Pandarpur Vitoba temple
Our main purpose of coming to Pandarpur was to pray in Vitobha temple .
This is one of the 108 vaishnavite shrines of Lord Krishna or Vishnu .
Its in Solapur dt in Maharastra
Here Lord Krishna is with his consort Rakhumai or Rukmini bai ie Rukmini .
Temple was built by King Vishnuvardana ( Bittideva ) of Hoysala empire between 1108 and 1152 CE around 1000 years back .
Though only remnants exist from this period temple was rebuilt in 17 th century but records show its earlier construction
Afzal khan tried to destroy idol but brahmin priests protected same
its on banks of river Chandrabagha .
There are several pilgrimages to this temple called WARIS but most famous are those that reach on Ashadi ekadashi and Karthik ekadasi .
pilgrims from all over Maharastra and north Karnataka walk in groups singing Abangs or devotional songs with accompanients to Lord Vitobha walk days and nights to reach as huge congregrations of one to two lakhs to Warkari 5 km from Pandarpur and then to temple .
Some carry slippers of saints .
Many carry palkis or palanquins seperate for each groups
The groups are called Dindis and the pilgrims Warkaris .
It can be compared to a similar pilgrimage like Sabarimala in Kerala .
The legend of Pundalik ..
Pundalik was a devoted son to his old parents but after he gets married he changes and ill treats them ,so much that they decide to go off to Kashi or Varanasi ( those days older people would go to Kashi to await death as dying there gave them freedom from further births )
Hearing that his parents want to go to Kashi Pundalik and wife too says,they too will come ,they continue to ill treat the old parents on way by making them walk while they rode on horses and his,parents forced to groom the horses .
On way they take rest in an ashram of a saint Kukutswami and as Pundalik slept he dreams of a bevy of beautiful women wearing soiled clothes sweeping floor and cleaning ashram and returning with clean clothes ,he asks them about this they tell him they are rivers like Ganga ,Yamuna,Godavari,Kaveri and people undo thier sins onto them on bathing in the rivers and by cleaning ashram of venerable saint they unload their sins here and go back neat
They also tell Pundalik that his sins of ill treating his parents will be difficult to be washed off .
Pundalik realises his mistake and from then again becomes a devout son dedicated to tending his parents .
Lord Vishnu hears of this devotee of his and decudzs to visit him .
Its first day of monsoon and place is muddy as lord Vishnu reaches Pundaliks house ,he is asked to wait by Pundalik as he is busy tending to his parents and though he knew its the lord at his steps he considers his duty to his parents more important
so he throws a brick for Vishnu to stand in muddy ground and wait !
They say Lord Vishnu is still standing on brick for yugas as Pundalik never ever will finish his devoted tending of his parents .
This is Vitobha temple with lord in an akimbo pose hands inturned one blessing other with a conch and wearing fish earings
Rukhabai too has a seperate idol standing on brick .
The temple does not allow mobile phones inside
There are two types of darshans Mukha darshan is viewing lord from far and sparsa darshan touching lords feet with forehead .
In crowded times ques last for 8 to 13 hours or more .
premila had booked online it was free of cost and we were given 8pm slot .
The temple area was crowded bit dirty very busy
Since it was pre holi lot of fires were lit on road .
We had to walk almost a km or more through buildings meant to house the que up down at times broad at times narrow corridors though with air coolers it was dehytrating tiring no place to sit and certain bottle necks potential for stampedes .
Its time temple commitees monitored such hot spots and solved them as in crowded days stampedes would defintely happen .
To me temples are fine as,long its less crowded less humid and places where I could exit if needed.
I never liked ques specially in India which does not know what it means ..
I prefer emptier quieter temples though I dont mind visiting temples am not very particular to visit God himself but prefered to write on him in comfort unlike premila who did not mind to go to some pains to get darshan .
Finally we reached the sanctum sanctorum and bowed our head to lords feet .
I asked for his forgiveness for my attitude , silently telling him
After all you made me like this
so you have no excuse but bear with me .
some images courtesy online only used for awareness
