Devotional Journey - Pandharichi Wari

Yesterday I had fast it was regarding 'Ashadi Ekadashi', my mom says I was born on this day. This day comes every year, I never missed the opportunity for 'Ashadi Ekadashi' obliviously for (Sabudhana khichadi). Many of you must have done that precisely for that reason only.

Main religious event in this time of period would be 'Pandharpurchi Wari' a walking pilgrimage, of Maharashtra which everyone is talking. As a young maharashtriyan I was always fascinated by the devotion of these people in the village for God Pandhari. This pilgrimage was attended by the lakhs of people from every corner of the Maharashtra.

Do we really care about this? What is this impacted to the culture of Maharashtra? Why it is so much important to these people. I have seen for last few years, everyone talks about the Wari. When it would enter the city? which roads would be blocked? etc.etc.. Those how are here for 1-2 years and don’t know much about the tradition. It looks like talking about 'Wari' has become a fashionable.

Lets gets some facts about this..

The month of Ashadh is the time for the famous Wari. On the eleventh day after the new moon of Ashadh palanquins bearing the mementoes of various saint poets of Maharashtra reach Pandharpur. Several thousand people accompany these palanquins on foot to Pandharpur.

There are no discriminations amongst the Warkari on the basis of caste, creed, gender or class. The young people also participate in the Wari. The history tells us that the first Wari went to Pandharpur from Alandi in 1291. Devotees of lord Vitthal from Maharashtra and other States regularly participate in the annual Wari. Thousands of Warkaris walk to Pandharpur chanting the name of Vitthal, singing Bhajans, listening to Pravachan and Kirtan. Several foreign tourists come to watch the Wari of Vitthal and experience the unique tradition.

Obliviously I didn't write this as I copied it from somewhere(not all of it).

I have once seen this wari as one group came to my Village in Nagar. Everyone was enthu about it and wanted to take warkaris to there home for meal. I find it very fascinating as here in cities we don’t know the immediate neighbor is doing. Asking a stranger to come home for meal is a distant dream. But they do and somehow become a part of the Wari. This shows that to love your god you don’t need to donate kilos of gold and money, but helping others one can achieve that.

You would be saying what’s there in this wari for us because not everywhere this happens. Maharashtra always had this incredible history of great saints from all caste. They gave the message of peace and harmony at that time, Non-discrimination to others, Loving the environment, loving the someone (God) so much that ready to walks hundred's of miles. I think these are the same message we need in our lives today which were give to us to our forefathers hundreds of years back.

Lets not only talk about it for relation to the traffic jams but know the real meaning of it which was known to our forefathers and helping somehow to these pilgrimers.

In this age of development we are forgetting our root as a maharashtriyan. From this blog I wanted to spread the message of the real meaning of the wari, its importance to those people and what is the actual message it wants to spread.

Love your God and your environment.