Last Saturday (April 7, 2012), Vidya and I had the good fortune to participate in the Radha Madhava Kalyanam at the Chinmaya Mission's Yamunotri Center in Grayslake. The Bhajans, led by Srividhya Ganesh, were melodious and uplifting. The beautifully decorated idols of Radha and Krishna at the Center kindled in me memories of my last trip to Pandharpur where I had the darshan of Panduranga Vittal, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
I remember it was a bright, Thursday morning (January 24, 2008). Vidya, me and my brother and his wife left Pune by car around 7 AM. For breakfast, we packed a couple of Idlis. The ride from Pune to Pandharpur (approximately 220 Kms) took about 5 hours on the Solapur road (NH-9). For most part, the road was good but closer to Pandarpur, the ride was pretty bumby. On my return, I took the Phaltan-Jejuri route which was better.
We reached the holy city of Pandharpur around noon. The city is situated on the banks of River Bhima – a tributary of Krishna river. At Pandharpur, the river flows in the crescent shape of a moon and hence it is called 'Chandrabhaaga'.
No sooner we alighted from the car, a young man approached us and offered his services to arrange for the Lord’s darshan. He took us to a priest who offered us two optional Puja’s - at prices of Rs. 1100 and Rs. 1500. We declined his offer and stood in the line for ‘Dharma Darshan’. It took us about 40 minutes for entering the sanctum.
What a divine sight! With arms akimbo, Panduranga Vittala stood magnificently on a stone platform believed to be made of brick. According to legends, Lord Krishna came to Pandharpur on the request of his devotee Pundalika. When the Lord arrived Pundalika was serving his parents and he asked the Lord to wait on a brick platform. The name Vittala itself means "One who stands on a brick".
The Lord was adorned with a princely attire. The idol looked about 4 ft tall. Anyone, irrespective of caste and creed, is allowed to touch the idol’s feet. I guess we were really blessed. I could touch the lotus feet of the Lord with my hands and also with my forehead. In no other temple, I had such a unique experience. The priest offered garlands and prasadams of coconut and pedhas. Coming outside the sanctum, we performed sankalpam and a mini-pooja with the help of a priest. There are pandas as in most pilgrim spots but I did not experience any ‘high-pressure’ pandas to relieve my wallet.
Daily worship rituals include Kakad Arati (Early Morning Prayers) , Mahapuja (Mega-Worship), Mahanaivedya (Food offering), Poshakh (putting the robe), Dhoop Arati, and Padya Pooja.
Panduranga’s consort Rukmani is in a separate sanctum that is close to the main sanctum. I learnt that there is another temple for Rukmani which is about 2 kms away from the main temple. We could not visit the other temple for want of time. There is also an idol of Purandara Daasa (considered as the father of Carnatic music) in the main temple. Purandara Dasa was formerly Srinivasa Nayaka who was a wealthy merchant in Karnataka; foremost among the talented Karnatic composers. Because of a strange incident in his life, Srinivasa Nayaka abandoned all his wealth and became an ardent devotee of Sri Hari. Eventually, he became Purandara Dasa.
Wednesdays and Ekadasi days are considered very auspicious in Pandharpur. On these days, large crowds assemble here for the Lord’s darshan. The temple timings for darshan are: Morning 6 to 7, 8 to 11, 11.15 to 4.30 Evening, 5.00 to 7.00 pm & 7.30 to 10.00 p.m & 10.30 to 11.00 p.m.
The main temple is believed to have been built in the 12th century by the Yaadavas of Devagiri (modern Daulatabad). Pandharpur is also associated with the Maharashtra poet-saints devoted to the Bhakti cult. Many saints of Maharashtra- Saint Dnyaneshwar, Saint Tukaram, Saint Namdev, Saint Purandaradas, and others have composed songs in praise of Panduranga Vittala.
The great Maharashtrian saint Tukaram sang in one of his Abhangs:
Just beyond us we see that purple luster - how glorious!
With His noble crown of peacock feathers stitched together.
As you look upon Him, fever and illusion vanish
Adore then the Prince of the Yadavas, the Lord of Yogis.
He stands upon the river bank with the luster of one million moons.
It is fastened in jewels on His neck
And merges into the luster of His form.
Tukaram’s poetic description does not need any elaboration. With a deep sense of satisfaction and a great ‘mission accomplished’ feeling, we returned to Pune the same evening around 8:30 PM.
