New Delhi, June 17: This is a march with a difference – the participants exemplify a classic example of cross culture, the turnout mirrors the economy and the motley of spirituality, perseverance and colour makes it the most popular pilgrimage in Maharashtra.
Wari, the procession to Pandharpur, is considered as the cultural heritage of Maharashtra and it is the theme of a new coffee-table book “Wari: Path to the Divine” by Press Trust of India (PTI) photographer Shirish Shete.
“The idea of this photo series came to me by chance. I was photographing ‘tamasha’ dancers in Alandi in Maharashtra, when I encountered the Warkaris. Their energy and dedication astounded me, which is why I decided to document them,” says Shete, who has used over 150 of his photographs in the book.
“Compiling these photographs into a coffee-table book is my way of paying tribute them. It took me six years to create ‘Wari: Path to the Divine’,” he says. Lord Vitthal of Pandharpur is the traditional deity of Maharashtra.
The Warkaris are a considered a living example of boundless devotion towards their lord. They follow the tradition called Wari, which is the holy path towards liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
This tradition started over 700 years ago as a devotional movement in Maharashtra, led by popular saints of that time like Dnyaneshwar, Tukaram, Eknath and Namdeo.
Today, the Warkaris still follow this tradition religiously. Lakhs of these devotees come together twice a year to take the three-week long pilgrimage from Dehu and Alandi to Pandharpur. They sing kirtans and other traditional songs, as they take the long, arduous route to meet their Lord Pandurang (Vitthal), the book says.
According to Ramchandra Dekhne, a scholar in saint literature, when the Warkaris walk hundreds of miles to pay their respects, one can see and feel the manifestation of Lord Vitthal in the midst of the walking devotees.
“The palkhis (palanquins) of sant Dnyaneshwar and sant Tukaram are the most important aspects of this entire phenomenon, apart from the palkhis of many saints of the state,” Dekhe writes in the foreword.
The devotees accompanying the palanquin are an interesting mix of young and old, single or with their spouses and children – at times sons carrying their aged parents on their back – farmers, grocers, tailors, as well as city dwellers such as doctors, engineers, students and politicians.
The Wari turnout also mirrors the economy of the state – a good monsoon indicates a larger number of devotees.
The majority participating in the Wari comprises the farmer community. Agriculture being the backbone of
Maharashtra, the economy revolves around the monsoons and hence, the pilgrimage schedule seems to be tailor-made for the farmers.
The Wari begins just after the first rains when the farmers and farm hands are relatively free from their fields.
They collectively go to Pandharpur top fulfill their spiritual aspirations, the book says.
In his message Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan says, “The book has come in at an opportune moment. For the uninitiated, it is a guide to the marvelous spiritual world of the Warkaris, where a single-minded devotion to the lord and service to mankind are the only way in which they define religion.
“For those who have spent their lifetimes at the feet of their deity, it is a flicker of hope that the living heritage of Wari will continue to prosper. The older generation will regard it as their cultural wealth while the current and future generations will deem it as their reference points. The pictures and the first-hand narrative of the book are directed towards this goal.”
–PTI