Like any other kid of North Karnataka and Maharashtra region
my association with Pandharpur and Lord Vittala dates back to my infant days- when
we are encouraged to do "Vittal Vittal" (clapping our hands like in
bhajan). These words were often heard in my household, mainly due to my
parents' spiritual inclination.
Lord Vittala is at the epicentre of Bhakti tradition of
Maharashtra (Dynaneshwar, Tukaram, Eknath etc) and Dasa tradition of Karnataka (Purandara
Dasa, Vijaya Dasa, Gopala Dasa etc). Pandharpur is as famous as Kashi in
Karnataka and Maharashtra region. I was always in awe of how Vittala has
inspired spiritual inquiry of so many generations. Then there was this image of
Vittala- standing with his hands on this waist on a brick, eyes closed,
care-free posture, looking serene- that was greatly captivating. Then the
stories of how at least 10 lakh people visit this place every Ashadha and Kartik
Ekadashis, always made me want to pay a visit to this temple town. So when a couple
of weeks back, conditions worked my visit to this pilgrim town, I was
super-excited.
Though Pandharpur is just a taluka town in Solapur district,
there is good development, thanks to its popularity. The temple is at the centre
of the town. The temple is quite big, though not as huge as Madurai Meenakshi.
Though it was an odd day, there were still thousands of people who were
visiting the temple. It took us around 3 hours to enter the sanctum sanctorum
through the 'Darshan Building'- very quick by the standards. The specialty of
the temple is that you are allowed to touch the idol of Vittala. The idol is
around 5 feet tall and is majestic. I have never seen a more dignified idol
that this one. One gets enchanted by the beauty of Vittala. No wonder that He
has inspired so many of the sadhus and sants of India, who have immensely
contributed to India's spiritual wealth. The idol of Vittala perfectly
demonstrates how we should be calm and composed even when faced with big
calamities in our lives. One feels at peace in front of Vittala.
There are many other temples in the vicinity-
Vittala's consort Rakhuma bai (Rukmini), Satyabhama, Ganesh and Hanuman.
Pandharpur is a must visit pilgrim town. The place is very well accessible from
Bijapur of Karnataka.
