Trip to Pandharpur

aragorn · Aug 30th, 2009, 19:26

Hi Guys

I went on a one day trip this weekend to Pandharpur from Mumbai alongwith a friend and his mother.

Booked Friday's tickets on Mumbai - Pandharpur fast passenger which left Dadar Central station @ 11:10 p.m. Railways have improved in terms of timely departures and the train departed the station precisely as specified.

Train was a "Fast Passenger" train so essentially while it was still a Passenger train....it was fast in stopping at almost every station. The only good thing is that being an overnight train you can sleep through the journey. We reached Pandharpur @ 9:30 a.m. almost 30 mins behind schedule due to unforeseen stoppages by the train along the route.

Pandharpur station (for a Mumbaikar) was pleasantly clean than the local stations in Mumbai. Outside the station we were mobbed by the usual gangs of rickshaw drivers and "Tonga" wallahs. Caught a Tonga - charge was Rs 5/ head which was cheap considering the minimum distance fare in Mumbai by any transport.

We headed to Swami Gajanan Maharaj Ashram where the trust has created many rooms for devotees visiting Lord Pandharinath.
The fare of a room for 3 people with bathroom and toilet attached was Rs 200/day with an additional Rs 200 to be paid as deposit(this was returned at the time of check-out).

Room was pleasantly very clean and airy considering a verandah provided with every room. There were only 3 cots in the room with a fan and a mirror. The bathroom cum toilet as is the norm nowadays was also very clean. Only hitch for people wanting to bathe in hot water is that it is available only between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m.

Moving on... we finished our morning cleansing rituals and went to the temple by keeping our bags in the room. It is always prudent to carry valuables/ electronic items with you rather than leaving it back the hotel room.

As soon as we reached the gate of the Ashram we were accosted by a man who claimed to be a local "guide" but was more of an agent of the shopkeepers and the temple priests. More on that later.

He stated that he will show us and would explain the importance of the various points in the temple. We let him accompany us. The disappointing aspect of Pandharpur is that we cannot even click photos of the temple from the outside.

Mobiles and cameras are strictly prohibited within the temple premises The shops outside the temple selling various pooja and gift items double up and make a killing doubling as the local safekeepers. They charge Rs 5 / electronic item kept with them.

Apart from this the temple is a beautiful structure....fortified on all the sides. There was a security check at the main entrance. The entry to the temple was beautiful with a Ganesh idol greeting us on the left side. There was a small area with taps to wash our feet and hands.

The guide accompanying us took us to a person who claimed to be one of the priests in the temple. He said that there are three types of pooja that could be performed at that hour (we reached the temple by 11:30 a.m. which was a little late). The first pooja was Tulsi pooja. The second was Prasada pooja (worship with 1 sweet) and the third Rajabhog pooja (worship with 4 sweets). I had heard of the infamous temple priests here and asked them the cost of the poojas....the quote was awesome....Rs 1100 for a Tulasi pooja
...approx Rs 2000 for the prasada pooja and Rs 2500 for the Rajabhog pooja.....and the final icing on the cake....the punchline was you can wish to give whatever u like.

Me and my friend declined the offer and drove the "guide" away as he was in cahoots with the apparent priest. It is people like these who's greed is destroying the sanctity and divinity of our ancient temples....it spoils our experience and makes indelible scars to the faith we have in the tenets of our great culture. More on these voracious beings a little later.

I stood in the line(which was comparitively less crowded on account of Ganesh Utsav...currently going on in Maharashtra) to get the darshan with my friend's mother and my friend got the offerings like 2 big tulsi malas, sweets for the Lord, anointing powders for the Lord like haldi, kumkum, coconuts for around Rs 100.

Again on our way in we were waylaid by yet another priest. He stated that for Rs 150 he will do the Tulsi pooja...which my friend agreed. Talk about competition in the corporate world...price cutting in temples is becoming a norm

I was more interested in getting a glimpse of Lord Vittal in the same temple which great personalities like Sant Gynaneshwar, Sant Tukaram, Sant Gora Kumbhar, Sant Janabai, Sant Eknath, Sant Namdev, Sant Chokamela, Sant Ramdas, Sant Kanohpatra et al the divine beings had worshipped. I considered myself fortunate enough to stand for a few minutes in these holy surroundings , though, it had a few holy men with unholy intentions - this was negligible.

