Lakhs of devotees reach Alandi with renewed enthusiasm for Ashadhi Wari

“Reading the Dnyaneshwari can purify you and give you a new direction about life. Completing the book is like meeting God itself,” says Errapa.

Errapa is one of the lakhs of warkaris or pilgrims who are undertaking the Ashadhi Wari after a gap of two years amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Errapa is one of the lakhs of warkaris or pilgrims who are undertaking the Ashadhi Wari after a gap of two years amid the coronavirus pandemic. The pilgrimage is said to be 800 years old, where members of the Warkari sect in Maharashtra visit the Vitthoba Temple at Pandharpur—the abode of Vitthal, an avatar of Krishna.

The warkaris take out palkhis or processions dedicated to poet-saints from different parts of Maharashtra, of which those of Sant Dnyaneshwar from Alandi and Sant Tukaram Palkhi from Dehu are the largest and most significant. Devotees, mostly farmers, join the two palkhis in large numbers from Alandi and Dehu, the resting places or samadhis of the two saints, to travel to Pandharpur on foot. The journey takes 21 days to complete, and sees much fanfare all throughout.

This year, the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi will leave from the Alandi temple on June 21, while the Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi will leave on June 20. The Dnyaneshwar Palkhi will enter the city on June 22, with stoppages in Phulenagar and Palkhi Vitthoba Temple, Bhavanipeth in the afternoon and evening respectively. On the afternoon of June 24, it will stop at Hadapsar. Arrangements for traffic diversion have been made by the Pune Municipal Corporation.

The journey takes 21 days to complete, and sees much fanfare all throughout.

Chandrakala, a 50-year-old housewife from Parbhani, says, “This is my first wari, and I am very excited about it. I have been coming here for darshan for the last 20 years but could never join any dindi (pilgrim group) due to household responsibilities. Now, that my sons are married, I don’t want to wait for another year. The pandemic has told us that life is unpredictable. Before dying, I want to do the wari at least once.”

The pandemic was a major departure from the centuries-old tradition as the state government scaled down the pilgrimage to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease. However, this year, the state government has allowed the pilgrimage on its full scale. A gap of two years means renewed enthusiasm among the warkaris, who are coming in greater numbers than the previous years.

The Shree Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Sansthan Committee, which looks after the temple in Alandi, took note of it and made special arrangements for the pilgrims. “This year, we are estimating that there will be a 40-50 per cent increase in the number of pilgrims. Today, we are seeing a huge number of visitors to the temple. This is because the wari is happening after two years. There’s a lot of enthusiasm among the warkaris that they are joining the wari after two years,” says Umesh Bagde, media president of the trust.

Yogesh Desai, the chief trustee of the temple, told the Indian Express about Wari Mitra, a new volunteer initiative started by them to guide lost warkaris back to the procession. The Wari Mitras will be positioned between Saswad and Wakri.

“There have been some changes in the route due to an ongoing road-widening project. The warkaris too are coming after two years. People can easily lose their way in such a large crowd. Hence, we have taken the help of gram panchayats who will be providing us with 20-25 volunteers at each stop to help us implement the Wari Mitra initiative,” says Desai.

“The volunteers will be situated at spots where the pilgrims are supposed to rest. Anyone who loses their way can approach them. Since these are locals, they will be able to guide the pilgrims back to the main procession. We will be giving them t-shirts, caps, and identity cards so that everyone knows whom to approach.”