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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Pandharpur Vari}}
{{Short description|Annual spiritual pilgrimage in Maharashtra, India}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox holiday
| holiday_name = Pandharpur Vari
| image = A procession Palkhi festival Hindu culture religion rites rituals sights.jpg
| caption = A procession of Palkhi to [[Pandharpur]]
| type = Hindu
| longtype = Spiritual
| observedby = [[Hindus|Hindu]]
| begins =
| ends =
| date2024 = 28 June - 16 July
| date2025 = 18 June - 6 July
| date2026 = 19 June - 7 July
| frequency = Annual
| nickname = Palkhi
| duration = 20 days
| date =
}}

[[File:Syayambhuvithoba.jpg|thumb|100px|right|The Vari is undertaken in honour of the god [[Vithoba]].]]
'''Pandharpur Vari''', or '''Vari''' is a ''[[yatra]]'' to [[Pandharpur]], [[Maharashtra]], to honor [[Vithoba]]. It involves carrying the ''[[paduka]]'' of a saint in a ''[[palkhi]]'', most notably of [[Dnyaneshwar]] and [[Tukaram]], from their respective [[Samadhi (shrine)|shrines]] to Pandharpur. Many pilgrims join this procession on foot. ''[[Warkari|Varkari]]'' is a Marathi term which means "one who performs the V''ari''". The tradition is more than 700 to 800 years old.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.punebuzz.com/pandharpur-yatra-ekadashi-pandharpur-wari/|title=Pandharpur Wari 2015, Schedule, Route and Pandharpur Yatra Videos|date=8 June 2015|website=Punebuzz.com|access-date=11 August 2017|archive-date=27 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170727041100/http://www.punebuzz.com/pandharpur-yatra-ekadashi-pandharpur-wari/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/warkari-wave-sweeps-pune-city-pimpri-chinchwad/|title=Warkari wave sweeps Pune city, Pimpri-Chinchwad|date=22 June 2014|website=Indianexpress.com|access-date=11 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tourismpune.com/2015/07/pandharpur-palkhi-wari.html|title=Pandharpur Palkhi Sohala 2015|website=Tourismpune.org|access-date=11 August 2017|archive-date=27 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927081946/http://www.tourismpune.com/2015/07/pandharpur-palkhi-wari.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Marches happen on foot from various locations in Maharashtra to [[Vithoba Temple]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://punemirror.indiatimes.com/pune/cover-story/this-years-wari-moves-towards-greener-pastures/articleshow/69624747.cms|title=This year's wari moves towards greener pastures; plantation drive to be undertaken on widened Mangalwedha-Pandharpur stretch|last1=Nitnaware|first1=Himanshu|date=June 3, 2019|website=Pune Mirror|language=en|access-date=2019-10-15|archive-date=13 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190613112717/https://punemirror.indiatimes.com/pune/cover-story/this-years-wari-moves-towards-greener-pastures/articleshow/69624747.cms|url-status=dead}}</ref> This [[yatra]] takes 21 days. Along the way, many other ''palkis'' join the two most revered ''palkhis.'' Starting from their towns located in the [[Pune district]] of Maharashtra: Sant Dnyaneshwar's ''palkhi'' leaves from [[Alandi]], while Tukaram's begins at [[Dehu]]. The V''ari'' culminates at the Vithoba Temple on the holy occasion of [[Shayani Ekadashi]] (Ashadi Ekadashi).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.incredibleindia.org/en/experience-india/fairs-and-festivals/49-july/16-ashadi-ekadashi-pandharpur|title=Ashadi Ekadashi, Pandharpur|website=Incredibleindia.org|access-date=11 August 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150730022512/http://www.incredibleindia.org/en/experience-india/fairs-and-festivals/49-july/16-ashadi-ekadashi-pandharpur|archive-date=30 July 2015}}</ref> Devotees from across Maharashtra and nearby areas leave for Pandharpur, wearing [[Tulsi|holy basil]] beads and singing the glories of Vithoba and songs like "Dñyanbā Tukārām", commemorating the saints.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Elaborate-arrangements-for-Sant-Tukaram-Maharaj-palkhi-procession/articleshow/47974911.cms|title=Elaborate arrangements for Sant Tukaram Maharaj palkhi procession |newspaper=[[Times of India]]|access-date=11 August 2017}}</ref> When they reach Pandharpur on Shayani Ekadashi, the devotees bathe in the sacred [[Bhima River]] before visiting the temple.