The temple is one of the most beautiful temples even though it is small in comparison to the big structures of any South Indian temple. The courtyard of the temple is covered with a wooden roof and the temple itself is in black stone. There are idols of Ganeshji as you enter to the left and front. On the right hand side..there is a Garud Stambh which is gold and silver plated....representing Garuda the carrier of Lord Vishnu. Every devotee is required to embrace it. Finally the garbha griha where the Lord is kept is fully charged with positive energy...devotees feel blessed with a glimpse of the Lord....Jai Jai Vittal emanates from everyone's lips automatically. The Lord's idol is 3 - 3.50 feet tall with arms folded at the hips. Devotees are allowed few precious seconds to lay their head at the Lord's feet and then asked to move. Few seconds...eternal peace...memories etched forever!!!

Finally....our turn came to touch the Lord's feet....never felt so good....pause - the priest butts in...What's ur name, ur father's name, ur wife's name, ur child's name, ur Gothra and so on.....a mechanical blessing given and the time arrives....please give whatever u can.... I reach out to my pocket and place Rs 101 at the Lord's feet. A voice is heard...please place minimum Rs 501/-.

I think to myself....my moment with divinity is being traded.... I feel like the few seconds I am seeing the Lord is being purchased by me..... I have waited for years for this moment to arrive and feel pained..... In order to see our Lord we have to pay trusts which claim to maintain temples but often stress on profits...Sad.

I quickly ignore the priest and move out...the priest keeps calling out my name for money!!! Imagine this!!!

I would like to clarify that in no way am I against the policy of donating money to priests and poor brahmins but feel that asking for a donation / specific amount is no different from begging!!!

Nowadays , the lanes of the temples have been enclosed in such a way that you can move only in one direction...various doors and entraces have been closed to bar people from straying.

We moved to the next temple which was of Rakhumabai...Godess Rukmini's temple where the line was comparitively small and managed a quick darshan. The Rukmini temple is adjoined by various small temples which are deciated to Lordess Satyabhama, Tulja bhavani, Shiva, Narsimha, Balaji, Ekmukh Dattatraya to name a few.

We also saw Sant Kanohpatra's temple...she was courtesan and had refused the advances of a king who wanted her to be his concubine. She didn't give into him and chose to surrender her life to Lord Vittal ...her abhangs depicts pain and yearning to be with the Lord. It is said she died at the southern part of the temple and as per her last wishes, her dead body was laid at feet of Vithoba and then buried. A big tree rose from the very spot where she was buried and is still existing there. It was explained to us that no one waters the tree but it is still alive. I saw big chains tied to it...don't now why as no one knew the answer.

We exited the temple...but felt a void in our heart as a feeling of incompleteness enveloped us. It was mutually decided to enter the shrine again and partake another glance of the Lord. We stood in the line again and within 15-20 mins again came face to face with the Lord. I decided to totally ignore the priest and enjoyed my experience wholly this time around. I suceeded...Jai Jai Panduranga Hari!!!

The priest smirked while saying "Tumhi parat aale ka?" ..."You've come again is it?" ....hehe...fat chance with the money dude!!!

Again did the second round of visits with the Rakhumabai temple and the other temples.

After the darshan...felt hungry as we had avoided having anything before visiting Panduranga...we had lunch at
Sri Krishna Lunch home (as far as I can recollect) which was just across the Ashram. We returned to our room to rest and then proceeded in the evening to Gopalpur (Sant Janabai's house) and Vishnu Pad - where the Lord's feet is imprinted.

Will continue the second part soon......

aragorn · Sep 1st, 2009, 02:44

Continuing from the first post...

In the evening after taking a quick nap....we proceeded to check out Gopalpur, Vishnupad and the Chandrabhaga river bank (time permitting). The good thing about Pandharpur is that you can hire Tongas from specific points. We found a set of Tongawallahs/ Tangewallahs at the Ashram gates. Hired one to take us to all the points for Rs 100/-.

The way to Gopalpur was scenic with lots of small buildings and a chaotic town traffic thrown in at the beginning.

Gopalpur is around 2 - 2.50 kms from Pandharpur and is home to the residence of Sant Namdev and Sant Janabai who worked as a servant girl at Sant Namdev's house. She loved and in turn was loved by Lord Vittal. It is said that Lord Vittal would come everyday and help her in the daily chores including grinding grain. En route to Gopalpur we saw many fields of Sugarcane. This temple is on a small hillock.

At the base of the hillock, there was a small temple with a churning stick and a big pot half buried in the ground....seems Janabai sang and composed Abhangs while churning milk....was asked to churn here which I did hesitatingly, fearing the monetary implications. However the caretaker here was a decent chap who actually didn't demand anything and took whatever was offered.

The temple was again fortified...i.e. it looked like a mini fort rather than a temple. A flight of around 50 stairs took us to the top. We were warned by the Tange wallah not to take any prasad/offering in the temple as it would lead to the money game.

