PANDHARPUR, A SPIRITIUAL MILESTONE OF CENTRAL INDIA PANDHARPUR, A SPIRITIUAL MILESTONE OF CENTRAL INDIA SACRED GEOGRAPHY OF SPIRITUAL CITIES NEW DELHI 7 10 2016

PANDHARPUR, A SPIRITIUAL MILESTONE OF CENTRAL INDIASACRED GEOGRAPHY OF SPIRITUAL CITIES, NEW DELHI 7 10 2016 KIRAN KALAMDANIPandharpur occupies arguably the most important position among pilgrimage centres in Maharashtra besides the jyotirlingas of Bhimashankar, Verul and Aundhya Nagnath or the Ashtavinayaks (Eight Ganesha related places revived during the late 18th century) . The rich and multi-sectoral saints of Maharashtra have made the pilgrimage popular not only as a physical journey but also as a spiritual milestone over at least eight centuries if not more. Starting with Jnaneshwar, Namdeo, Eknath, Tukaram, Ramdas right upto Janabai, Kanhopatra, Gorakumbhar, Damajipant and several others, have interpreted and simplified complicated concepts and made them accessible to commoners. The cult of Vithoba and Rakhumai who are in fact a form of Krishna and Rukmini though not explicitly addressed as such, holds a very central place in the emotional sphere of the people in central India. The pilgrims or 'warkaris' walk 250-350 km from all parts of Maharashtra, coastal Andhra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh in varying numbers four times a year  for the Ashadhi, Kartiki, Chaitri and Maghi 'Waris' or pilgrimages. This walk is now a celebrated cultural event that touches each village and town on its way to spread the message of the saints among people, complete with traditional games, songs, hymns and sharing of experiences that is done by rich & poor alike.The concept of Vithala as a godhead emerges from the Vaishnava Bhakti movement as a saviour cowherd who comes to the help of the dutiful, pious and needy cutting across traditional boundaries of caste and creed. While the temple precinct in Pandharpur is the final destination of the 21 day journey, the god is believed to live in the company of the warkaris, and a decided revolt against complicated rituals and erudite chants in favour of simple odes characterizes the direct and simple spirituality of this cult.'Legends describe Vithoba coming to the rescue of his devotees in the form of a commoner, an outcast 'Mahar' "untouchable" or a Brahmin beggar. Mahipati, in his work Pandurangastrotra, narrates how Vithoba helped female saints like Janabai in their daily chores, such as sweeping the house and pounding the rice. He narrates how Vithoba came to the aid of Sena the barber. The king of Bidar had ordered Sena to be arrested for not coming to the palace despite royal orders. As Sena was engrossed in his prayers to Vithoba, Vithoba went to the palace in the form of Sena to serve the king, and Sena was saved. Another tale deals with a saint, Damaji, the keeper of the royal grain store, who distributed grain to the people in famine. Vithoba came as an outcaste with a bag of gold to pay for the grain.[Yet another story narrates how Vithoba resurrected the child of Gora Kumbara (potter), who had been trampled into the clay by Gora while singing the name of Vithoba 'The overall planning and administration of Pandharpur is locked in a battle to overcome insanitation, disease, overcrowding and river pollution to make it a clean and healthy place, but the world of films and literature or vocal music continuously picks up subjects, ideas and concepts related to Pandharpur to ensure that it continues to remain in the centre of public consciousness in Maharashtra. Development of the 11 ghats and Pundalik Mandir Area on the Chandrabhaga River, together known as the 'Valvanta Vikas', facilities for pilgrims, solid waste management and urban infrastructure of Pandharpur is now a seven year old project that is drawing to a close with a result that the Rs 512 Crore Wari Project begun in 2009 to commemorate 400 years of the birth of Sant Tukaram can post mixed results of success and failure. With the fast changes that are sweeping the country in economics, religious outlooks and culture as a whole the chequered history of Pandharpur is poised for yet another change in its inward and outward being. The spirituality and the best qualities of the place need to be retained in this transformation that is happening under the patronage of forces that recognize the force of spiritual powers and their use in co-ordination with physical changes. The analysis of the timeline of events and patronage of the Bhakti cult and its related physical manifestations shows a pattern of correlation between the convergence of forces historically that yields multiple outpourings in fields of literature, theosophy, architecture and urban design. Practitioners in each area need to recognize this and respond to it.