The Pandharpur Wari

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THE PANDHARPUR WARI

OCEAN OF FAITH

Every single day the Palkhi has to reach a pre designated place by Sunset

On the 11TH Day of the bright moon in the month of Aashaad [July] many devotees of the Warkari clan, singing & dancing all the way to the rhythmic beats of Cymbals & the Mrudunga (traditional Indian drum), reach the temple town of Pandharpur, to have a glimpse of Lord Vitthal. The clan, which consisted of only a handful of followers about half a century ago, today boasts of four to five hundred thousand pilgrims or warkaris as they are known. There is no definite information available on the origins of this Wari Tradition which is a pilgrimage on foot to Pandharpur. However, there are some references made by Sant (saint) Namdev about Vitthalpant, Sant Dnyaneshwars father, joining the Wari to visit Pandharpur in the month of Aashaad & Kartik (October / November). So we can infer that the state of Maharashtra has seen this tradition being followed since at least the last 800 years. History tells us about many sects that have developed under of a King; however the Warkari clan has developed entirely due to the patronage of the people. This is perhaps because it is a peoples movement constantly working towards creating awareness about devotion & righteousness. Defying existing rituals, the clan willingly opened its doors to people of all casts & creeds, giving everyone a sense of belonging to a group. This has given warkaris a measure of popularity. As such, the number of people joining this clan has increased considerably.


Lord-Vitthal

The Wari custom was prevalent even in Sant Tukarams household. He turned this private event into a social one. It is said that he was followed by 1400 devotees carrying the symbolic cymbal. On the 8TH Day of the waning moon in the month of Jyeshtha (June) Sant Tukaram would to go to Alandi to pay a visit to Sant Dnyaneshwars Tomb & on the 9TH Day he would continue in the direction of Pandharpur. After his death, his younger brother Kanhola & later his Son Narayan Baba continued to follow the tradition. On the 7TH day, Narayan Baba would keep Sant Tukarams Padukas (footwear) in the Palkhi (Palanquin), on the 8TH day he would go to Alandi to keep Sant Dnyaneshwars Padukas in the same Palkhi. The next day he would set off on his journey to Pandharpur.

Leaving the Alandi Mandir start of the wari

This custom was followed from 1680 to 1832. From 1829 to 1832 there was a conflict between the descendants of Sant Tukaram More, on the rights of servitude. In 1832, Haibat Baba Pawar Arfalkar, a Sardar of Shinde from Gwalior started a separate Palkhi of Sant Dnyaneshwar from Alandi in order to avoid the consequences of the conflict in the more household on the whole


tradition. From then onwards, Sant Dnyaneshwars Palkhi & Sant Tukarams Palkhi arrive separately to Pandharpur. The Sardar was also helped by Sardar Shitole of Ankali. The names of Khandobaji Baba and his cymbal player Shedge Baba also featured amongst the aides of Haibat Baba. And so the order of dindis (groups) with the Palkhis was fixed: first that of Alandikar, then that of Khandobaji Baba, followed by Shedge Baba. After a few years the conflict in the more household terminated. Since Sant Dnyaneshwars palanquin procession was being conducted separately, Sant Tukarams Palkhi was taken independently through Dehu City via Pune City to Pandharpur. Today, Sant Tukarams Palkhi procession starts from Dehu & reaches Pandharpur via Aakurdi, Pune. Lonikalbhor, Yavat, Varvand, Baramati, Indapur, Akluj & Wakhri respectively. Sant Dnyaneshwars Palkhi goes through the cities of Alandi, Pune, Saswad, Jejuri, Lonand, Faltan, Natepute, Malshiras, Velapur, Shegaon & Wakhri to Pandharpur.

Warkaris Takepart in the Folklore

Both the Palkhis meet at Wakhri and proceed to Pandharpur. In this procession, a wide variety of people from all social and economic backgrounds flow into the sea of Warkaris and worship with same fervour & devotion. Apart from its spiritual benefits, this pilgrimage has other positive effects. People become aware of diverse regions & agricultural conditions, social variety & changeand most importantly, how to live life on meager necessities. A person who has experienced a lot of worldly sorrows achieves a sort of detachment from the everyday life and manages to get temporary relief from it. In the eyes of Lord Vitthal, everyone is equal. They are his worshippers & have no other identity. This doctrine of parity & humanity is integrated into participants by means of this wari. Even though we live in a world that is becoming increasingly materialistic, thousands of devotees still find the time & commitment to join in the journey on foot, braving the sun & the rain, to get a new lease of life and gain spiritual happiness. They walk 250 Km. to seek the blessings of Pandurang (Lord Vitthal) in Pandharpur. The Warkari, who had left for Pandharpur chanting the names of saints all the way, returns home with renewed zeal. According to the Warkari ideology, the soul is the essence of every beings life. God is a part of this essence. So, the sole objective of a Warkari in life is to ensure that the divine remains a part of the living experience.


