By RAMESH SAVAIKAR
Thousands of devotees of Lord Vitthal, also considered as Shri Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, perform a pilgrimage to Pandharpur called Vari, the place of Vitthal twice a year - once each during the Hindu months of Ashadh and Kartik.
The people who perform this vari are called varkari. Varkaris start this journey on bright Ekadashi and complete it in 15 days.
Men dressed in dothi/kurta and women in sari, with ‘gandh’ smeared on their forehead, playing the ‘taal’, ‘mridang’ and ‘veena’, singing spiritual songs called abhangs eagerly march the hundreds of kilometres to Pandharpur, forgetting all their worldly problems, for a sighting of their beloved Lord Vitthal.
The atmosphere in the ‘vari’ is ‘Vitthalamay’ – filled with Vitthal and thoughts of Vitthal. The environment teaches unity by bringing together people of different economic backgrounds, casts, education, etc, together. All worldly barriers forgotten they befriend each other and merge into one thought - that of Vitthal.
As the number of varkaris started increasing over the past decade or so there was a need to organise the different varkari groups. Now each small group of varkari, called dindi, has their own sequence number in the vari, and they have to walk at a designated place only. By the time the vari reaches a stop prior to Pandharpur there are around 7 to 8 lakhs varkari in the vari. Managing so many people is gigantic task. This sequencing system works perfectly to manage such a huge number of people. In addition to this, the plan for each day is worked out and it is followed by each varkari and dindi.
The varkari mandal from Mulgaon-Bicholim had, for the first time, organised a Dindi last year. The leader of this dindi, renowned kirtan artiste from Mulgaon, Udaybuva Pdhake informed that this year too the Varkari Mandal of Mulgaon have organised a dindi for Ashaddhi Ekadashi, which falls on July 21. The last date to register for this dindi is June 20.
Registrations have already commenced and the last date for registration has been extended to June 20. The Varkari dindi will leave for Pandharpur on foot from Mulgaon-Bicholim on July 6 and will reach Pandharpur on July 20. They will cover a distance of 25 km on foot, everyday, for 15 days. Food and boarding will be provided by the organisers. The participants of this Varkari will have to contribute a sum of Rs 550 towards expenditure.
Each dindi has a truck allocated to carry luggage and food items. Few people are assigned the responsibility of cooking for the people in dindi. They have to reach the place of rest earlier and keep the food ready for the dindi. Local people also contribute by donating raw material or by serving prepared food. Water tankers keep supplying water along with locals.
At rest points tents are set up though some prefer to sleep outside. At rest points, different programs are arranged. The locals and varkari gather together to offer prayer called Samaj-Arati. Bhajans, kirtans and bharuds are also presented by the varkari. This is how the teachings of saints are spread. During the stop, varkari take attendance and check if anything is lost or somebody is missing. The missing/found people/things are given to a designated person called Chopdar. Chopdar ensure that the missing people reach to correct place. Chopdar also communicate the messages from the organisers to the respective dindi during stops. He also controls the dindi while walking. If the dindi is supposed to stop then the Chopdar raises a metal stick, called dandh and the varkari in that dindi understand that they have to stop now.
After reaching Pandharpur, varkari take a bath in Chandrabhaga river (Bhima River) and go to the Vitthal temple. Not that everyone gets a chance to see Vitthal idol, because the queue takes around forty eight to fifty hours to reach the main temple area.
This pilgrimage is a way of bringing people of all casts together and spreading the teachings of the saints amongst them. Other than the personal goal of reaching God or worshiping God, a social development aspect is also served through this. The vari is a complete system that works with the co-operation amongst varkari, local people and government.
The total estimated expenditure is for the Mulgaon-Bicholim dindi is Rs 6 lakhs. This year around 250 varkaris are expected to participate. The participants will return by bus from Pandharpur. Mr Udaybuva Phadke has appealed to the public and social organisations to donate generously to this Varkari Dindi Mandal, Mulgaon to help them meet expenditures.
(For further details contact Udaybuva Padke on 2215237 / 964243377, Raghunath Gad on 2214147, Surendra Gad -9637084700.)
