| Temples & Legends Of
Maharastra |
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| Temples & Legends Of
India |
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PANDHARPUR - VITTHAL |
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| In the bed of
the Bhima and a furlong from the Vitthal shrine is the temple or Samadhi of Pundalik, the
man who brought the God to Pandharpur. It is a square room (internally), with an -open
arched portico in its front. This portico is larger than the garbhagriha measuring (25' by
17). The shrine is surmounted by a brick and mortar spire that is pyramidal in shape,
rising in five storeys. The main object or worship at this place is a Shiva ling. The ling
is covered with a closefitting brass cover and on it is set a hollow bust of the god. The
bust of the god wears ear ornaments and a mukut that is surrounded by the coils of a five
hooded cobra. On either side of the brass figure are three feet high brass images of Jaya
and Vijaya, the dwarpalas of the shrine. At four in the morning the daily routine rites
start with the Kakadarati. The daily worship is by a Koli ministrant in the early morning.
It includes the usual baths in the five nectars or panchamrits, milk curds, ghee, honey
and sugar, the rubbing with oil and other fragrant substances and the offering of
Bet-leaves, flowers and naivedya. The worship is offered to the ling and the brass image
is taken out at this time. After the worship the image is replaced over the ling and
wrapped in silk-bordered dhoti and kurata. In the evening the arati is sung. During the
Mahashivaratri days a big festival is held here. When one goes to have the darshan of the
image he finds him self surrounded by people most anxious to secure the maximum possible
punya for the visitor. This is done through a convenient method, no tapa or meditation is
required, he just pays as much as the priest asks for and he is assured of the greatest
possible punya. This method of accumulating punya, though profitable to priests would soon
ruin the visitor if he is not careful enough to give whatever he wants and not whatever
the priests want. This is so because there are so many sacred spots here that a person who
is off his guard is likely to accumulate vast stock-piles of punya that would last him
during not only this but many more births. |
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