Vithoba · Panduranga · Pandharinath · The god of the wari
Vitthal
Vitthal, Vithoba of Pandharpur, is Lord Krishna standing on a brick by the Chandrabhaga, with Rukmini beside him as Rakhumai. Sing his aarti, learn of the wari and the Varkari saints, and see when Ashadhi Ekadashi falls in your city.
- His day
- Wednesday
- Next: Wed 4 Nov
- Next Vitthal day
- Every Ekadashi
- In 4 days · Thu 5 Nov
The devotee who brought him
Sant Pundalik
The devotee for whose sake he came. Sant Pundalik served his old parents so faithfully that when Lord Krishna came to his door, he threw out a brick for him to stand on and asked him to wait. Krishna waited, and stayed.
The Varkari saints →Thirteenth century, Alandi
Sant Dnyaneshwar
A young saint of the thirteenth century, he wrote the Dnyaneshwari, a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita in Marathi. He took samadhi at Alandi, and his palkhi sets out from there for the wari every year.
About 1270 to 1350, Pandharpur
Sant Namdev
Born to a family of tailors, Sant Namdev gave his life to Vitthal at Pandharpur, and tradition tells that he met Sant Dnyaneshwar. He is remembered in Punjab too, at Ghuman, and his songs are kept in the Guru Granth Sahib.
Died 1350, Pandharpur
Sant Janabai
Sant Janabai came to Pandharpur as a child and worked all her life in the household of Sant Namdev’s family. She sang her abhangs as she would grind the grain at the stone mill, and her songs tell of Vitthal coming to help her grind.
Seventeenth century, Dehu
Sant Tukaram
Sant Tukaram of Dehu, near Pune, sang a great many abhangs to Vitthal and taught devotion through bhajan and kirtan, singing the names of God together. His palkhi sets out from Dehu for Pandharpur each year.
From the river up to his temple. Tap a saint, or the name, to read about them. Each saint is drawn by an emblem of their life: the brick, the book, the needle, the grinding stone and the cymbals.
His days, in your city
Dates and puja times for the city you pick
For New Delhi
Varkaris fast on every Ekadashi, the eleventh day of each half of the month.
- Every Wednesday
- Wed 4 NovHis day of the week
- Kartiki Ekadashi
- Fri 20 NovParana 21 Nov, 1:11 pm to 3:18 pm
- Ashadhi Ekadashi
- Wed 14 JulyParana 15 Jul, 5:33 am to 8:19 am
Sing his aarti, Yuge Atthavis
जय देव जय देव जय पांडुरंगा ।
रखुमाईवल्लभा राईच्या वल्लभा पावे जिवलगा ॥
Jai Dev Jai Dev Jai Panduranga,
Rakhumaivallabha Raichya vallabha pave jivalaga.
Glory to you, O God, glory to Panduranga. Beloved of Rakhumai, beloved of Rahi, come to me, dearest of my life.
जय हो देव, जय हो पांडुरंग। हे रखुमाई के प्रिय, हे राही के प्रिय, हे प्राणप्रिय, मेरे पास आओ।
The Marathi aarti sung to him at home and in his temple, traditionally held to be the work of Sant Namdev, who names himself in its last verse. It opens with him standing on the brick for twenty-eight ages, and tells of Sant Pundalik and the river at his feet.
His prayers
- Yuge AtthavisHis Marathi aarti, held to be by Sant NamdevSoon
- Aarti Kunj Bihari KiThe aarti of Krishna, on the Krishna hubRead
- AchyutashtakamEight verses to Krishna, verse by verseRead
- Vishnu SahasranamamThe thousand names of VishnuRead
A simple Vitthal puja at home
Customs differ by family and region; this is a simple way to worship him at home, on a Wednesday or an Ekadashi.
- Bathe, clean the place of worship, and set up a picture or image of Vitthal and Rakhumai.
- Offer flowers and light a lamp.
- Offer tulsi leaves, or a tulsi garland: tulsi is the offering he loves best.
- Sing his aarti, Yuge Atthavis, waving the lamp before him.
- Sing an abhang of the saints, or chant Rama Krishna Hari on a tulsi mala.
- Offer simple vegetarian food and share it as prasad. On Ekadashi, many fast.
