Sant Tukaram palkhi to enter Pune on June 22

Thousands of warkaris played tals and mrudungs as the Sant Tukaram palkhi embarked on an 18-day pilgrimage from Dehu temple in Pune towards Pandharpur on Monday

PUNE Rains did not dampen the zeal of thousands of warkaris who played tals and mrudungs as the Sant Tukaram palkhi embarked on an 18-day pilgrimage from Dehu temple towards Pandharpur on Monday.

Thousands of warkaris played tals and mrudungs as the Sant Tukaram palkhi embarked on an 18-day pilgrimage from Dehu temple in Pune towards Pandharpur on Monday. (HT)

Since morning hundreds of dindis (group of warkaris) and public started gathering on the ghat of Indrayani river in Dehu. At around 4 pm, ‘Prasthan’ of Sant Tukaram palkhi began and kirtans and bhajans were performed by warkaris inside the main temple. The palkhi will halt at Dehu on Monday, in Akurdi on Tuesday and, on Wednesday, along with the Sant Dnyaneshwar palkhi, enter Pune for two days halt.

Sant Tukaram palkhi enters its 337th year with walking tradition resuming after two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. From 10 am to 12 noon, the main kirtan took place in the temple and pooja was done at the Inamdar wada.

Maval MP Shrirang Barne of Shiv Sena along with his wife, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar, MLA Rohit Pawar, Dehu Temple Sansthan president Nitin Maharaj More and other dignitaries attended the paklhi paduka pooja.

Before the Covid pandemic, more than 3 to 4 lakh faithful took part in Sant Dnyaneshwar and Sant Tukaram palkhis which starts from Alandi and Dehu village respectively. There are around 250 registered dindis that follow the palkhi on its way to Pandharpur.