Both sides of the stairs were flanked by vendors selling pooja and prasad materials. Tried and succeeded in evading them. After reaching the top was amazed seeing the scenic beauty of the surroundings...it was a great view from there. The Fort temple...if I can put it that way is actually built on a Mesa. The first temple to greet us (facing the entrance) was the temple of Lordess Rukmini's parents King Bhishmaka and his wife.

Then there was a temple dedicated to Lord Dattatreya ....it was explained by the priest that there are three small swayambhu lingams which symbolise Lords Brahma, vishnu and Shiv....(these were actually tiny pebbles which were cemented/rooted to the ground). There was an idol of Lord Dattatreya just behind these three lingams. Also two trees appeared to grow from behind the idol...it was explained that there were actually three trees and only one of them is alive as of now.

The next temple in the courtyard was the main temple of Lord GopalaKrishna....The idol was really very beautiful.... It was decorated the same way as Lord Vittal's idol in Pandharpur...it too had the fish shaped earrings and sandalwood tika shaped inthe same way as Lord Vittal. The only difference was that the Lord here was playing his flute with crossed legs.

We then checked the kitchen which comprised of some earthenware, grinding stone, chappati stone and other kitchen ware used by Janabai during the course of her daily routine.

Finally, reached a temple within a cellar which is where Janabai met Lord Krishna everyday. This cellar contained both their idols. Great place to be in but unfortunately not with a priest asking for money...cos u can't escape!!! Managed to pay him some amount and move out quickly.

BTW....it is always prudent to carry notes of Rs 10 as you will need to pay every person in front of every temple. Rs 500 by the way is the most favoured number everywhere

Time was fleeting here and we desperately wanted to check out Vishnupad which was half a km from Gopalpur and essentially on the way back to Pandharpur.

Vishnupad is a small square shaped platform built on banks of Chandrabagha river which houses the footprints of Lord Vittal.
The approach road to this platform is a kuccha lane and hence partly hidden from the main road.

Not many people were visible here and the atmoshere was serene and beautiful. We sat here for half an hour immersing our feet in the holy water of Chandrabagha. We could see from a distance the busy shore near the Pandurang temple which was upstream.

The day we went to Pandharpur was the 7th day of the Ganesh Utsav and people were bringing their Ganesh idols for visarjan to Vishnupad. Still the number of people coming here was very less.

Watched the sun set and checked the time...it was almost 6:00 p.m. and that meant we had to rush to the bus depot to catch a bus to Solapur.

We had booked our return by the 10:45 p.m. Siddheshwar express to Mumbai. Pandharpur has a brand new MSRTC depot and all the time we were assured by anyone we met in Pandharpur that we would get buses to Solapur every 10 mins.

Reached the bus depot at 6:45 p.m. Waited for 10 mins...bus for Solapur didn't arrive...was informed that by 7:15 p.m. at least we would get one. 7:15 arrived...but the bus didn't. Legs started aching and my shoulders even more with bag I was carrying. I prayed for a miracle as the crowd wanting to travel to Solapur kept increasing...someone stated that sometimes 3-4 buses come at the same time or we would have to wage a war to get a seat.

It was 7:45...almost an hour and the 10 min buses to Solapur seemed to have forgotten their time schedule that evening. Me and my friend wanted to ensure that my friend's elderly mother atleast got a seat to get through the 1 hr 30 mins journey.

Atlast at 7:55 p.m. a bus came...everyone charged at the bus...felt I was in a rugby match and I was the forward charge.
I clung to the door almost blocking the people from alighting...behind me were 50 odd people pushing me inside and the ones inside pushing me out. Managed to somehow enter the bus ...my friend had already gotten in and caught a seat...hehe. More surprises in store...it seems u could block ur seat from the outside by having ur hanky, chaddi, baniyan , any damn possesion placed on the seat. Infact our seat had already been blocked this way but unfortunately the bag which was placed on the seat had fallen down in the melee that ensued in getting a seat. I placed my posterior firmly on the seat and me, friend and mom shared a seat meant for two till Solapur...was not comfortable but at least didn't have to stand in the crowded bus.

Reached Solapur by 9:30 p.m. ..... Hadn't had a morsel since lunch (except a bottle of juice and some sev) and was feeling famished. Friend dear had plans to visit the Siddeshwar temple...but I felt that would be impossible as had only an hour or so to catch the train and have dinner. We headed to a nearby Shudh Shakahari restaurant and had a quick bite. Met a rick driver outside the restaurant and asked him the possibility of risking a visit to the famous Solapur temple and catching the train. Guy thought for a few minutes and said could be humanly possible if we could rush our darshan. It was nearing 10:00 p.m. and he was unsure regarding the closing time of the temple. Anyhows took up the challenge and we rushed to Siddeshwar temple.

