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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.
The city
is named after a great merchant, Pundalik, who achieved self-realization
there. 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, Viththal, who is regarded
in Hinduism as a form of Lord Krishna, who, in turn, is considered as an
incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Rakhumāi
or Rukmini is Viththal's consort in the temple.
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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,
namely, Dnyaneshwar, Namdev, Gora Kumbhar, Chokhamela, Eknath, Tukaram,
Purandara Dasa, Vijaya Dasa, Gopala Dasa, and Jagannatha Dasa, have
augmented the worship.
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 ("yatras") of Hindu devotees. Among them, the pilgrimage in
the month of Ashadh (June–July) in the Hindu calendar attracts the
largest number of pilgrims - around 0.5 to 0.7 million people. The
pilgrimages in the months of Kartik (October–November), Magh
(January–February) and Shravan(July–August) attract the second, third
and fourth largest numbers of pilgrims respectively. This has been a
great place to visit for devotees all over India.
There are
some other important holy places around Pandharpur. The deities include
Goddess Tulja Bhavani (Goddess of family - KulDevata 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 Solapur District. Famous Devi
Temples in Pandharpur include Padmavati, Emayi-Tukai, Ambabai, and
Lakhubai..
Getting There
By Air:
The nearest International Airport from Solapur is
Pune International Airport,
Maharashtra, roughly four hour drive from Solapur.
Pune International Airport
is well connected to major cities by flights to Nagpur, Bangalore,
Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad & other destinations through Air
India, Air India Express, Indigo, Jet Airways and Spice Jet.
Nearest Airport:
Solapur Airport, Solapur (No
scheduled commercial air service at this time).
By Rail: Solapur falls on the rail line connecting Hyderabad to Mumbai.
It is around 400 km from Mumbai. Regular trains are available to Mumbai,
Pune, Hyderabad and other parts of the state and country.
By Road: Being at the border of Maharashtra and Karnataka, Solapur is
very well connected by roads and is 45 km from Tuljapur, 73 km from
Pandharpur, 95 km from Paranda, 274 km from Pune, 300 km from Hyderabad.
You can take Solapur to Kolhapur buses and various other cities.
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