==History==

===Beginnings===
Various views exist on the origins of the ''wari'' ([[Marathi language|Marathi]]: पंढरपूरची वारी or वारी). According to one theory, Vitthalpant, the father of the [[Varkari]] saint [[Dnyaneshwar]], began the ''wari'' to visit [[Pandharpur]] in the Hindu months of [[Ashadha]] and [[Kartik (month)|Kartik]]. The tradition of performing a Vari is generally regarded to have existed for more than 800 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parikramaholidays.com/pdf/The-Pandharpur-Wari.pdf|title=Pandharpur Wari|publisher=Parikramaholidays|access-date=29 July 2015|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064739/http://www.parikramaholidays.com/pdf/The-Pandharpur-Wari.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsonair.com/PANDHARPUR-WARI.asp|title=PANDHARPUR WARI:PILGRIMAGE ON FOOT|publisher=[[All India Radio]]|access-date=28 July 2015|archive-date=20 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620181005/http://www.newsonair.com/PANDHARPUR-WARI.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Another theory credits [[Dnyaneshwar]] and [[Tukaram]] to have started the pilgrimage. They used to take a journey to Pandharpur by foot for 15 days, reaching Pandharpur's [[Vithoba Temple]] on [[Shayani Ekadashi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maharashtratourism.net/festivals/palkhi-festival.html|title=Palkhi Festival|website=Maharashtrattourism.net|access-date=2017-08-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Gethe|first1=Subhash|title=Varkari Movement|url=https://www.academia.edu/4231089|access-date=8 September 2014}}</ref> The tradition of carrying the ''[[paduka]]'' of the saints was started by the Tukaram's youngest son, Narayan Maharaj, in 1685.

===British era===
Changes were brought to the pilgrimage in the 1820s by Tukaram's descendants and a devotee of Dnyaneshwar named Haibatravbaba Arphalkar, who was a courtier of the [[Scindia]]s.<ref>{{cite web|title=The wari tradition|url=http://www.warisantanchi.com/english/parampara2.html|website=Wari Santanchi|access-date=8 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908230750/http://www.warisantanchi.com/english/parampara2.html|archive-date=8 September 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Haibatravbaba is credited with the organization of the ''wari'' in use today. This involved carrying the ''paduka'' in a ''[[palkhi]]'', having horses involved in the procession, and organizing the devotees or varkaris in Dindis (Dindi stands for a specific group of varkaris).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mokashi |first1=Digambar Balkrishna |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-5vIv4oxeh4C&pg=PA1 |title=Palkhi: An Indian Pilgrimage |date=1987 |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=0-88706-461-2 |location=Albany |page=18 |translator-last=Engblom |translator-first=Phillip C.}}</ref>

==Palkhi route==
{{Location map+|Maharashtra |width=350 |float=right |caption= Location of Pandharpur and the starting place of important palkhis in [[Maharashtra]]|places=
{{Location map~ |Maharashtra |lat=17.4040 |long=75.1940 |label=[[Pandharpur]]|position=bottom }}
{{Location map~ |Maharashtra |lat=18.677062 |long=73.896600 |label=[[Alandi]]|position=bottom }}
{{Location map~ |Maharashtra |lat=18.72 |long=73.77 |label=[[Dehu]]|position=Top }}
{{Location map~ |Maharashtra |lat=19.48 |long=75.38 |label=[[Paithan]]|position=Top }}

}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!Day
!Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi
!Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi
|-
|1
|[[Dehu]]
|
|-
|2
|[[Akurdi]]
|[[Alandi]]
|-
|3
|[[Nana Peth, Pune|Nana Peth]]
|[[Bhavani Peth, Pune|Bhavani Peth]]
|-
|4
|[[Hadapsar]]
|[[Pune]]
|-
|5
|[[Loni Kalbhor]]
|[[Saswad]]
|-
|6
|Yavat
|[[Saswad]]
|-
|7
|Varvand
|[[Jejuri]]
|-
|8
|[[Baramati]]
|Walhe
|-
|9
|[[Indapur]]
|Lonand
|-
|10
|[[Akluj]]
|Taradgaon
|-
|11
|[[Malshiras]]
|[[Phaltan]]
|-
|12
|Natepute
|Barad
|-
|13
|Velapur
|Natepute
|-
|14
|Pirachi Kuroli
|[[Malshiras]]
|-
|15
|Bhandishegaon
|Velapur
|-
|16
|Wakhari
|Bhandishegaon
|-
|17
|colspan=2|Wakhari
|-
|18
|colspan=2|[[Pandharpur]]
|-
|19
|colspan=2|[[Vithoba Temple]]
|}