What you need
- A picture or image of Vitthal and Rakhumai
- Tulsi leaves or a tulsi garland
- Flowers
- A lamp
- Simple vegetarian food
Prayers for the puja
Who is Vitthal
Vitthal, also called Vithoba and Panduranga, is Lord Krishna, a form of Lord Vishnu, as he is worshipped at Pandharpur in Maharashtra, on the river Bhima, which is called the Chandrabhaga there. He stands on a brick, with Rukmini, his queen, beside him as Rakhumai, and he is worshipped above all in Maharashtra and Karnataka.
His name is read as the one who stands on the vit, the brick: the brick Sant Pundalik threw out of his door for Lord Krishna to stand on while he finished serving his parents. Krishna waited, and at Sant Pundalik’s wish he stayed.
He is the god of the Varkaris, the people of the wari, who wear a mala of tulsi beads, fast on every Ekadashi, and walk to Pandharpur each year singing the abhangs of their saints, Sant Dnyaneshwar, Sant Namdev, Sant Janabai and Sant Tukaram. They walk for Ashadhi Ekadashi above all, and again for Kartiki Ekadashi.
- Vithoba the name he is called by across Maharashtra
- Vitthala the one who stands on the vit, the brick
- Panduranga the name sung in the refrain of his aarti
- Pandharinath the lord of Pandharpur
- Hari a name of Lord Vishnu, in Rama Krishna Hari
राम कृष्ण हरि
Rama Krishna Hari
Rama, Krishna, Hari: three names of the one God, chanted by the Varkaris.
राम, कृष्ण, हरि: एक ही भगवान के तीन नाम, जिन्हें वारकरी जपते हैं।
युगे अठ्ठावीस विटेवरी उभा ।
वामांगी रखुमाई दिसे दिव्य शोभा ।
Yuge atthavis vitevari ubha,
Vamangi Rakhumai dise divya shobha.
For twenty-eight ages he has stood upon the brick, and on his left Rakhumai is seen in divine beauty.
अट्ठाईस युगों से वे ईंट पर खड़े हैं, और उनके बाईं ओर रखुमाई दिव्य शोभा से दिखाई देती हैं।
His great days
When the Varkaris go to him
Ashadhi Ekadashi
The bright eleventh of Ashadha, in June or July, also called Devshayani Ekadashi. The wari ends at Pandharpur: the palkhis of Sant Dnyaneshwar from Alandi and Sant Tukaram from Dehu arrive after some three weeks on foot, and the Varkaris bathe in the Chandrabhaga. The chief minister of Maharashtra performs the official puja, with a Varkari couple chosen for it.
Kartiki Ekadashi
The bright eleventh of Kartika, in October or November, also called Prabodhini or Dev Uthani Ekadashi, the day Lord Vishnu wakes from Chaturmas. It brings the second great pilgrimage of the year to Pandharpur.
Every Ekadashi
Varkaris fast on every Ekadashi, twice a month. Their daily practice also keeps the reading of the Haripath, and bhajan and kirtan, singing his names together.
Every Wednesday
Wednesday is held as his day of the week, when many worship him at home or go to his temple.
The Varkari saints
The poet-saints of his path, told as history
Sant Pundalik
The devotee who brought him
The devotee for whose sake he came. Sant Pundalik served his old parents so faithfully that when Lord Krishna came to his door, he threw out a brick for him to stand on and asked him to wait. Krishna waited, and stayed.
Sant Dnyaneshwar
Thirteenth century, Alandi
A young saint of the thirteenth century, he wrote the Dnyaneshwari, a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita in Marathi. He took samadhi at Alandi, and his palkhi sets out from there for the wari every year.
Sant Namdev
About 1270 to 1350, Pandharpur
Born to a family of tailors, Sant Namdev gave his life to Vitthal at Pandharpur, and tradition tells that he met Sant Dnyaneshwar. He is remembered in Punjab too, at Ghuman, and his songs are kept in the Guru Granth Sahib.
Sant Janabai
Died 1350, Pandharpur
Sant Janabai came to Pandharpur as a child and worked all her life in the household of Sant Namdev’s family. She sang her abhangs as she would grind the grain at the stone mill, and her songs tell of Vitthal coming to help her grind.
Sant Tukaram
Seventeenth century, Dehu
Sant Tukaram of Dehu, near Pune, sang a great many abhangs to Vitthal and taught devotion through bhajan and kirtan, singing the names of God together. His palkhi sets out from Dehu for Pandharpur each year.
What his symbols mean
The brick, the vit
Sant Pundalik threw a brick out of his door for Lord Krishna to stand on while he finished serving his parents. Krishna waited on it, and stands there still: Vitthal, the one who stands on the vit, the brick.