The trip to Pandharpur is unforgettable. How blessed we are! In your lifetime, you must visit Pandharpur at least once to see the glorious Panduranga Vittala and receive His divine blessings.
Punar Darshana Praptir Asthu
I remember it was a bright, Thursday morning (January 24, 2008). Vidya, me and my brother and his wife left Pune by car around 7 AM. For breakfast, we packed a couple of Idlis. The ride from Pune to Pandharpur (approximately 220 Kms) took about 5 hours on the Solapur road (NH-9). For most part, the road was good but closer to Pandarpur, the ride was pretty bumby. On my return, I took the Phaltan-Jejuri route which was better.
We reached the holy city of Pandharpur around noon. The city is situated on the banks of River Bhima – a tributary of Krishna river. At Pandharpur, the river flows in the crescent shape of a moon and hence it is called 'Chandrabhaaga'.
No sooner we alighted from the car, a young man approached us and offered his services to arrange for the Lord’s darshan. He took us to a priest who offered us two optional Puja’s - at prices of Rs. 1100 and Rs. 1500. We declined his offer and stood in the line for ‘Dharma Darshan’. It took us about 40 minutes for entering the sanctum.
What a divine sight! With arms akimbo, Panduranga Vittala stood magnificently on a stone platform believed to be made of brick. According to legends, Lord Krishna came to Pandharpur on the request of his devotee Pundalika. When the Lord arrived Pundalika was serving his parents and he asked the Lord to wait on a brick platform. The name Vittala itself means "One who stands on a brick".
The Lord was adorned with a princely attire. The idol looked about 4 ft tall. Anyone, irrespective of caste and creed, is allowed to touch the idol’s feet. I guess we were really blessed. I could touch the lotus feet of the Lord with my hands and also with my forehead. In no other temple, I had such a unique experience. The priest offered garlands and prasadams of coconut and pedhas. Coming outside the sanctum, we performed sankalpam and a mini-pooja with the help of a priest. There are pandas as in most pilgrim spots but I did not experience any ‘high-pressure’ pandas to relieve my wallet.
Daily worship rituals include Kakad Arati (Early Morning Prayers) , Mahapuja (Mega-Worship), Mahanaivedya (Food offering), Poshakh (putting the robe), Dhoop Arati, and Padya Pooja.
Panduranga’s consort Rukmani is in a separate sanctum that is close to the main sanctum. I learnt that there is another temple for Rukmani which is about 2 kms away from the main temple. We could not visit the other temple for want of time. There is also an idol of Purandara Daasa (considered as the father of Carnatic music) in the main temple. Purandara Dasa was formerly Srinivasa Nayaka who was a wealthy merchant in Karnataka; foremost among the talented Karnatic composers. Because of a strange incident in his life, Srinivasa Nayaka abandoned all his wealth and became an ardent devotee of Sri Hari. Eventually, he became Purandara Dasa.
Wednesdays and Ekadasi days are considered very auspicious in Pandharpur. On these days, large crowds assemble here for the Lord’s darshan. The temple timings for darshan are: Morning 6 to 7, 8 to 11, 11.15 to 4.30 Evening, 5.00 to 7.00 pm & 7.30 to 10.00 p.m & 10.30 to 11.00 p.m.
The main temple is believed to have been built in the 12th century by the Yaadavas of Devagiri (modern Daulatabad). Pandharpur is also associated with the Maharashtra poet-saints devoted to the Bhakti cult. Many saints of Maharashtra- Saint Dnyaneshwar, Saint Tukaram, Saint Namdev, Saint Purandaradas, and others have composed songs in praise of Panduranga Vittala.
The great Maharashtrian saint Tukaram sang in one of his Abhangs:
Just beyond us we see that purple luster - how glorious!
With His noble crown of peacock feathers stitched together.
As you look upon Him, fever and illusion vanish
Adore then the Prince of the Yadavas, the Lord of Yogis.
He stands upon the river bank with the luster of one million moons.
It is fastened in jewels on His neck
And merges into the luster of His form.
Tukaram’s poetic description does not need any elaboration. With a deep sense of satisfaction and a great ‘mission accomplished’ feeling, we returned to Pune the same evening around 8:30 PM.
The trip to Pandharpur is unforgettable. How blessed we are! In your lifetime, you must visit Pandharpur at least once to see the glorious Panduranga Vittala and receive His divine blessings.
Punar Darshana Praptir Asthu