Aware that a common person who has duties to fulfill towards his family might find Hatayog, hard fasting, re-reading of the holy texts & scriptures and discussions on moral values very challenging, the Wari tradition offers instead a simple & engaging (form of poem) by the saints assert that God is mother, father, brother & friend. The Warkari ideology says that God has created all equal without discriminating between nobility & low-birth, caste, creed or status. Everyone has an equal right to worship God. During this 250 Km. walkathon all devotees travel and eat together, so there remains no distinction between different casts. Even if you take a look at the list of saints names, you would find that they come from various casts & background.

Eagerly waiting for Darshan

Saints in this Warkari clan include Sant Dnyaneshwar (Brahmin), Sant Namdev Shimpi (Tailor), Sant Chokhoba, Banka Maharaj, Narhari Sonar (Goldsmith), Savatoba Mali (Farmer), Gora Kumbhaar (Potter), Sena Navhi (Barber), Tukoba Wani (Grocer), Eknath & others. The list also includes the names of female saint poets like Muktabai, Janabai, Nirmala, Kanhopatra, Bahinabai. These names are as important in the society as they are in the clan. The Warkari clan thus strongly attacks the established tenets that low caste people are not allowed to worship or obtain salvation. The Bharud (form of poem) of Sant Eknath enlightens people & advises them to join the procession without discrimination. His compositions oppose rituals & superstitions. Through his poems, Sant Eknath managed to entertain & preach at the same time. The poems spread the message of worshipping Lord Vitthal even amongst the lowest deemed casts like Godhali, Bharadi, Vasudev, Dombari & Mahar and also amongst the nomads. Sant Dynaneshwar is considered to be a Philosopher & a spiritual Guru of the clan. He achieved an excellent blend of devotion, knowledge, deeds & fate. He even wrote about it in his Dnyaneshwari and preached that one should no shun his duties. He translated the holy Bhagwad Gita from Sanskrit to Prakrit (Marathi) language, making it available to all.


The WomenFolk carrying the holy basil plant of water, joyos & strong in their

pilgrimage

His follower Sant Tukaram too was considered a great saint. There was a beautiful blend of knowledge, devotion & asceticism in him. He always expected people to give up discrimination & fiercely denounced immorality under the guise of religion. He wanted to take society away from superstitions and belief in ghosts & spirits, black magic, evil god worship & hypocrisy. Sant Tukaram was a folk poet in the true sense. His Abhangs integrated well into the everyday life of society.

The clans activities were considerable considering the period when womens rights & liberation werent even taken into account. Sant Dnyaneshwars sister Muktabai (1279 1297), his servant Janabai (1260 1353), Sant Tukarams disciple Bahinabai (1628 1708) proved to be effective poets. In times when women were discouraged from worshipping & striving for salvation, they proved otherwise. So women too joined in large numbers in this pilgrimage as Malkaris. The Palkhis timetable is well defined & strictly followed. Early dawn, after worshipping the Saints footwear, the palkhi sets out exactly at six. A Tutari (wind instrument) is blown thrice to alert the Warkaris. At the first signal, the Warkaris get ready to leave. At the second signal the Dindis [groups] stand in a queue for the Palkhi procession & at the third one, the procession starts off. After covering 4 5 Km. the Warkaris halt for half an hour for Breakfast. They then proceed until they stop again later this time for Lunch when they make their first offerings to the Lord.


There is another halt for Tea and at six, after sunset, the procession halts to camp. In the morning, when the palkhi starts off, the didni (groups of Warkaris) line up in the given order. The dindis are positioned ahead & behind the Palkhi, and are given numbers accordingly, the first one being the one closest a saffron flag. It is not bright saffron but instead the colour which is got after dipping a mud-coloured cloth in Kaav (dull Orange Brown colour). Cymbal players & the Warkaris follow this flag bearer in lines of four. The Mrudung player & Veena player are positioned in the middle & at the end of the dindi respectively. Then come the women Warkaris, some carrying the holy basil plant & some carrying pitchers of drinking water on their head. There is also a huge number of Warkaris not belonging to any dindi. They just join the procession carrying their belongings on their head. These individuals are totally dependant, for food & shelter, on the residents of the villages along the way. Every dindi had its own water tanker & trucks to carry their belongings which include small tents. The management ensured that these tents are set up and the meals prepared well before the dindis arrive at the decided spot. Many of the Warkaris, especially women, are not accustomed to performing their morning ablutions in the open. So they have to get up early in the morning to get ready before the others awake. They carry wet clothes with them & let them dry during the first halt of that day.

Pandharpur Devotees

The dindis also decide the order in which the Abhanga are to be sung. You can find newly joined Warkaris reading the Abhangas from books even as they are walking. The Warkari who adorns a garland of Tulsi [basil] is called a Malkari. His basic duty is to stay away from meat & alcohol. At the days end they sing bhajan Jayajaya Ramkrushna Hari & Abhangas, and in the evening they pray and listen to sermons which refresh them after the days long and tiring walk. Now-a-days, the Wari also consists of professors, doctors, businessmen & retired administrators in large numbers. The procession of 18 21 days reaches the temple town of Pandharpur on the 11TH day of the waxing moon in the month of Ashadh. The Warkaris then bathe in the Chandrabhaga River & worship Lord Vitthal, thus completing their meaningful journey.

Documents

The Pandharpur Wari