Siddeshwar temple is located on a lake which is considered to be dug by the founder of the temple Shri Siddharameshwar. The temple looked beautiful even at night and we felt sad that we could not spend more time there. Anyways the temple is located in the middle of a lake and is connected by a man made platform. The temple is a huge complex with many temples inside...coudn't check them. We rushed to the main Shiv temple.....but unfortunately like police in every hindi film...we were late.

Had to be contented prostrating before the main door of Sri Siddeshwar. Now...with little time left we started rushing to catch our waiting rickshaw and move towards the station.

Suddenly we heard a man call out and tell us....aapne Sri Siddaharam Maharaj ka jeev samadhi ko namaskar kiya kya?
I had noticed a Samadhi which located in the middle courtyard of the temple complex but had ignored it due to the last minute rush. It was fenced on the sides and had a lane for pradakshina...we felt guilty and did a quick pradakshina and prostrated before the Samadhi of the great yogi. We felt that there was a reason for us after all to visit the temple even though it was a very quick visit. It is said God takes two steps forward for every one step taken. We had only thought of visiting Pandharpur and visiting the Sri Siddeshwar temple was on our agenda only if time permitted...but God felt otherwise.

We then quickly ran to the temple entrance and got into the rickshaw... the rick driver was the talkative kind who had stayed in Mumbai and gave us the lowdown of living in Solapur.

We reached Solapur station by 10:30 p.m. and found that our train had already arrived. Quickly rushed to our coach and relaxed. Train again was prompt in departing Solapur at 10:45 p.m. precise.

Slept almost immediately after settling in the train...woke up early next morning @ 6.00 a.m. as had to alight at Dadar station which we reached by 6:45 a.m.

Thus ended our memorable visit to Pandharpur....it is the temple where people of different castes and languages are united by only the Divine Force...Lord Vittal. All praise to the dark complexioned One...Jai Jai Vittal!!!

bonded · Sep 1st, 2009, 02:47

Aragorn, nice write up.

BTW blue font is used by Forum Leaders / Moderators. If possible please change the color of the font to black.

aragorn · Sep 1st, 2009, 02:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by bonded

Aragorn, nice write up.

BTW blue font is used by Forum Leaders / Moderators. If possible please change the color of the font to black.

Hi Bonded...thanks for your kind comment...have changed the font colour as per your request.

sdsudarsan · Sep 1st, 2009, 03:28

wonderful narration with all practicalities. congratulations!

Jai Jai Vittal

Swapnil · Sep 1st, 2009, 14:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by aragorn

Hi Guys

I went on a one day trip this weekend to Pandharpur from Mumbai
.
.
.

The disappointing aspect of Pandharpur is that we cannot even click photos of the temple from the outside.

Great write up Aragorn !

As far as I know you can take pictures from outside ... I was there last month too & nobody objected me from taking any pics from outside .

aragorn · Sep 2nd, 2009, 03:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdsudarsan

wonderful narration with all practicalities. congratulations!

Jai Jai Vittal

Sudarshanji...Thanks for your kind words.

aragorn · Sep 2nd, 2009, 03:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swapnil

Great write up Aragorn !

As far as I know you can take pictures from outside ... I was there last month too & nobody objected me from taking any pics from outside .

Hi Swapnil

I guess with the Ganesh Utsav on some security measures must have been taken...because one / two of the common public and even the shopkeepers selling pooja materials objected...they calmed down when I explained that I was only taking the Ganesh Mandal's pics and not the temple's.

snonymous · Sep 14th, 2009, 19:56

Very comprehensive and interesting write up, Aragorn. Will be most useful for anyone wanting details about Pandharpur.

You have hit the nail on the head about the mercenary priests. We visited Pandharpur in 2002 as it was just off the road from Bijapur to Pune. It was a dreadful experience thanks to the horrible priests. My hubby and I would have walked out, but my mother who was with us insisted on getting a puja done, and of course we were ripped off by those same priests who greedily welcomed another new set of "bakras" into their domain! Anyway my mother was happy so it was okay.

I think that colloquially those Pandharpur priests are called "badhwya" ... that is what someone from there told me. Quite an apt description, I thought.

As you rightly point out, it is the priests that defile the sanctity of our well known temples.

delhiwala · Sep 14th, 2009, 20:36

Nice writeup dear aragorn. Pandharpur is on my wish list.... let's see when can I make it ?

Snonymous, What's this word "badhwya" ??

Sureshchander · Nov 6th, 2009, 18:00

Badhwya is a slang in Marathi for 'badhwa' or a pimp...someone who is an agent and a very derogatory term!

