Jai Jai Ram Krishna Hari…this is the refrain that fills the air while devotees sing the praise of Vittala of Pandarpur, the presiding deity of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. From all corners of Maharashtra, the Varkaris come to pay homage to Vittala and Rodham, whom they regard as their Mother and Father. The Varkaris implore Panduranga with abhangs and bhajans and immerse themselves in darshan, sparshan and sambhashan of the Lord. The entire Pandarpur reverberates in HIS name. In this Divine communion, devotees lose their individual identities and experience bliss.

…Ashadi Ekadasi has over the years become one of the major festivals of the state of Maharashtra. Pandarpur, a spiritual town in the state situated on the shores of Chandrabhaga River in Sholapur district is well known as the spiritual capital of Maharashtra. This is the Divine Abode of Lord Vittala. Legend has it that Pundalika, when honoured by the darshan of Lord Krishna, prayed for His eternal presence there and thus the temple was built dedicated to Lord Krishna, Vittala for Maharashtrians. The tradition of royal worship and the Ratha Yatra begun in 1810 and is still carried out on Ashadi and Kartik Ekadasi days.

Tradition has it that two of the greatest devotees of Lord from the state, Sant Jnaneshwar and Sant Tukkaram had set out on a pilgrimage to Lord Vittala from their respective places and reached the Divine Abode in fifteen days time on the auspicious day of Ashadi Ekadasi. Following this set tradition by these great souls, even after their merger with the Divine, devotees from the entire length and breadth of the state and even from outside the state set out for Pandarpur, wearing basil beads and singing His glory on a pilgrimage to reach there in the stipulated period of fifteen days on this auspicious day to have Divine Darshan. These devotees are known as Varkaris and the pilgrimage is traditionally called Dindi Yatra. Commemorating this maiden Dindi Yatra undertaken by these great saints even today Varkaris from the state traditionally carry Padugas (divine sandals) of these great souls in palanquins on their procession to Pandarpur. Upon reaching Pandarpur on Ashadi, these devotees take a holy dip in the sacred River Chandrabhaga before proceeding for the Darshan of Lord Vittala.

The state of Maharashtra has been immensely fortunate to celebrate Ashadi Ekadasi in the Divine presence of Bhagawan at Prasanthi Nilayam. Every year thousands of devotees from the state flock to Prasanthi Nilayam for the function. An important feature of this festivity is the Seva Dindi, the traditional, spiritual invocation by the Varkaris. Devotees from the states of Maharashtra and Goa commence their Yatra from Dharmavaram by foot and reach Prasanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi on the morning of Ashadi Ekadasi to have the darshan and blessings of Bhagawan. Youth Wing and Balvikas children from Maharashtra and Goa perform cultural programmes based on Bhagawan’s Teachings in His Divine Presence in Sai Kulwant Hall, in the morning, and in the evening they stage musical drama presentation based on the lives of great Saints of India.