Over 3 lakh pilgrims expected to converge in city this weekend
Over 3 lakh pilgrims expected to converge in city this weekend
Itu00a0is that time of the year again. Lakhs of warkaris will embark on the annual pilgrimage to Pandharpur to keep their date with Lord Vithoba. The Sant Tukaram palkhi, or procession, will start from Dehu today and the Sant Dnyaneshwar palkhi will set out from Alandi tomorrow. 
The Pilgrims' progress: Temple trustees at Dehu have purchased
walkie-talkies to manage the devotees. Pic/Navnath Kapale
The procession of more than three lakh pilgrims will take a two-day halt in the city on Saturday and Sunday and will finally reach Pandharpur on July 10. Over 10 lakh devotees from across the state are expected to congregate at Pandharpur. The Sant Tukaram palkhi will go via Nigdi, Akurdi and Pimpri and camp at Sant Tukaram Nagar in Pimpri on Friday. The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municiapl Corporation shall provide water, food and camping space.
For the first time, the temple trustees have purchased a set of eight walkie-talkies worth Rs 75,000 to manage the palkhi, said Rambhu More, former trustee of Dehu Temple. "They were purchased with the help of donations. In addition, the state government has granted 40 water tankers to provide clean and hygienic water to the warkaris," he said. More said a total of 24 new dindi or groups of pilgrims have been added to the present 251 dindies. The total number of participants may go up to three lakhs, he said.
Historyu00a0
The 1,000-year-old palkhi tradition is followed by the warkari sect in the state and starts in the Hindu month of Jyeshtha (June).u00a0 Pilgrims carry palanquins devoted to Sant Tukaram and Sant Dnyaneshwar as they trek for almost three weeks before they reach Pandharpur, the abode of Lord Vithoba. German writer Gunter Grass has made a documentary on the palkhi.
Electrifying atmosphere
Bibhuti Mahapatra, a linguist from Orissa, who has completed his PhD from English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, has analysed the life and works of Sant Tukaram in Oriya language and on the website tukaram.com. He said Tukaram was basically a folk performer. "There is no authentic manuscript of Tukaram's poems because they were written down by his four co-performers, Rameshwar, Kanhoba, Gangaji Maval and Santaji Teli," Mahapatra said. "I was enchanted by the atmosphere at the palkhi when I was doing my post graduation in Deccan College.
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