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SPECIAL

Palkhi:

A Maharashtrian Tradition

A sea of devotees chanting “Mauli Mauli” alkhi is a
1000 year
Pold tradition
which was started
by some saints of
Maharashtra (India).
It is still continued
by their followers
who are known as
Varkaris (people
who follow Vari, a
fundamental ritual).
People collectively
go singing and
dancing, chanting
Dnyanba-Tukaram
in what are called as
Dindis (organised
group of Varkaris)
to the holy town of
Pandharpur (a small
town in the district
of Solapur) in Hindu
months of Ashadh
(June-July) and
Karthik (November-
December).

The Palkhi starts in
the month of Jyeshth
(June) and the whole
process lasts a total
of 22 days. Every
year on the eleventh
day of the first half of
the month of Ashadh,
the Palkhi reaches
Pandharpur. Every
saint, right from
Sant Dnyaneshwar
to Sant Tukaram was
following the Vari
tradition.

In the year 1685,
Narayan baba, the
youngest son of
Tukaram who was
a man of innovative
Smart Photography February 2018 spirit decided
to bring about a
change in the Dindi-
Wari tradition by

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