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Society
Beyond Devotion
 Faith is a great
leveller. Every year, shrugging aside divisions of religion, caste, class
and gender, thousands of people from all over Maharashtra undertake a 20
day-long journey on foot to Lord Vithoba's temple in Maharashtra's famed
pilgrim town, Pandharpur. These pilgrims, called 'warkaris', accompany a
procession of palanquins (palkhi) of nearly 50 saints from Maharashtra -
the Bhakti movement saints, Dnyaneshwar and Tukaram, being two of the most
prominent.
The procession starts from Dehu, near Pune, in the Hindu calendar month of
Jyeshth (roughly, June) and lasts a total of 22 days. On the eleventh day
of Ashaad (usually some time in July), the procession reaches its
destination in Pandharpur.
It is estimated that the ritual began in the late 1600s. Although there
are not many written records of the tradition, historians credit Narayan
Maharaj, Sant (saint) Tukaram's youngest son, with pioneering the
tradition in 1685. After the death of Tukaram - who visited Pandharpur
every year with a group of 1,400 warkaris - his brother Kanhoba and son
continued the annual pilgrimage (wari). They carried the saint's 'padukas'
(wooden slippers) on a palkhi to symbolise the saint's presence. Folklore
goes that Narayan Maharaj proceeded with Tukaram's palkhi from Dehu to
Alandi, where he placed Sant Dnyaneshwar's padukas in the same palanquin
and proceeded to Pandharpur.
That marked the beginning of these palkhis, which now number about 50,
representing various saints, including Eknath, Namdev and Chokha Mela -
all prominent saints in Maharashtra. Once the Tukaram and Dnyaneshwar
palkhis set off, the other palanquins also begin their journey.
An important feature of these saints' writings is their non-elitist
character. Written in colloquial Marathi, their works are accessible to
all sections of society. The Bhakti movement in Maharashtra, of which
these saints were a part, is known for its progressive character. The
saints themselves, in fact, belonged to different castes - the Brahmin
Dnyaneshwar; the grocer Tukaram; the gardener Sawata; and the potter Gora
Kumbhar are examples.
The journey, though, is not just a means to obtain a glimpse of Lord
Vithal at Pandharpur; it carries significance as a spiritual discipline.
Over the centuries, most saints - Dnyaneshwar and Tukaram included - have
followed the tradition of wari.
True to the pilgrimage's spirit of communal harmony, the Tukaram palkhi
first stops at the mausoleum of a Sufi mystic, Baba Angadshah, in Dehu.
Interestingly, two Hindu families have been tending the dargah faithfully
for three generations.
The procession itself is steeped in symbolism. The family that plays the
traditional drum to lead the procession at Dehu is Muslim. In the early
1900s, impressed by the devotion of the temple caretaker, Abdul Mulani,
the then manager, Babasaheb Inamdar, had asked Mulani to play the drum on
all important occasions. The seeds of a tradition had been sowed. In an
interview, Mulani's grandson Syed Ibrahim Mulani said that his father's
last words were, "Whatever you do, son, do not stop playing the drum at
the temple." Syed Mulani has kept the tradition alive and has ensured it
won't die with him. His youngest son Riaz now plays the drum.
Inclusion, in fact, is the very spirit of this pilgrimage. In Pune, for
instance, where the palanquins halt for two days, people from all
communities unite in their hospitality towards the warkaris. Sherna
Minawala, 36, and her Parsi neighbours have been providing food and snacks
to warkaris for over a decade now. "There is so much devotion and
camaraderie. Everyone cares about each other and, more importantly,
respect each other," says Minawala, who works in a private company and
takes a day off when the palkhi arrives in Pune.
In one of the city's byzantine lanes in Nana Peth, Saleem Mian, a
professional masseur, sets aside two days every year, when he massages the
weary warkaris' feet for free. "I am overwhelmed by the devotion of
warkaris and this is my humble offering to the pilgrimage," says the
sexagenarian. A few lanes away, Abu Mohammed is ready for the journey. He
has been going to Pandharpur for five years now. What drew him to the
procession was its spirit. "Everyone is welcome and everyone is equal.
There is no distinction of caste, class or religion. It is a celebration
of oneness," says this devout Muslim.
Smita Abhyankar takes leave from her travel agency job for a fortnight
every year to participate in the pilgrimage. She says there have always
been Muslim pilgrims in her group of warkaris. She speaks of Jaitundi, a
Muslim woman whose scholarship of Dnyaneshwar's works and recitation of
his bhajans is well-known among the warkaris. Jaitundi has been a warkari
for the past five years. Although the pilgrims are organised into
neighbourhood groups, they freely welcome non-members into their
procession.
Women participate in large numbers; many coming alone. For over a
fortnight, they free themselves from domestic chores and societal roles.
Kalavati Mhaske, a pilgrim, says, "Our relatives or neighbours take care
of our children. They know we are not going for 'mauj masti' (fun)."
Incidentally, fables abound of how husbands who did not let their wives go
with the procession were "taught a lesson by Lord Vithal".
The warkaris' long and disciplined procession is a remarkable sight. They
hold aloft saffron flags, sing devotional songs and dance to the tune of
traditional instruments like the 'lezim' and 'taal'. Come rain or shine,
50 palkhis of saints - accompanied by over three lakh people - assemble at
Vakhari near Pandharpur every year, before proceeding towards the temple
town.
The devotion and harmony that characterises the pilgrimage has drawn many
atheists as well. Noted Marathi writer P L Deshpande, himself a
non-believer, says, "Touching the tired feet of a warkari is more
devotional than touching the feet of Lord Vithoba." This procession of
palkhis to Pandharpur is more than just a pilgrimage; it represents a
tradition that unites diverse people.
� V. Radhika
July 17, 2005
By arrangement with
Womens Feature Service
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