==Wari in present times==
{{Infobox
| title = ''Pandharpur Wari'' in Hinduism
| image = {{image array|perrow=2|width=150|height=120
| image1 = Tukaram Maharaj palkhi (palanquin).jpg| caption1 = Tukaram Maharaj palakhi (palanquin)
| image2 = Tukaram Maharaj palkhi (palanquin) Rath.jpg| caption2 = Tukaram Maharaj palkhi (palanquin) Rath
| image3 = DnyaneshwarMaharajPalkhiFestival2ndCircularRingan.jpg| caption3 = Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi 2nd Circular ringan. Near, Khudus Phata, Malshiras.
| image4 = Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi 3rd Circular ringan program .jpg| caption4 = Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi 3rd Circular ringan. Near, Thakur buva samadhi, Velapur.
| image5 = Pilgrims 1 (2731600954).jpg| caption5 = Pilgrims bathing in the Chandrabhaga river at Pandharpur
| image6 = PHUGADI.jpg|caption6 = During the Palkhi the Warkaris play [[Fugdi|Phugadi]] games in the temple passage.
}}
}}

The Warkaris—whose patron deity is Vithoba—undertake the ''wari'' to Pandharpur, reaching there on a day before Shayani Ekadashi, the eleventh lunar day ([[Ekadashi]]) of the bright fortnight ([[Shukla paksha|Shukla Paksha]]) of [[Ashadha]] (June–July). Pilgrims carry palanquins of the saints from the places of their respective [[Samadhi (shrine)|samadhi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsonair.com/PANDHARPUR-WARI.asp|title=Pandarpur Yatra - Pandharpur Ashadhi Ekadasi Wari Pilgrimage, Palkhi Festival - Palki Festival Maharashtra, Palkhi Festival Pandharpur India|website=www.newsonair.com|access-date=11 August 2017|archive-date=20 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620181005/http://www.newsonair.com/PANDHARPUR-WARI.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parikramaholidays.com/pdf/The-Pandharpur-Wari.pdf|title=The Pandharpur Wari|website=Parikramaholidays.com|access-date=11 August 2017|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064739/http://www.parikramaholidays.com/pdf/The-Pandharpur-Wari.pdf|url-status=dead}}

The Wari begins on the 8th/9th lunar day of the waning moon in the [[Hindu calendar|Hindu month]] of [[Jyeshtha (month)|Jyeshtha]] and reaches a day before [[Ashadhi Ekadashi]] at Pandharpur. People from various castes and socio-economic backgrounds participate in the Wari, with the common goal to reach Pandharpur and worship the deity. Along the Way the procession passes cities, towns and villages. The local residents of place along the route come out to greet, feed and house the varkari pilgrims.</ref><ref name="Lele1989">{{cite book|author=Jayant K. Lele|title=Language and Society: Steps Towards an Integrated Theory|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1PLiAlGzLFQC&pg=PR7|date=1 January 1989|publisher=BRILL|isbn=90-04-08789-3|page=26}}</ref>

===Dindi===
The concept of '''Dindi''' (Marathi: दिंडी procession) or troupes of warkari devotees was introduced by Haibatravbaba in the early 1800s.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mokashi |first1=Digambar Balkrishna |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-5vIv4oxeh4C&pg=PA1 |title=Palkhi: An Indian Pilgrimage |date=1987 |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=0-88706-461-2 |location=Albany |page=18 |translator-last=Engblom |translator-first=Phillip C.}}</ref> A diṇḍī is a group of Hindu devotees of one caste or village who are part of a larger [[palkhi]] going to a holy site on pilgrimage. Some religious institutions and temples also have their own Dindi. Accommodation, meals, and other facilities for warkaris are provided through their respective Dindi. The Managing members of a Dindi usually travel ahead to make arrangements for food and shelter at their next stop. All registered Dindis are numbered and assigned their place in the procession. Some walk in front of the ''palkhi,'' and others behind it. During their march, flag and banner-carrying members are at the front of the troupe, and the drummer is at the center of the Dindi.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jones |first1=J |title=Pilgrimage and Audience on the Maharashtrian Vārī. |journal=Yale Journal of Music & Religion |date=2016 |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=115–132 |doi=10.17132/2377-231X.1063 |url=https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/yjmr/vol2/iss2/7/|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Along with the procession, [[sevā]] is performed for the poor and needy, like ''[[dāna]]''.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}
The event is said to be one of the world's largest and oldest movement where people gather on one day each year and walk a distance of around 250 km. The Pandharpur Wari has been classified by the World Book of Records as "one of the most visited places in a day".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://worldbookofrecords.uk/records/record_detail/shri-vitthal-rukmini-mandir--pandharpur--india-216|title=World Book of Records|website=worldbookofrecords.uk|language=en|access-date=2018-06-20}}</ref>

