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Pundalik
courtesy:Sri.PP.Ramachandar
* PANDHARPUR*
* There was once a merchant
named Pundarika in the town now known as Pandarpur. He was extremely greedy
and saw his parents as a road block to his prosperity. When they became old
and infirm he decided to drive them out of his home. Fortunately for them,
they were able to join a group of poor devotees who were going to
Benares by foot. Later Pundarika himself undertook the pilgrimage to
Benares but in a horse drawn chariot. He crossed his parents on his way,
but did not even bother to stop.*
* After some time, when Pandurika
stopped on the bank of a river to rest, he met Rohit Das, a cobbler who had
a hermitage by the river bank. Rohit Das, though extremely poor, spent all
of his time taking care of his parents, even if that meant that he
disregard his own comforts. That night, Pandurika saw three ugly
women taking bath in the pond of the hermitage and rising up as divine
beings. He asked them who they were and they answered that they were the
rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Godavari. They had to bear the sins left by people
who bathed in them and got cleansed by coming to the Hermitage of Rohit
Das.*
* A sea of change descended on
Pundarika. He went back to his parents, begged for forgiveness and from
that time onward, spent all his time caring for them. One day Vishnu took
the form of a cowherd boy and went to the house of Pundarika. He was told
by Pundarika that, he was busy looking after his parents and did not have
time to take proper care of him. Lord Vishnu, informed him, who He was but
Pundarika apologized for not being able to receive him as he was too busy
taking care of his parents. He gave Lord Vishnu a brick to stand on and
asked him to wait there until he was done with his parent's care. Since
that day, Lord Vishnu has been standing on that brick. The name of the town
is now Pand*
*harpur after Pundarika and the Lord was given the name Vittala since he
stands on a brick.*
* Pandharpur is one of the
most prominent pilgrimage places in Maharashtra. It is located on the banks
of the Bhimā river, which is alternatively known as Chandrabhāgā because of
its half-moon-like shape.**Pandharpur, also known as Pandhari, hosts the
renowned Vitthal temple on the banks of Bhimā." Vithoba" ", "Pāndurang",
and "Pandharināth" are the popular alternate names of the deity, Vitthal,
who is regarded as a form of Lord Krishna who is an incarnation of Lord
Vishnu. Rakhumāi or Rukmini is Vitthal's consort in the temple.*
*A holy shrine of quite antiquity that holds Vithoba, a localized version
of Lord Krishna is one among the numerous devout destinations in
Pandharpur. The temple is believed to be centuries old and the most amazing
aspect in this holy shrine is the scripture that dates back to the year
1195.The devotees used to rub their back on this scripture, which is
believed to absolve them from the wheel of rebirths.*
*The Lord is seen accompanied by his consort Rukmini. The deities look
truly impressive with its blackish colour and in Navarathri and Dusshera
celebrations they would be clothed with new clothes everyday. The temple is
open for the public for the whole day during Vari. After Vari the temple is
washed with water and the deities would be fed with special meals.*
* The worship of Vitthal in the
Pandharpur temple is based mainly on the contents of the Puranas, and the
contributions of the Vaishnav saints of Maharashtra and Karnataka during
the 13th through the 17th centuries. Some of these saints are Dnyaneswar,
Namdev,Chokhamela,Gora Kumbhar ,Eknath Tukaram Purandara Dasa,Vijaya Dasa,
Gopala Dasa,and Jagannatha Dasa .*
* The Pandharpur temple
covers a large area and has six gates. The eastern gate is known as the
"Namdev Gate."*
* Pandharpur hosts four
annual pilgrimages ("Yātrās") of devotees. Among them, the pilgrimage in
the month of Āshādh (June–July) attracts the largest number of
pilgrims—around 500,000 to 700,000 people. The pilgrimages in the months of
Kārtik (October–November), Māgh (January–February) and Shrāvan
(July–August) attract the second, third and fourth largest numbers of
pilgrims respectively.*
*There are some other important holy places around Pandharpur. The deities
include the Goddess Tulja Bhavani (Goddess of family – Kul Devata of
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj) at Tuljapur, Saint Shri Swami Samarth (God
Form of Dattatreya) at Shri Kshetra Akkalkot, Lord Dattatreya at Ganagapur,
etc. All these places are located in or near the Solapur District.*
* Pundalik or Pundarik is
a central figure in the legends of the God Vithoba, generally considered a
Vaishnava deity identified with deities Vishnu and Krishna He is credited
to have brought Vithoba to Pandarphur, where Vithoba's central shrine
stands today. Pundalik is also perceived to be the historical founder of
the Var*
*kari Sect which is centered on the worship of Vithoba.*
*.*
* Pundalik is the founder
of the Varkari cult and the one who promulgated the cult . He tried to
unify Shiva and Vishnu, The Hoysala King Vishnuvardhan built the
Pandharpur*
* Temple. Pundalik was a mystic, who not only founded the Varkari Sect but
also was the first to identify Vithoba with Lord Vishnu. His fame also led
to naming of Pandharpur to Paundrika-Kshetra--the sacred place of Pundalik.*
