The Vithoba Temple, officially known as Shri Vitthal-Rukmini Mandir is a Hindu temple at Pandharpur in Maharashtra.
It is the
main centre of worship for Vithoba, a form of the God Vishnu or Krishna, and his consort Rakhumai.
The
temple was built by King Vishnuvardhana of Hoysala Empire
between 1108 - 1152 CE upon being convinced by the historical figure Pundalik.
Also, there is an inscription in the temple, of a Hoysala King Vira Someshwara dating
back to 1237 CE, which grants the temple a village for its upkeep.
It is the most visited temple
in Maharashtra. The Warkaris start marching
from their homes to the temple of Pandharpur in groups called Dindi (procession) to
reach on Aashadhi Ekadashi and Kartiki Ekadashi. A
dip in the holy river Chandrabhaga, on
whose banks Pandharpur resides,
is believed to have power to wash all sins. Lacs of devotees visit the temple
for the said festivals.
One
can touch the Lotus feet of the Lord. There are Shrines for Rukmini Devi, Sathyabhama Devi, Radhika Devi,
Lord Narasimha,
Lord Venkateshwara,
Goddess Mahalakshmi, Nagaraj,
Ganesha, Annapoorna Devi.( wiki)
Abhangs are bhajan in
praise of the Lord sung by many devotees, Sant Tukaram being one of the
foremost. Vithoba story is a very heart touching one. The Lord standing on the
bricks with hands on the hip eternally to bless His devotees is indeed a very heartening
sight at any time. The tranquillity one gets by touching the Lord’s Lotus feet
cannot be put into words. Though I have not visited yet, having seen videos of
the Lord and temple on numerous times, the above feelings are expressed. Temples
devoted to Him near Wadala and Sion
Circle, Mumbai are visited by many. Listening to any one of the Abhangs
takes one to a different world. One of my favorite bhajans is – Maje Manorath..
माझे मनोरथ पूर्ण करी देवा
केशवा माधवा नारायणा
नाही नाही मज आणिक सोयरा
न करी अव्हेरा पांडुरंगा
अनाथांचा नाथ होसी तू दयाळा
किती वेळोवेळां प्रार्थू आता
नामा म्हणे जीव होतो कासावीस
केली तुझी आस आता बरी
Be happy. Be safe.
ॐ तत् सत्
8 30AM
Very Apt and today is Aashadi Ekadashi.👌🙏
ReplyDeleteWow, very nice information 🙏🙏💐💐
ReplyDelete🙏🙏🙏🙏 nice information
ReplyDeleteThank u .
Excellent narrtation like sadguru.
ReplyDeleteजय जय रामकृष्णहरि
Pandu ranga meaning is white coloured. However the idol is black coloured. It's associated metaphor of the devotees who visualised brightness in black idol and called it Panduranga.
ReplyDeleteStories of each of 3 Temples covered by you are mesmerising.
ReplyDeleteVisit to Lord Venkatesha at Tirupati by devotees 24x7 is beyond any ones imagination.A richest temple in the world.
Varkari's walk in lakhs to have darshan of Lord Vithoba on Ashadi Ekadashi is again a miraculous sight.
Janmasthan of LORD Krishna is the most loved place by vaishnav's & attended by devotees round the clock.
This shows the POWER of belief & utmost Bhakti (devotion) by devotees of our soil.
Coverage is commendable. 👌