Pandarpur or Pandiripur is a holy and spiritual place every devotee of Lord Krishna longs to visit.
Shree Vitthal - Rukmini Mandir
" युगे अठावीस, विटेवरी उभा "
Come Aashadi Ekadashi & Kartiki Ekadashi, lakhs of Lord Vithoba devotees, belonging to the Varkari community, take out massive professions called ' Dindi' ( डिंडी ) from all over Maharashtra & walk hundreds of kilometres , carrying Padhukas of the Lord in beautifully decorated palkis,singing abhangs, dancing & rejoicing each & every moment on their way to reach Pandharpur for a darshan of Lord Vithoba, who is a manifestation of Lord Vishnu / Krishn
After a 21 day walk over 250 kilometres , the palanquins gather at Warkhari, at a distance of 5 km from Pandharpur.
On the auspicious Ekadashi days, lakhs of devotees queue up for either / both :
Mukh darshan ( Having a glimpse of the Lord's and Rukmini Devi's face )
Pad Sparsh darshan ( Touching the Lord's Lotus feet )
The Shree Vitthal - Rukmini Mandir faces the Chandrabhaga river. The temple has 8 entrances with the Mahadwar opening in the main market place.
The first step of the temple is Sant Namdeo Maharaj payri , a boon asked from the Lord by the Sant so that millions of devotees touch him while going in for the Lord's Darshan.
The legend of Bhakt Pundalik goes that he was once tending to his aged parents while Lord Krishna comes to visit him , being pleased with his devotion.
Pundalik continued with the task of serving his parents & made the Lord wait on the threshold.
Since it was the first day of the rains , it was muddy & wet. He threw a brick for the Lord to stand without getting his feet dirty.
Hence the Vithoba idol in the temple is the Lord standing on a brick, with his arms akimbo, a necklace of Tulsi beads, embedded with the Kaustubha gems & makara earrings ( fish shaped earrings ).
The Lord holds a Shankha ( Conch) in his left hand & a Chakra in his right.
The Lord is said to be waiting on the brick ( Vit in Marathi ) for 28 yugs.
Since Lord Krishna stands on the 'Vit' he is called Lord Vithoba in this form.
The temple dates back to the 12 th century and was built by the Hoysala King Vishnuwardhan.
To reach the Idol of Lord Vithoba and his consort Rukmini , one has to pass through a number of samadhis & shrines, starting with the
Samadhi of Sant Namdeo & Chokhamela.
Ganesh Shrine
A hall for bhajans
Small shrine for Garuda & Hanuman
From this point the devotees can get the Mukh Darshan , with a relatively small queue & less time.
For the Padha Darshan, one has to go out to the queue complex where the waiting time can be anything from 2 to 36 hours depending on the day & occasion.
Moving forward, the devotee has to cross the following shrines
Rukmini Devi
Satyabhama Devi
Radhika Devi
Lord Narasimha
Lord Venkateshwara
Goddess Mahalakshmi
Nagaraj
Ganesh Annapurna Devi
Another mandap follows where one can replicate the plays of Lord Krishna and the Gopis.
Trivia worth a mention -
Darshan days
Wednesday
Ekadashi
Chaitra Ekadashi
Ashadi Ekadashi
Kartiki Ekadashi
Maghi Ekadashi
Dindi Seva
Amrut Kalash
Narayan Seva
Medical Seva
Building & repairing rural infrastructure seva
These Seva are believed to develop personality, cleanse the mind, purify the soul, bring good health , peace and prosperity & help find the purpose of life.
Architecture of the Temple
Hoysala
Deccan with dome motifs and lobed arches
Another legend worth reading is that of Bhakt Pundalik.
