E-Paper
Eroding samadhi is final stop for maha pujas at sant Dynaneshwar temple in Alandi
The trust will now only allow one maha puja to be performed, by a high priest, between 4.30 am to 5.30 am
PUNE The samadhi (resting place) of saint Dynaneshwar, a deity predominant in the pantheon of Gods advocately worshipped in Pune, will not be open to devotees anymore.
For archaeological reasons and to ensure the samadhi sanctorum at Alandi is not eroded, the Saint Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Devasthan Sanstha Committee has taken the decision
Vikas Dhag Patil, chief trustee of the temple trust, said, “The archaeological department from Aurangabad has submitted a report stating that the samadhi is eroding with constant maha pujas being performed, with milk, honey and other ingredients. Besides devotees are constantly rubbing these items on the samadhi, due to which the samadhi is eroding.”
The trust will now only allow one maha puja to be performed, by a high priest, between 4.30 am to 5.30 am.
Devotees will now perform ablutions and pujas at a special, dedicated site on the temple premises.
These rules came into place from February 10, 2020, and several notices alerting devotees to these changes are also up in and around Alandi.
The manager of the temple trust, Dynaneshwar Veer, said, “Before the rule was implemented, there would be a crowd of devotees for darshan and those performing puja would be fighting for space inside the narrow sanctum of the samadhi, from 6.30 am until noon.
“With the new rule implemented, we have noticed a change in footfall. We now get 30,000 devotees a day who each take darshan within seven minutes, at the maximum,” said Veer.
This decision to reduce the number of pujas at the samadhi was first suggested by archaeologist GB Deglurkar from Deccan College. The trust decision is based upon findings submitted by the Aurangabad-based Indian Archaeological Department..