Sureshchander · Nov 6th, 2009, 18:15

Hey Aragorn, other than the perennial priests, when would be the best time for a leisurely 2 day trip to Pandharpur & Solapur...want to take my 76 yr old mother there...Are weekends very crowded?

aragorn · Nov 8th, 2009, 21:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sureshchander

Hey Aragorn, other than the perennial priests, when would be the best time for a leisurely 2 day trip to Pandharpur & Solapur...want to take my 76 yr old mother there...Are weekends very crowded?

Hi Suresh...I think you can visit now...since Diwali vacations are over...please make sure that there are no festivals/Ekadashi/other religious event falling on the day you go. I guess weekends should have some crowd but shouldn't be serpentine. I always prefer to visit temples when other people are least interested to visit...i.e. visting Ganesh mandir on days other than Tuesaday, Shiv temples on days other than Monday. For Pandharpur Vittal...the day is wednesday so any day other than wednesday should be fine.

Aug 30th, 2009, 19:26	#1
aragorn Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 22	Trip to Pandharpur Hi Guys I went on a one day trip this weekend to Pandharpur from Mumbai alongwith a friend and his mother. Booked Friday's tickets on Mumbai - Pandharpur fast passenger which left Dadar Central station @ 11:10 p.m. Railways have improved in terms of timely departures and the train departed the station precisely as specified. Train was a *"Fast Passenger"* train so essentially while it was still a Passenger train....it was fast in stopping at almost every station. The only good thing is that being an overnight train you can sleep through the journey. We reached Pandharpur @ 9:30 a.m. almost 30 mins behind schedule due to unforeseen stoppages by the train along the route. Pandharpur station (for a Mumbaikar) was pleasantly clean than the local stations in Mumbai. Outside the station we were mobbed by the usual gangs of rickshaw drivers and *"Tonga"* wallahs. Caught a Tonga - charge was Rs 5/ head which was cheap considering the minimum distance fare in Mumbai by any transport. We headed to Swami Gajanan Maharaj Ashram where the trust has created many rooms for devotees visiting Lord Pandharinath. The fare of a room for 3 people with bathroom and toilet attached was Rs 200/day with an additional Rs 200 to be paid as deposit(this was returned at the time of check-out). Room was pleasantly very clean and airy considering a verandah provided with every room. There were only 3 cots in the room with a fan and a mirror. The bathroom cum toilet as is the norm nowadays was also very clean. Only hitch for people wanting to bathe in hot water is that it is available only between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. Moving on... we finished our morning cleansing rituals and went to the temple by keeping our bags in the room. It is always prudent to carry valuables/ electronic items with you rather than leaving it back the hotel room. As soon as we reached the gate of the Ashram we were accosted by a man who claimed to be a local *"guide"* but was more of an agent of the shopkeepers and the temple priests. More on that later. He stated that he will show us and would explain the importance of the various points in the temple. We let him accompany us. The disappointing aspect of Pandharpur is that we cannot even click photos of the temple from the outside. *Mobiles and cameras are strictly prohibited within the temple premises* The shops outside the temple selling various pooja and gift items double up and make a killing doubling as the local safekeepers. They charge Rs 5 / electronic item kept with them. Apart from this the temple is a beautiful structure....fortified on all the sides. There was a security check at the main entrance. The entry to the temple was beautiful with a Ganesh idol greeting us on the left side. There was a small area with taps to wash our feet and hands. The guide accompanying us took us to a person who claimed to be one of the priests in the temple. He said that there are three types of pooja that could be performed at that hour (we reached the temple by 11:30 a.m. which was a little late). The first pooja was Tulsi pooja. The second was Prasada pooja (worship with 1 sweet) and the third Rajabhog pooja (worship with 4 sweets). I had heard of the infamous temple priests here and asked them the cost of the poojas....the quote was awesome....Rs 1100 for a Tulasi pooja ...approx Rs 2000 for the prasada pooja and Rs 2500 for the Rajabhog pooja.....and the final icing on the cake....the punchline was you can wish to give whatever u like. Me and my friend declined the offer and drove the *"guide"* away as he was in cahoots with the apparent priest. It is people like these who's greed is destroying the sanctity and divinity of our ancient temples....it spoils our experience and makes indelible scars to the faith we have in the tenets of our great culture. More on these voracious beings a little later. I stood in the line(which was comparitively less crowded on