Posted by Vinayak Yadav on November 9, 2009 at 1:53am
The Land of Lord Vitthala
Throughout the provinces of India, the Supreme Lord is worshiped in various forms. In Andra Pradesh He is worshiped as Tirupati Balaji, in Kerela as Guruvayurappan, in Karnataka as the beautiful Udupi Krsna, in Gujarat as Dvarakadhisa and Ranacora Raya. In Pandharpur, the spiritual capital of Maharashtra, the lord is worshiped as Sri Vitthala. His devotees also fondly call Him Vithhobha or Panduranga.Pandharpur Dham is located about four hundred kilometers southeast of Mumbai. Some call it Bhuvaikuntha, "the spiritual world on earth." Others call it Daksina Dvaraka, the Dvaraka of the south. The town is located on the western bank of the river Bhima. Because of the way the river bends as it reaches Pandharpur, it is known there as the Candra bhaga ("crescent moon") For the devotees of Vitthala, the river is as holy as the Ganges. Along the river bank are fourteen ghatas, or bathing places. The main one is Maha Dvara Ghata. The short street that links this ghata to the Vitthala temple is lined with shops and stalls selling tulasi, flower garlands, coconuts, incense and sweets, all to offer to the Lord.The Padma Purana and the Skanda Purana briefly describe why the Lord journeyed to Pandharpur and why he stays there in this form.Once Srimati Radharani, Lord Krishna's consort in the village of Vrndavan, visited Dvaraka, where Lord Krishna lived as a King. At that time, Rukmini Devi, Lord Krishna's queen, noticed that Krishna was dealing more intimately with Radharani than He had ever done with her. Upset, she departed for the forest of Dindirvana, near Pandharpur. Lord Krishna followed Rukmini to apologize, but His apology left her unmoved. So the Lord moved on to Pandharpur to visit one of His devotees, Bhakta Pundarika.When the Lord reached Pundarika's asram, Pundarika was serving his elderly parents. Pundarika gave the Lord a brick as a seat and asked the Lord to wait. The Lord did as told. He stood, lotus hands on hips, waiting for Pundarika to return. On his return and at the request of His devotee, the Lord manifest into His deity form.While waiting for his devotees to come and see Him, the Lord seems to tell the devotees, "Do not fear. For those who have surrenderd unto Me, I have reduced the depth of material suffering. See, it is only this deep." He indicates the shallowness of the ocean by placing his hands on His hips.
Sri Sri Vitthala - Rukhmini Ki jay...Pandharpur Dham Ki Jay...
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THANKS FOR THE WONDERFUL INFORMATIONS ABOUT PANDHARPUR
I'M SURE THIS WILL HELPFUL TO MANY OF US TO KNOW ABOUT PANDHARPUR DHAM
JAY JAY VITTHALA
JAYA HARI VITTHALA
RADHE KRISHNA
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I'M SURE THIS WILL HELPFUL TO MANY OF US TO KNOW ABOUT PANDHARPUR DHAM
JAY JAY VITTHALA
JAYA HARI VITTHALA
RADHE KRISHNA