Hyderabad: Ashadhi Ekadashi on Sunday marked the conclusion of the long walk of Warkaris from Telangana districts to the temple town of Pandharpur in Maharashtra. They joined lakhs of people, who had gathered at the Vitthal Rukmini temple in the town, about 40 km from Solapur. Queues stretched for kilometres, but the chants of “Vitthala Vitthala” never stopped.Every year, devotees walk to Pandharpur for Ashadhi Ekadashi in a 700-year-old Bhakti movement tradition known as the Palkhi Yatra or Pandharpur Wari. Traditionally, several groups of devotees from several districts from Telangana visit Pandharpur.In 2025, the Palkhi Yatra began on June 18. “We joined from Saswad every year, we do not see this as a trip, it is like going home,”said Gopal Rathod, a farmer from Gandeed mandal, Mahbubnagar.A small group of villagers from Kulakacherla, Gandeed, Mohammadabad and Nancherla have been participating in the Wari for several years. They came to know about it from relatives working as construction labourers in Pune.The Wari, which means pilgrimage in Marathi, is centred around the carrying of padukas, holy sandals, of the Bhakti saints Sant Dnyaneshwar and Sant Tukaram in palkhis, or palanquins, from their birthplaces to the Lord Vitthal temple in Pandharpur. This tradition was introduced in 1685 by Narayan Maharaj, Sant Tukaram’s youngest son.The palkhis are taken by devotees walking in dindis (organised groups) and singing abhangas (devotional songs).Warkaris from Telangana, wearing white cotton clothes and tulsi malas, join the dindis at Saswad or Jejuri. Some carry hand drums. Local schools, mandapas and farmlands along the route become resting places where food like poha and khichdi is served free of cost. “We eat with everyone and sleep under the same roof,” added Gopal Rathod.After darshan, some Telangana devotees return by bus, but a few choose to walk back with the palkhis to Alandi and Dehu.For many in the western parts of Telangana, the Wari is not just about religion but a sense of community and shared devotion. “We don’t have palkhis in our culture, but now it has become ours too,” said Shankar Naik, a group member from Kulakacherla. “More people from our villagers are joining every year,” he said.Katravath Rahul
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