth

Acknowledgements:

This episode draws extensively on the work of Sadanand More, Indrajit Bhalerao, Christian Novetzke, and Jon Keune. Thanks to Anjali Malkar for help with selecting and interpreting some of the poems.

The Path To Pandharpur | Bhakti Republic with Amit Basole Ep 4

आज हम आपको महाराष्ट्र के पंढरपुर वारी की ८०० साल पुरानी परंपरा के बारे में बताएंगे। संत ज्ञानेश्वर और तुकाराम महाराज की पादुका को पालकी में लेकर भक्तजन पैदल यात्रा करते हैं। यह वारी परंपरा विठोबा के सम्मान में शुरू हुई थी। हिंदू महीने आषाढ और कार्तिक मास में पंढरपुर की यात्रा की जाती है। कई तीर्थयात्री इस पवित्र यात्रा में शामिल होकर शयनी एकादशी के दिन पंढरपुर के विठोबा मंदिर पहुँचते हैं। इस दिव्य यात्रा की शुरुआत विट्ठलपंत और संतों ने की थी, और संत तुकाराम के सबसे छोटे बेटे नारायण महाराज ने पादुका ले जाने की परंपरा सोलहसों पच्चासी में शुरू की थी। जानिए इस अद्भुत और आध्यात्मिक यात्रा के बारे में और इसका हिस्सा बनें! 
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800 Year Old Pandharpur Wari Tradition ८०० सल परन पढरपर वर क परपर- Bhakti Marg #wari

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Credits:
Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar

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