== ''Wari'' management ==
The Dnyaneshwar ''palkhi'' is managed by Haibatraobua Arphalkar's descendants, the hereditary Chopdars, and the Alandi Devasthan Trust.<ref name="OlsenTrono2018">{{cite book |last=Shinde |first=Kiran A |title=Religious Pilgrimage Routes and Trails: Sustainable Development and Management |date=30 May 2018 |publisher=CABI |isbn=978-1-78639-027-1 |editor-last=Olsen |editor-first=Daniel H |pages=150–165 |chapter=Chapter 13, Palkhi: A moving sacred town |editor-last2=Trono |editor-first2=Anna |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0YtlDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA150}}</ref>

The ''wari''{{'s}} schedule is published ahead of time and is strictly followed. It is detailed and minute details are made available, including starting location and the location of breaks, including lunch, rest and night stays. Every morning at early dawn, after worshiping the Saint's ‘Paadukaa/Paduka’(sacred footwear), the ''palkhi'' leaves at 6am for the next stretch of the route. A ''tutari'' (wind instrument) is blown thrice to alert all Warkaris. At the first signal, all warkaris get ready to leave. At the second signal, the Dindis stand in line and start walking at the third signal. After 4 to 5 km, they take a quick break for breakfast.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parikramaholidays.com/pdf/The-Pandharpur-Wari.pdf|title=Wari|website=Parikramaholidays.com|access-date=11 August 2017|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064739/http://www.parikramaholidays.com/pdf/The-Pandharpur-Wari.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Economic impact==
An estimated one million pilgrims, either varkaris traveling with the ''palkhi'' or independent travelers, travel to Pandharpur each year, who require accommodation provided by the [[Matha|''mathas'']] and temporary lodging houses.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Baad|first1=D|title=IMPORTANTANCE OF WARI (YATRA) IN POINT OF ECONOMIC VIEW|date=2016|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=9781329943117|page=40|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FCxmDAAAQBAJ&q=urus+jatra+maharashtra+village&pg=PA51}}</ref>

==Public health measures==
Because the ''wari'' brings many people on the way to Pandharpur through many localities, public health measures have been implemented since the early [[British raj|British colonial]] period. These included compulsory vaccinations for diseases, such as [[cholera]] and [[Plague (disease)|plague]], segregation of the infected, and restrictions on mobility.<ref name="Pandey2013">{{cite book |last=Das |first=Dilip |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M9uoAgAAQBAJ&pg=PR3 |title=Subalternity and Difference: Investigations from the North and the South |date=March 2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-70162-7 |editor-last=Pandey |editor-first=Gyanendra |pages=27–28}}</ref> According to Manjiri Kamat, the colonial administrators had other motivations, such as generating revenue by collecting pilgrim tax, or maintaining law and order for implementing public health measures.<ref>Kamat, M., 2001. The Palkhi as plague carrier’: The Pandharpur fair and the sanitary fixation of the colonial state; British India, 1908–1916. Health, medicine and empire: Perspectives on colonial India, pp.299-316.</ref> The colonial government's public health measures in the early part of the 20th century included attaching medical staff to different ''palkhis'', removing infected persons, modifying wells for drinking water, digging trenches, providing bins for waste collection, and employing sanitation staff.<ref name="PatiHarrison2018">{{cite book|author1=Biswamoy Pati|author2=Mark Harrison|title=Society, Medicine and Politics in Colonial India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uOFLDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT14|date=13 February 2018|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-351-26218-7|page=1279}}</ref> The requirement to be vaccinated against cholera and [[typhoid]] in order to join a dindi has continued in the present times.<ref>Koiso, C., Social Implications of Two Hindu Pilgrimages in Maharashtra. In Regional Routes, Regional Roots? Cross-Border. Patterns of Human Mobility in Eurasia (pp. 99-109). Hokkaido Slavic-Eurasian Research Center.[http://src-h.slav.hokudai.ac.jp/rp/publications/no14/14-09_Koiso.pdf]</ref>