courtesy:Sri.PP.Ramachandar
* PANDHARPUR*
* There was once a merchant
named Pundarika in the town now known as Pandarpur. He was extremely greedy
and saw his parents as a road block to his prosperity. When they became old
and infirm he decided to drive them out of his home. Fortunately for them,
they were able to join a group of poor devotees who were going to
Benares by foot. Later Pundarika himself undertook the pilgrimage to
Benares but in a horse drawn chariot. He crossed his parents on his way,
but did not even bother to stop.*
* After some time, when Pandurika
stopped on the bank of a river to rest, he met Rohit Das, a cobbler who had
a hermitage by the river bank. Rohit Das, though extremely poor, spent all
of his time taking care of his parents, even if that meant that he
disregard his own comforts. That night, Pandurika saw three ugly
women taking bath in the pond of the hermitage and rising up as divine
beings. He asked them who they were and they answered that they were the
rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Godavari. They had to bear the sins left by people
who bathed in them and got cleansed by coming to the Hermitage of Rohit
Das.*
* A sea of change descended on
Pundarika. He went back to his parents, begged for forgiveness and from
that time onward, spent all his time caring for them. One day Vishnu took
the form of a cowherd boy and went to the house of Pundarika. He was told
by Pundarika that, he was busy looking after his parents and did not have
time to take proper care of him. Lord Vishnu, informed him, who He was but
Pundarika apologized for not being able to receive him as he was too busy
taking care of his parents. He gave Lord Vishnu a brick to stand on and
asked him to wait there until he was done with his parent's care. Since
that day, Lord Vishnu has been standing on that brick. The name of the town
is now Pand*
*harpur after Pundarika and the Lord was given the name Vittala since he
stands on a brick.*
* Pandharpur is one of the
most prominent pilgrimage places in Maharashtra. It is located on the banks
of the Bhimā river, which is alternatively known as Chandrabhāgā because of
its half-moon-like shape.**Pandharpur, also known as Pandhari, hosts the
renowned Vitthal temple on the banks of Bhimā." Vithoba" ", "Pāndurang",
and "Pandharināth" are the popular alternate names of the deity, Vitthal,
who is regarded as a form of Lord Krishna who is an incarnation of Lord
Vishnu. Rakhumāi or Rukmini is Vitthal's consort in the temple.*
*A holy shrine of quite antiquity that holds Vithoba, a localized version
of Lord Krishna is one among the numerous devout destinations in
Pandharpur. The temple is believed to be centuries old and the most amazing
aspect in this holy shrine is the scripture that dates back to the year
1195.The devotees used to rub their back on this scripture, which is
believed to absolve them from the wheel of rebirths.*
*The Lord is seen accompanied by his consort Rukmini. The deities look
truly impressive with its blackish colour and in Navarathri and Dusshera
celebrations they would be clothed with new clothes everyday. The temple is
open for the public for the whole day during Vari. After Vari the temple is
washed with water and the deities would be fed with special meals.*
* The worship of Vitthal in the
Pandharpur temple is based mainly on the contents of the Puranas, and the
contributions of the Vaishnav saints of Maharashtra and Karnataka during
the 13th through the 17th centuries. Some of these saints are Dnyaneswar,
Namdev,Chokhamela,Gora Kumbhar ,Eknath Tukaram Purandara Dasa,Vijaya Dasa,
Gopala Dasa,and Jagannatha Dasa .*
* The Pandharpur temple
covers a large area and has six gates. The eastern gate is known as the
"Namdev Gate."*
* Pandharpur hosts four
annual pilgrimages ("Yātrās") of devotees. Among them, the pilgrimage in
the month of Āshādh (June–July) attracts the largest number of
pilgrims—around 500,000 to 700,000 people. The pilgrimages in the months of
Kārtik (October–November), Māgh (January–February) and Shrāvan
(July–August) attract the second, third and fourth largest numbers of
pilgrims respectively.*
*There are some other important holy places around Pandharpur. The deities
include the Goddess Tulja Bhavani (Goddess of family – Kul Devata of
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj) at Tuljapur, Saint Shri Swami Samarth (God
Form of Dattatreya) at Shri Kshetra Akkalkot, Lord Dattatreya at Ganagapur,
etc. All these places are located in or near the Solapur District.*
* Pundalik or Pundarik is
a central figure in the legends of the God Vithoba, generally considered a
Vaishnava deity identified with deities Vishnu and Krishna He is credited
to have brought Vithoba to Pandarphur, where Vithoba's central shrine
stands today. Pundalik is also perceived to be the historical founder of
the Var*
*kari Sect which is centered on the worship of Vithoba.*
*.*
* Pundalik is the founder
of the Varkari cult and the one who promulgated the cult . He tried to
unify Shiva and Vishnu, The Hoysala King Vishnuvardhan built the
Pandharpur*
* Temple. Pundalik was a mystic, who not only founded the Varkari Sect but
also was the first to identify Vithoba with Lord Vishnu. His fame also led
to naming of Pandharpur to Paundrika-Kshetra--the sacred place of Pundalik.*