Thousands of Devotees Gather in Pandharpur: On Thursday, Ashadi Ekadashi, lakhs of warkaris who walked hundreds of kilometres to reach Pandharpur will have darshan of Lord Vitthal and Goddess Rukhmini. Before departing for darshan, the warkaris took a plunge into the sacred Chandrabhaga River. On Wednesday, the palanquins or palkhis of Sant Dnyaneshwar, Sant Tukaram, and many other saints, which had begun their journey some 20 days prior with millions of devotees, arrived in the temple town.
Thousands of Devotees Gather in Pandharpur for a Glimpse of Lord Vitthal & Rukhmini
In addition to Maharashtra, palkhis of local deities from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh also attend the festival in Pandharpur. The majority of palkhis will be brought to the temple to greet Lord Vitthal. The palkhis will remain in the city for three days before returning to their origins. Midnight on Wednesday, two to three million devotees were already in queue for darshan.
Nearly 35 devotees contact the feet of Lord Vitthal every minute. This is known as ‘pad darshan’ and is a unique warkari tradition. On Ashadi Ekadashi, nearly 15 million devotees are anticipated in the city, the highest number in recent memory.
More than 8,000 police officers were on patrol in the city to guarantee that the festival ran smoothly.
On Wednesday afternoon, chief minister Eknath Shinde and his wife arrived in Solapur for darshan. He will depart for Pandharpur in the evening. The temple’s gates will be shut, and the first couple in procession will have the opportunity to perform puja alongside the chief minister and his wife. Thursday morning, around 2.30 a.m., the pooja will conclude. Shinde stated that, upon his arrival in Solapur, he will pray for the welfare of the state’s residents. He will pray to Lord Vitthal and Lady Rukhmini for everyone’s happiness.
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