In 2020, due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Maharashtra|COVID-19]] pandemic, the wari was reduced with fifty varkaris joining the march to Pandharpur. The ''Paduka'' of the saints were either driven to or flown to Pandharpur for Shayani Ekadashi on July 1, 2020.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bengrut |first1=Dhiraj |title=Urban warkaris redraw wari plans due to Covid-19 pandemic, go online |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/pune-news/urban-warkaris-redraw-wari-plans-due-to-covid-19-pandemic-go-online/story-bekElxRRiP92ZzNDod69hL.html |access-date=8 September 2020 |work=Hindustan Times |issue=June 18, 2020 |date=2020}}</ref>

== Dindi ==
[[File:Ai dindi warkari group photo.jpg|thumb|Participants of Dindi walking with devotion during the Pune to Saswad stretch of the Vari]]
'''Dindi''' is a devotional and cultural initiative that blends tradition with technology to enhance participation in the annual Pandharpur Vari. Launched with the intention of offering a safer, more inclusive, and well-organized experience for Varkaris, Dindi aims to preserve the spiritual essence of the Vari while making it easier for people from diverse backgrounds to join the journey. It emphasizes disciplined coordination, safety practices, and community-driven values while supporting the traditional practices followed during the Vari.

To encourage wider participation, Dindi provides flexibility for devotees to join the Vari on any day from Pune to Pandharpur. Participants are offered support in transport, accommodation, meals, and guidance throughout the journey. The initiative has been facilitating this structure for over 18 years and continues to grow as a digitally supported Dindi. Registration and more information can be accessed through their official website, [https://aidindi.org/ https://aidindi.org].

==Goa Dindi festival==
The '''Dindi festival''' is an annual festival held in [[Margao]], [[Goa]]'s Vitthal Rakhumai temple, and the Damodar Temple in the month of November.<ref>Pran Nath Chopra Encyclopaedia of India: Goa, Daman & Diu 1992– Page 102 "A big festival attended by thousands of people known as 'Dindi' is held every year. A procession is taken out from this temple to Vitthal "</ref><ref>Robert Bradnock, Roma Bradnock ''Footprint Goa Handbook: The Travel Guide'' 1903471222 - 2002 -Page 173 The Damodar Temple, 2 km from Kadamba bus terminaL hosts the winter Dindi festivaL when there is a palanquin procession along with singing of devotional hynms.</ref><ref name="indianexpress">{{cite web|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/palkhi-dindi-walk-facebook-save-water-crisis-swapnil-more-2884329/|publisher=The Indian Express|title=Palkhi procession: Virtual dindi walks for a noble cause this year — Save Water Campaign in Pune | The Indian Express|date=30 June 2016 |access-date=2016-11-27}}</ref><ref name="heraldgoa">{{cite web|url=http://www.heraldgoa.in/Goa/Dindi-euphoria-stems-demonetisation-anxiety/108381.html|publisher=heraldgoa.in|title=Herald: Dindi euphoria stems demonetisation anxiety|access-date=2016-11-27|archive-date=27 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127215426/http://www.heraldgoa.in/Goa/Dindi-euphoria-stems-demonetisation-anxiety/108381.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Dindi festival is dedicated to [[Hindu deities|Hindu deity]] [[Vithoba]], the festival dates back to 1909. It is one of the oldest festivals in [[Salcete]](Margao) taluka.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.navhindtimes.in/dindi-festival-lights-up-margao-2/|title=Dindi festival lights up Margao|website=www.navhindtimes.in|date=22 November 2018 |language=en-US|access-date=2018-11-25}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[:mr:आषाढी वारी (पंढरपूर)|आषाढी वारी (पंढरपूर)]] on Marathi Wikipedia
* [[:hi:आषाढी वारी (पंढरपूर)]] on Hindi Wikipedia
* [[Bhakti movement]]
* [[Dindi dance]]
* [[Sant Mat]]
* [[Yatra#Famous yatras|Famous Hindu yatras]]
* [[Hindu pilgrimage sites in India]]
* [[List of Hindu festivals]]
* [[Padayatra]]
* [[Ratha Yatra]]
* [[Tirtha (Hinduism)|Tirtha]]
* [[Vitthal Temple, Pandharpur]] (section Dindi Yatra)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commonscat|Pandharpur Wari}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Pandharpur Vari}}
[[Category:Hindu pilgrimages]]
[[Category:Festivals in Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Pilgrimage in India]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Solapur district]]
[[Category:Warkari]]

Pandharpur Vari - Revision history

Vedpsagar: Adding First Pg W/ Refs...