First Wari experience 2025 by Mandar Gorey

 Pandharpur Wari is a significant pilgrimage event in India, particularly in Maharashtra, where devotees gather to honor Lord Vitthal, a form of Lord Vishnu. The event takes place from June 18 to July 10, 2025, with two main processions, Sant Tukaram Maharaj's Palkhi from Dehu and Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj's Palkhi from Alandi, converging on Pandharpur on Ashadhi Ekadashi, July 6, 2025.

The routes span over 250 kilometers, with designated halts and community events along the way. Some key stops with the dates for this year are:

Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi Route:

    - June 20: Pune,  - June 22: Yavat  - June 27: Akluj, and  - July 1-4: Final stretch begins, rest, and spiritual preparation

Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi Route:

    - June 20: Pune - June 22: Saswad - June 24: Jejuri - June 28: Phaltan

The Significance:

Pandharpur Wari is a celebration of devotion, equality, and collective spirit, bringing together lakhs of devotees across social strata to walk in unison, chant the names of the Lord, and reaffirm values of love, humility, and service.

The wari experience is unique and different for every person. I take this opportunity to pen down my very personal experience in an attempt to share the same with each of you.

Firstly wari is not undertaken by self - It is a yog or a calling that happens with the blessings and at the call of Lord Vitthal 🙏. 

It was after many years of wishing to take part in wari that this year I got a chance to just get a glimpse of the holy journey as a tourist.

We follow a storytelling group that focuses on the Saints of India by Sriharsh Tyagarajan.

https://youtube.com/@sriharshtyagarajan?si=nUBA3GLqTy4Uf64F

The idea of attempting to experience originated from this storytelling group and Sriharshji who is our Leader and guruji took this to the heart to research, plan and make all the arrangements.

Once we had decided that we shall attempt the wari 2025 it so happened that we started meeting like minded people within and outside of the storytelling group who also wished to undertake this journey to experience wari 2025.

Our aim was to intersect the two palkhis at pune take darshan and walk a little bit in the procession just to get a feel and experience of the path and togetherness with the real warkaris for a few kilometers.

We planned to visit Pune over the weekend of June 20th and 21st to just see the procession of wari and experience the vibes.

As the plan solidified we got two valuable inputs that changed the whole game. We were advised by our dear friend and Guruji Mahendra Patil to be in pune on the 19th Friday to witness the arrival and convergence of the two palkhis one from Dehu and the other from Alandi into pune and we were recommded an hotel for stay that had an unique vantage point and proximity to the palkhi darshan.

Second our friend Kunal recommded and introduced us to a group that did seva of these warkaris at kothrud pune for past 30+ years.

These two critical and invaluable inputs by Mahendra and Kunal changed and shaped our experience of wari 2025 - thank you both of you.

Part - 1 of experience sharing 

- Maharaj Palkhi darshan:

We traveled out of Mumbai early morning of Friday 19th June in a tempo traveller and assembled an unique group of like minded people who were very keen to seek the wari experience. Some of them we all met for the first time but had trust and faith in the trip purpose to make it solo and or with spouse to join this group.

We reached pune hotel by noon and the journey was amazing with bhajan kirtan and stotra recitation by one and all. This set the stage for us to step into the devine receptive mode for taking the palkhi darshan to come that evening.

On reaching we had a sumptuous typical puneri maharahtrian thali lunch on Apte road. 

We then got ready in wari attire and lined up on Ferguson college road near Sant Tukaram paduka mandir to witness the procession.

FC road just transformed in few hours from a hep college street with hawkers and street food into a clean and ready street with punekars ready to welcome Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi and Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi with full pomp and festivities of rangoli and traditional folk dances and bhajans on the street.

The feel and vibe of this transformed Ferguson college road was uniquely amazing.

Folks were all dressed in traditional attire, children were dressed as Vitthal and Rakumai and many volunteers from differnt institutes were ready and deployed on FC road to help traffic and assist in seva. 

Slowly but steadily the crowds increased and there started a dense inflow of warkaris walking from Shivajinagar side going towards Deccan Gymkhana on FC raod in a very organized manner with a assigned number placard for each group (Dindi).

First to arrive was Sant Tukaram palkhi which preceeded with several dindis and horses. The crowds who were bystanders till now rushed towards the moving palkhi to touch and offer their prayers to Santa Tukaram maharaj paduka and seek divine blessings.

This was then followed by Sant Mai Muktabai palkhi and the final arrival was of Sant Mauli Dnyaneshwar maharaj paduka palkhi along with horses and royal bullock cart.

This was no ordinary procession.

It was for each one to personally experience the moment at the point of participation in the journey along with the paduka palkhis of these Saints.

I will make a humble attemt mere to share what i felt.

These padhukas are a living aansh of these great Saints - Active and live energy source which is kept activated by performing daily sadhana and anusthan by the designated priests.

While they are available for devotees and visitors in the respective temples thoughout the year to worship and draw energy  - Now during wari this power center of energy travles out from its source location and gives an opportunity for all who come in close proximity to feel this Urgja or energy and recharge themselves.

So the procession is like this very powerful source of energy or oorja or like a 1TB broadband line with active hypercharged energy.

This energy is visible when you see the warkaris in the dindi dancing singing and bouncing in the namasmran of Mauli. It is unbelievable and unimaginable how this energy transforms the warkaris and gets them walking for 100+ kms with excitement enthusiasm and bhakti year after year come sunshine or rains.

If you happen to link up with this flowing super charged energy in the procession - You will be drawn into the hyperactivity and be tempted to go with the flow non stop with the wari and not disconnect this feeling of being linked to the super energy field.

This happened to us. We were at a point at a little distance from our hotel and then as Maulis palkhi arrived we follwed linking ourselves with the energy flow with the chants of Dynoba Mauli Tukaram and Jai Jai Ram Krishna Hari....without realizing some of us went past our hotel point where we were supposed to end and return to base....we went along and continued to travel along somewhat in a trance along with the warkaris in the procession with a feeling of bliss and happiness.

This was a unique and experential moment of wari and want to leave you to hold this thought for now.

Wari is all about the energy the Urja that travels from Dehu and Alandi upto Pandharpur and whereever it passes through and who ever even gets close to it is blessed with the experience of this  amazing cosmic Urja.

More to share about dindi seva and wari procession in the following blog.

Meanwhile stay charged and energized with Mauli

Ram Krishna Hari.

Dyanba Tukaram.

Pranam - Mandar.

Ps: Part - 2 and Part - 3 to follow soon......