account of Ganesh Utsav...currently going on in Maharashtra) to get the darshan with my friend's mother and my friend got the offerings like 2 big tulsi malas, sweets for the Lord, anointing powders for the Lord like haldi, kumkum, coconuts for around Rs 100. Again on our way in we were waylaid by yet another priest. He stated that for Rs 150 he will do the Tulsi pooja...which my friend agreed. Talk about competition in the corporate world...price cutting in temples is becoming a norm I was more interested in getting a glimpse of Lord Vittal in the same temple which great personalities like Sant Gynaneshwar, Sant Tukaram, Sant Gora Kumbhar, Sant Janabai, Sant Eknath, Sant Namdev, Sant Chokamela, Sant Ramdas, Sant Kanohpatra et al the divine beings had worshipped. I considered myself fortunate enough to stand for a few minutes in these holy surroundings , though, it had a few holy men with unholy intentions - this was negligible. The temple is one of the most beautiful temples even though it is small in comparison to the big structures of any South Indian temple. The courtyard of the temple is covered with a wooden roof and the temple itself is in black stone. There are idols of Ganeshji as you enter to the left and front. On the right hand side..there is a *Garud Stambh* which is gold and silver plated....representing Garuda the carrier of Lord Vishnu. Every devotee is required to embrace it. Finally the garbha griha where the Lord is kept is fully charged with positive energy...devotees feel blessed with a glimpse of the Lord....Jai Jai Vittal emanates from everyone's lips automatically. The Lord's idol is 3 - 3.50 feet tall with arms folded at the hips. Devotees are allowed few precious seconds to lay their head at the Lord's feet and then asked to move. Few seconds...eternal peace...memories etched forever!!! Finally....our turn came to touch the Lord's feet....never felt so good....pause - the priest butts in...What's ur name, ur father's name, ur wife's name, ur child's name, ur Gothra and so on.....a mechanical blessing given and the time arrives....please give whatever u can.... I reach out to my pocket and place Rs 101 at the Lord's feet. A voice is heard...please place minimum Rs 501/-. I think to myself....my moment with divinity is being traded.... I feel like the few seconds I am seeing the Lord is being purchased by me..... I have waited for years for this moment to arrive and feel pained..... In order to see our Lord we have to pay trusts which claim to maintain temples but often stress on profits...Sad. I quickly ignore the priest and move out...the priest keeps calling out my name for money!!! Imagine this!!! I would like to clarify that in no way am I against the policy of donating money to priests and poor brahmins but feel that asking for a donation / specific amount is no different from begging!!! Nowadays , the lanes of the temples have been enclosed in such a way that you can move only in one direction...various doors and entraces have been closed to bar people from straying. We moved to the next temple which was of Rakhumabai...Godess Rukmini's temple where the line was comparitively small and managed a quick darshan. The Rukmini temple is adjoined by various small temples which are deciated to Lordess Satyabhama, Tulja bhavani, Shiva, Narsimha, Balaji, Ekmukh Dattatraya to name a few. We also saw Sant Kanohpatra's temple...she was courtesan and had refused the advances of a king who wanted her to be his concubine. She didn't give into him and chose to surrender her life to Lord Vittal ...her abhangs depicts pain and yearning to be with the Lord. It is said she died at the southern part of the temple and as per her last wishes, her dead body was laid at feet of Vithoba and then buried. A big tree rose from the very spot where she was buried and is still existing there. It was explained to us that no one waters the tree but it is still alive. I saw big chains tied to it...don't now why as no one knew the answer. We exited the temple...but felt a void in our heart as a feeling of incompleteness enveloped us. It was mutually decided to enter the shrine again and partake another glance of the Lord. We stood in the line again and within 15-20 mins again came face to face with the Lord. I decided to totally ignore the priest and enjoyed my experience wholly this time around. I suceeded...Jai Jai Panduranga Hari!!! The priest smirked while saying "Tumhi parat aale ka?" ..."You've come again is it?" ....hehe...fat chance with the money dude!!! Again did the second round of visits with the Rakhumabai temple and the other temples. After the darshan...felt hungry as we had avoided having anything before visiting Panduranga...we had lunch at Sri Krishna Lunch home (as far as I can recollect) which was just across the Ashram. We returned to our room to rest and then proceeded in the evening to Gopalpur (Sant Janabai's house) and Vishnu Pad - where the Lord's feet is imprinted. Will continue the second part soon...... Last edited by aragorn : Sep 1st, 2009 at 03:02. Reason: Added pictures to the post

