Pandharpur: Where spiritual knowledge has no barrier!
The festival of Ashadhi Ekadashi will witness the Warkariyatra enter the Vithoba temple at , marking the culmination of the auspicious pilgrimage to the abode of the Lord Vitthal. The Warkaris, devotees of Lord Vitthala trek to see their very own ‘Vithaimauli’, putting up cheerfully with all the difficulties and inconveniences of a long journey. The stress on enhancement of knowledge, though has come out strong in the past decades, can be traced back more than 700 years to Sant Dyaneshwar, the poet saint, who brought a revolutionary change by spreading spiritual knowledge to all including the downtrodden. Dyaneshwar, himself a devotee of Vithoba, was instrumental in introducing this practice of Warkari pilgrimage to the common people, breaking the barriers of caste and creed. Through the centuries, he has been one of the main attractions of the Warkari Panth or Bhagwat Dharma. Dyaneshwar rejected the caste system and reinforced the belief that everyone ...