Ashadhi Wari (Pandharpur)

                                 

Ashadhi Wari (Pandharpur) is a foot procession by Warkari devotees to Pandharpur on the occasion of Ashadhi Ekadashi . 'Warkari sect' means the sect of people who go to the wari of Vitthal at Pandharpur . An important feature of this sect is the Ashadhi Wari. People of many castes and religions as well as devotees of Marathas , Mahars , Lingayats and other castes also participate in this wari in large numbers. Wari is a joyful festival.

Vitthal-Rakhumai- Wari is a community foot march that starts from various villages in Maharashtra and ends in Pandharpur . Wari is a religious and cultural tradition in Maharashtra . This wari is held on both the days of Ashadh and Shuddha Ekadashi in the month of Kartik . The shoes of Saint Dnyaneshwar from Alandi and the shoes of Saint Tukaram from Dehu are placed in a palanquin and are taken to Pandharpur in a palanquin. Saint Dnyaneshwar , Saint Eknath , and Saint Tukaram are important saints of the Warkari sect. There is no distinction between small and big in the Warkari sect. There is also a belief that one gets merit by chanting the name. Going to Pandharpur regularly on Ekadashi and other holy days is Wari . One who regularly performs wari is a Warkari. The religion followed by Warkari is called Warkari religion. Warkari religion itself is called Bhagavat religion . The Bhagavata sect believes that the Varkari do not miss the festival out of desire to 'smell the fragrance of the Pandhari, bathe in the blessings of the moon, and have a glimpse of Vithoba'. That is why it is believed that the Ashadhi festival holds a place of respect and devotion in the hearts of every Varkari man and woman.

Malkari/Warkari- A person who performs the ritual is called a 'Varkari'. They are devotees of Pandurang/Vitthal, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. While performing their duties faithfully, they wear a garland of Tulsi around their neck to prevent them from forgetting God. The Varkari sect says that one cannot become a Varkari without using this garland as a rosary, without wearing it around their neck.

Warkari in Pandharpur- One should eat sattvic food, act sattvic. One should also do charity and do good deeds. One should gradually get rid of the bondage and temptation of life and become one with Pandurang, and should chant the name,' is the simple and obvious way of doing good deeds taught by the Varkari sect. 

In the Varkari religion, when starting any work, the following is chanted: Pundalik Varada Hari Vitthal Shri Dnyandev Tukaram | Pandharinath Maharaj ki Jai! Depending on the place, this chant is varied as "Pandharinath 'Bhagwan' ki Jai". In many places, variations like "Mauli Dnyaneshwar Maharajki Jai", "Jagadguru Tukaram Maharajki Jai", "Shantibrahm Eknath Maharaj ki Jai" are found. This chant is called the Varkari Mahavakya or the Warkari Mahaghosh.

History of Wari- The tradition of Pandhari's Wari being performed on foot is very old. There are references to this tradition in the 13th century. The family of the great saint Gyandev had a tradition of Pandhari's Wari. There is a mention of his father going to Wari. Gyandev took the banner of Bhagavat Dharma on his shoulders and included the community of all castes in this ceremony. Maintaining this broad format, saints like Eknath Maharaj, Tukaram Maharaj, Shankarswamy Shiurkar Maharaj, Mallappa Vaskar continued the tradition of Wari. Saint Tukaram Maharaj's family also had a tradition of Wari. Dr. Sadanand More, a scholar of saint literature , says - "The Wari of Pandharpur is the main ritual of the Warkari sect. Wari is a practice that predates Gyandev, in fact, the name Warkari is derived from Wari. The sociality and community orientation of this sect is clear from Wari. The tradition of Wari has been preserved by all saints." Due to the work of Gyandev, this sect spread throughout Maharashtra and influenced the public; but the original promoter of the sect is Bhakta Pundalik. The history of this sect begins with Bhakta Pundalik. This history can be divided into the following periods:

Ashadhi Wari - The palanquins of all the saints come to Pandharpur from their respective villages on this occasion.

Kartiki Wari - Warkaris from their respective villages go to Pandharpur, Alandi, Dehu for darshan.This pair also produces Maghi and Chaitri winds.

Palkhi of Dnyandev  :- Haibat Baba started the practice of carrying Dnyaneshwar Maharaj's foot shoes in the palkhi with Dindi ceremonies and Thata [ 20 ] with pomp and ceremony to Pandharpur . It has gained more splendor today. Earlier, elephants, horses, etc. used to be brought for the palkhi ceremony of Shri Dnyaneshwar by the wealthy Rajesaheb The government of that time used to help with this expense . Later, even after the Company government came into power, the government continued to provide for the expense. The government established a Panch Committee in 1852 and arranged for the palkhi of Dnyaneshwar Maharaj under the control of that committee.

Tukoba's Palkhi  : - Tukaram Maharaj's ancestor Vishwambhar Baba was a contemporary of Gyandev-Namdev. His family had a Pandhari Wari. Tukoba himself used to go to Pandharpur on every Shuddha Ekadashi with fourteen hundred talkaris. After Tukoba's death, his younger son Narayan Maharaj transformed the Wari into a Palkhi ceremony. He not only continued the tradition of the Wari but also expanded the Dehu Devasthan in all aspects.

By the end of the 19th century, palanquins of Gyanoba and Tukaram were being taken out. The palanquins of Nivruttinath , Sopandev , Muktabai , Janardan Swami , Eknath , Savata Mali , Ramdas Swami , and the palanquins of saints Shegaon also come to Pandharpur for darshan. Palanquins come from various parts of Maharashtra and are attended by lakhs of devotees. These palanquins go to Pandharpur to the tune of Gyanoba and Tukaram's hymns, singing Abhangs, and playing traditional games.

Dindi- A special feature of this is that Warkari devotees from all over India participate in the palanquin ceremony. For the convenience of Warkari devotees going to Wari, there is a Dindi concept. Each Dindi has a head. The head person can be either a man or a woman. Dindis of some religious institutions and temples also join the Wari. Accommodation, food and other facilities of the Warkari congregation are arranged through each Dindi. At the place of stay, the concerned members of the Dindi go ahead and make all such arrangements. These registered Dindis are given numbers. In Wari, these Dindis continue to move along the route with the same number in front and behind the chariot. This is considered a part of discipline.

Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi- The task of taking this palanquin ceremony to Pandharpur is entrusted to the Khillar bulls, the pride of Maharashtra. These Khillar bulls make this journey by pulling the chariot on their shoulders. Since this is a very hard work, only the beautiful, fat Khillar cattle of Maharashtra are selected for this palanquin ceremony. A committee also works in this which pays special attention to selecting the pair of bulls and everything else. There is also a team of doctors in this entire ceremony who take care of the health of these Khillar bulls at each stopover from time to time. Also, if the foot plate of the bulls is damaged, the foot plate of the bulls is also applied from time to time. One special thing to mention is that there are many Indian cattle breeds, but it is customary to use only Khillar bulls born from the Khillar cow sub-caste for this palanquin ceremony.