Sep 14th, 2009, 19:56	#9
snonymous xxx Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,749	Very comprehensive and interesting write up, Aragorn. Will be most useful for anyone wanting details about Pandharpur. You have hit the nail on the head about the mercenary priests. We visited Pandharpur in 2002 as it was just off the road from Bijapur to Pune. It was a dreadful experience thanks to the horrible priests. My hubby and I would have walked out, but my mother who was with us insisted on getting a puja done, and of course we were ripped off by those same priests who greedily welcomed another new set of "bakras" into their domain! Anyway my mother was happy so it was okay. I think that colloquially those Pandharpur priests are called "badhwya" ... that is what someone from there told me. Quite an apt description, I thought. As you rightly point out, it is the priests that defile the sanctity of our well known temples. __________________ Some of My Tall Tales at http://www.travelpod.com/members/indianature My Flickr photos at http://www.flickr.com/groups/snonymous/

Sep 14th, 2009, 20:36	#10
delhiwala IM what IM Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Indeyah ! Posts: 4,817	Nice writeup dear aragorn. Pandharpur is on my wish list.... let's see when can I make it ? Snonymous, What's this word "badhwya" ?? __________________ Travel only with thy equals or thy betters; if there are none, travel alone. - The Dhammapada

Nov 6th, 2009, 18:00	#11
Sureshchander Proud Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 21	Badhwya is a slang in Marathi for 'badhwa' or a pimp...someone who is an agent and a very derogatory term! __________________ Destination is certain. Savour the journey.....make it last!