The tulsi mala
He wears a necklace of tulsi beads, and so does every Varkari: a mala of tulsi wood round the neck marks one who walks his path. Tulsi leaves are the offering he loves best.
The palkhi
Each year the padukas, the sandals, of the saints are carried to Pandharpur in palkhis, palanquins: Sant Dnyaneshwar’s from Alandi and Sant Tukaram’s from Dehu, with many more joining on the way.
His temple at Pandharpur
His great temple, the Shri Vitthal-Rukmini Mandir, stands in Pandharpur by the Chandrabhaga. Pilgrims bathe in the river before they come to him, and visit the temple of Sant Pundalik on its bank.
The cymbals, taal
Varkaris walk singing his abhangs, keeping time with small cymbals, the taal, while the leader of each group, the dindi, carries a veena. The beat of the taal and the drum goes with the wari all the way.
The saffron flag
Saffron flags on long poles, carried on the shoulder, are seen all along the road of the wari, in every dindi, the group a Varkari walks with, from Alandi and Dehu to Pandharpur.
His stories
Across India
Pandharpur
His great temple stands on the Chandrabhaga, thronged on Ashadhi and Kartiki Ekadashi, when the chief minister of Maharashtra performs the official puja on Ashadhi.
Pune district
Alandi and Dehu, where the palkhis of Sant Dnyaneshwar and Sant Tukaram set out each year for the wari to Pandharpur.
Maharashtra
In Varkari homes across the state his aarti, Yuge Atthavis, is sung, the tulsi mala is worn, and Ekadashi is kept with a fast.
Karnataka
He is worshipped in Karnataka too, and at Hampi the Vittala Temple of the Vijayanagara kings, with its stone chariot and pillars that ring when struck, stands in the ruins of the old capital.
His temples
- Shri Vitthal-Rukmini MandirPandharpur, Solapur, Maharashtra
- Sant Pundalik Temple, on the ChandrabhagaPandharpur, Solapur, Maharashtra
- Sant Dnyaneshwar’s samadhi shrineAlandi, Pune, Maharashtra
- Sant Tukaram Maharaj TempleDehu, Pune, Maharashtra
- Vittala Temple, no longer in worshipHampi, Karnataka
Questions
When is Ashadhi Ekadashi in 2027?
Ashadhi Ekadashi, when the wari reaches Pandharpur, is on Wednesday 14 July 2027 in New Delhi, with the muhurat 5:33 am to 8:19 am. Pick your city at the top of this page for its own date and muhurat.
Who is Vitthal?
Vitthal, also called Vithoba and Panduranga, is Lord Krishna, a form of Lord Vishnu, as he stands on a brick at Pandharpur in Maharashtra, with Rukmini beside him as Rakhumai. He is the god of the Varkaris, who walk to him each year in the wari.
Which day is Vitthal’s?
Wednesday is held as his day of the week. In the year his great days are Ashadhi Ekadashi and Kartiki Ekadashi, and Varkaris fast on every Ekadashi.
Why does Vitthal stand on a brick?
When Lord Krishna came to the devotee Sant Pundalik, Sant Pundalik was serving his old parents and would not leave them. He threw out a brick for Krishna to stand on and asked him to wait. Krishna waited, and at Sant Pundalik’s wish he stayed, as Vitthal, the one who stands on the brick.
What is the Pandharpur wari?
The walk of the Varkaris to Pandharpur for Ashadhi Ekadashi. The palkhis of Sant Dnyaneshwar from Alandi and Sant Tukaram from Dehu, near Pune, are carried about 250 km in some three weeks, with the Varkaris walking in dindis, singing to the taal.
Who wrote the aarti Yuge Atthavis?
It is traditionally held to be the work of Sant Namdev, who names himself in its last verse. It is a Marathi aarti some centuries old, sung to Vitthal at home and in his temple.
What is the mantra of Vitthal?
The Varkaris chant Rama Krishna Hari, three names of the one God, and sing the refrain of his aarti, Jai Dev Jai Dev Jai Panduranga.
Who are the Varkari saints?
The saints of the wari include Sant Dnyaneshwar of Alandi, who wrote the Dnyaneshwari in the thirteenth century; Sant Namdev, whose songs are in the Guru Granth Sahib; Sant Janabai, who sang at the grinding stone; and Sant Tukaram of Dehu, in the seventeenth century.
Who is Rakhumai?
Rakhumai is Rukmini, the queen of Lord Krishna, worshipped beside Vitthal at Pandharpur, where the temple is the Shri Vitthal-Rukmini Mandir.