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Sep 1st, 2009, 02:44	#2
aragorn Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 22	Continuing from the first post... In the evening after taking a quick nap....we proceeded to check out Gopalpur, Vishnupad and the Chandrabhaga river bank (time permitting). The good thing about Pandharpur is that you can hire Tongas from specific points. We found a set of Tongawallahs/ Tangewallahs at the Ashram gates. Hired one to take us to all the points for Rs 100/-. The way to Gopalpur was scenic with lots of small buildings and a chaotic town traffic thrown in at the beginning. Gopalpur is around 2 - 2.50 kms from Pandharpur and is home to the residence of Sant Namdev and Sant Janabai who worked as a servant girl at Sant Namdev's house. She loved and in turn was loved by Lord Vittal. It is said that Lord Vittal would come everyday and help her in the daily chores including grinding grain. En route to Gopalpur we saw many fields of Sugarcane. This temple is on a small hillock. At the base of the hillock, there was a small temple with a churning stick and a big pot half buried in the ground....seems Janabai sang and composed Abhangs while churning milk....was asked to churn here which I did hesitatingly, fearing the monetary implications. However the caretaker here was a decent chap who actually didn't demand anything and took whatever was offered. The temple was again fortified...i.e. it looked like a mini fort rather than a temple. A flight of around 50 stairs took us to the top. We were warned by the Tange wallah not to take any prasad/offering in the temple as it would lead to the money game. Both sides of the stairs were flanked by vendors selling pooja and prasad materials. Tried and succeeded in evading them. After reaching the top was amazed seeing the scenic beauty of the surroundings...it was a great view from there. The Fort temple...if I can put it that way is actually built on a Mesa. The first temple to greet us (facing the entrance) was the temple of Lordess Rukmini's parents King Bhishmaka and his wife. Then there was a temple dedicated to Lord Dattatreya ....it was explained by the priest that there are three small swayambhu lingams which symbolise Lords Brahma, vishnu and Shiv....(these were actually tiny pebbles which were cemented/rooted to the ground). There was an idol of Lord Dattatreya just behind these three lingams. Also two trees appeared to grow from behind the idol...it was explained that there were actually three trees and only one of them is alive as of now. The next temple in the courtyard was the main temple of Lord GopalaKrishna....The idol was really very beautiful.... It was decorated the same way as Lord Vittal's idol in Pandharpur...it too had the fish shaped earrings and sandalwood tika shaped inthe same way as Lord Vittal. The only difference was that the Lord here was playing his flute with crossed legs. We then checked the kitchen which comprised of some earthenware, grinding stone, chappati stone and other kitchen ware used by Janabai during the course of her daily routine. Finally, reached a temple within a cellar which is where Janabai met Lord Krishna everyday. This cellar contained both their idols. Great place to be in but unfortunately not with a priest asking for money...cos u can't escape!!! Managed to pay him some amount and move out quickly. BTW....it is always prudent to carry notes of Rs 10 as you will need to pay every person in front of every temple. Rs 500 by the way is the most favoured number everywhere Time was fleeting here and we desperately wanted to check out Vishnupad which was half a km from Gopalpur and essentially on the way back to Pandharpur. Vishnupad is a small square shaped platform built on banks of Chandrabagha river which houses the footprints of Lord Vittal. The approach road to this platform is a kuccha lane and hence partly hidden from the main road. Not many people were visible here and the atmoshere was serene and beautiful. We sat here for half an hour immersing our feet in the holy water of Chandrabagha. We could see from a distance the busy shore near the Pandurang temple which was upstream. The day we went to Pandharpur was the 7th day of the Ganesh Utsav and people were bringing their Ganesh idols for visarjan to Vishnupad. Still the number of people coming here was very less. Watched the sun set and checked the time...it was almost 6:00 p.m. and that meant we had to rush to the bus depot to catch a bus to Solapur. We had booked our return by the 10:45 p.m. Siddheshwar express to Mumbai. Pandharpur has a brand new MSRTC depot and all the time we were assured by anyone we met in Pandharpur that we would get buses to Solapur every 10 mins. Reached the bus depot at 6:45 p.m. Waited for 10 mins...bus for Solapur didn't arrive...was informed that by 7:15 p.m. at least we would get one. 7:15 arrived...but the bus didn't. Legs started aching and my shoulders even more with bag I was carrying. I prayed for a miracle as the crowd wanting to travel to Solapur kept increasing...someone stated that sometimes 3-4 buses come at the same time or we would have to wage a war to get a seat. It was 7:45...almost an hour and the 10 min buses to Solapur seemed to have forgotten their time schedule that evening. Me and my friend wanted to ensure that my friend's elderly mother atleast got a seat to get through the 1 hr 30 mins journey. Atlast at 7:55 p.m. a bus came...everyone charged at the bus...felt I was in a rugby match and I was the forward charge. I clung to the door almost blocking the people from alighting...behind me were 50 odd people pushing me inside and the ones inside pushing me out. Managed to somehow enter the bus ...my friend had already gotten in and caught a seat...hehe. More surprises in store...it seems u could block ur seat from the outside by having ur hanky, chaddi, baniyan , any damn possesion placed on the seat. Infact our seat had already been blocked this way but unfortunately the bag which was placed on the seat had fallen down in the melee that ensued in getting a seat. I placed my posterior firmly on the seat and me, friend and mom shared a seat meant for two till Solapur...was not comfortable but at least didn't have to stand in the crowded bus. Reached Solapur by 9:30 p.m. ..... Hadn't had a morsel since lunch (except a bottle of juice and some sev) and was feeling famished. Friend dear had plans to visit the Siddeshwar temple...but I felt that would be impossible as had only an hour or so to catch the train and have dinner. We headed to a nearby Shudh Shakahari restaurant and had a quick bite. Met a rick driver outside the restaurant and asked him the possibility of risking a visit to the famous Solapur temple and catching the train. Guy thought for a few minutes and said could be humanly possible if we could rush our darshan. It was nearing 10:00 p.m. and he was unsure regarding the closing time of the temple. Anyhows took up the challenge and we rushed to Siddeshwar temple. Siddeshwar temple is located on a lake which is considered to be dug by the founder of the temple Shri Siddharameshwar. The temple looked beautiful even at night and we felt sad that we could not spend more time there. Anyways the temple is located in the middle of a lake and is connected by a man made platform. The temple is a huge complex with many temples inside...coudn't check them. We rushed to the main Shiv temple.....but unfortunately like police in every hindi film...we were late. Had to be contented prostrating before the main door of Sri Siddeshwar. Now...with little time left we started rushing to catch our waiting rickshaw and move towards the station. Suddenly we heard a man call out and tell us....aapne Sri Siddaharam Maharaj ka jeev samadhi ko namaskar kiya kya? I had noticed a Samadhi which located in the middle courtyard of the temple complex but had ignored it due to the last minute rush. It was fenced on the sides and had a lane for pradakshina...we felt guilty and did a quick pradakshina and prostrated before the Samadhi of the great yogi. We felt that there was a reason for us after all to visit the temple even though it was a very quick visit. It is said God takes two steps forward for every one step taken. We had only thought of visiting Pandharpur and visiting the Sri Siddeshwar temple was on our agenda only if time permitted...but God felt otherwise. We then quickly ran to the temple entrance and got into the rickshaw... the rick driver was the talkative kind who had stayed in Mumbai and gave us the lowdown of living in Solapur. We reached Solapur station by 10:30 p.m. and found that our train had already arrived. Quickly rushed to our coach and relaxed. Train again was prompt in departing Solapur at 10:45 p.m. precise. Slept almost immediately after settling in the train...woke up early next morning @ 6.00 a.m. as had to alight at Dadar station which we reached by 6:45 a.m. Thus ended our memorable visit to Pandharpur....it is the temple where people of different castes and languages are united by only the Divine Force...Lord Vittal. All praise to the dark complexioned One...Jai Jai Vittal!!!

Sep 1st, 2009, 02:47	#3
bonded Account Closed Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 492	Aragorn, nice write up. BTW blue font is used by Forum Leaders / Moderators. If possible please change the color of the font to black.

Sep 1st, 2009, 03:28	#5
sdsudarsan Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Jambu dweep Posts: 165	wonderful narration with all practicalities. congratulations! Jai Jai Vittal

Nov 6th, 2009, 18:15	#12
Sureshchander Proud Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 21	Hey Aragorn, other than the perennial priests, when would be the best time for a leisurely 2 day trip to Pandharpur & Solapur...want to take my 76 yr old mother there...Are weekends very crowded?

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