Chalo Uthawo Palki .....

(Image taken from Google)

• Palki Festival is 1000  years old tradition of Maharashtra,which has been followed by warkaries-worshipers of Vithoba. (also known as Vitthal-a form of Lord krishna)
• Palkhi Festival, which lasts for 22 days, starts in the month of Jyeshth (June). Every year on the eleventh day of the first half of the month of Ashadh, the Palkhi reaches Pandharpur. Every saint, right from Sant Jyaneshwar to Sant Tukaram was following the wari tradition.
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• (Image taken from Google)
• Varkari wear tulasi-mala, a rosary made from Ocimum tenuiflorum. They are lacto-vegetarians and follow a sattvic diet. Furthermore, like many other Vaishnava sects, they refrain from using onion and garlic in their cooking. Sect members also refrain from intoxicating substances such as alcohol.
• Pilgrims carry litters of the saints from their places of samadhi (enlightenment or "spiritual birth"). 
• The tradition of carrying thepaduka (sandals) of the sants in a litter was started by the youngest son of Tukaram, Narayan Maharaj, in 1685. 
• Further changes were brought to the pilgrimage by descendants of Tukaram in the 1820s and by Haibatravbaba, a courtier of theScindias who was also a devotee of Dnyaneshwar.

(compiled from Wikipedia)

Jai Panduranga Vitthala!

Mahabaleshawar again ....

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” – Seneca
One more page was added in my Travelogue ,Mhabaleshwar and Panchgani together ,famous hill stations,well known for its strawberry produce, situated in western ghats.
It had been 17 years back we visited earlier.This time also it was short and lovely stay in these twin hill stations.

Mahabaleshwar comprises three villages:malcolm peth,old kshetra and part of shindola village. The literal meaning of Mahabaleshwar is "god of great power".Famous places where we visited, were Mahabaleshwar temple,Venna , Aurthur seat, three monkey point and many more lovely points surrounded by lush green beauty.   
Any hill station without monkeys, is impossible.Activities of monkeys lure tourists.

While returning, we visited

chocholate factory,located in Mapro strawberry farms. 
The word of panchgani is made of panch and ganis,which means five settlements.These five settlements are five hills of Sahyadri.The beautiful views of krishna valley from west to ast with its helmets and picturesque points can be seen.
One of the prominent  things which drew my attention to ponder about is, the fortune tellers.Children of 10-12 years were also involved in this profession,on such tourist places.Can anyone read their mind ??A big question left here........

My Visit To Nasik..

Indian culture has been always inpiring . One more link added to my journey by the blessings of almighty.last sunday I got opportunity to visit Nasik..I had a keen desire to visit Trimbkeshwar ,one of the twelve famous jyotirlingas dedicated to Lord shiva, because that much only I had heard abt nasik.Therefore our first attraction was Trimbakeshwar Temple .
There are two stories related to Trimbakeshwar. One story is about Simhastha Parva according to Padma Puran.

• Centuries ago the gods and goddesses used to roam in India. They helped sages and people living here at the time of various difficulties, especially from the demons who were a nuisance. However, this fight generally caused heavy damages to both, gods and demons. 
• It was decided to settle the issue of supremacy once for all. They agreed that whosoever captures Amritakumbha (immortal nectar) will be the victor. Amritakumbha (pot with immortal nectar) was on the sea bed.
• The gods were successful in getting nectar by fooling the demons. When the demons came to know of this, they launched a violent fight for Amritakumbha (immortal nectar). 
• In process drops of nectar fell at four places – Haridwar, Prayag, Ujjain and Trimbakeshwar. 
• Trimbakeshwar is one of the four places where drops of heavenly nectar fell. At that time was when the planet Jupiter (Guru) had entered the hemisphere of Leo (Simha). And as this same planet enters the hemisphere once in 12 years, the Kumbh Mela is held once in 12 years in the respective areas.
• The other story is equally interesting. Sage Gautam used to live in this area. 
• Once there was severe drought for 24 years. To come to the rescue of people, sage Gautam worshipped Lord Varun (rain god) and the god was pleased. 
• He blessed the sage with the gift of plenty of rains in the area. This made the area lush green and full of water.But this made other sages jealous of Gautam. 
• They sent a cow to destroy the granary of Gautam. When Gautam tried to shoo her away, she was injured and died. 
• Waiting for such an opportunity, other sages charged Gauam of great sin of killing mother cow and made him go for penance.
•  He was asked to worship Lord Shiva and bathe in Ganga.
• Gautam appeased Lord Shiva who in turn asked Ganga to come to Gautam’s place. Gauatm and Ganga prayed to Lord Shiva to come here with Parvati and stay with them. They made Lord Shiva agree to the request and he decided to settle here. Here the river Ganga appeared in the form of river Godavari. Hence it is also known as Ganga Godavari or Gautami Godavari. 
• People here worship the Godavari as Ganga. Lord Shiva also resides here in the form of Trimbakeshwar.

After Trimbkeshwar our main attraction was visiting sita gufa in Panchvati. After Sitamarhi I came to know another information of sita..

The literal meaning of panchvati is 5 (panch) banyan trees (vat tree). these five ancient banyan trees are still situated around the sita gufa and are marked with numbers, so you can easily identify them. 
We are told by our guide  that when laxmana cut the nose of surpanakha then 10,000 demons came to fight lord rama and laxmana.  Panchvati was a dense forest, so to hide  sitaji, Rama andLlaxmana made this gufa in one night. as an identification mark they planted these 5 banyan trees. i don’t know how much this story is true, but if you consider the gufa structure then this story has some validity, because the gufa become narrow as go inside. this must be made this way so that huge demons cannot go inside it.
Tapovan ..There is a place called Tapovan where Lakshmana, the brother of Rama, cut off the nose ofSurpanakhaAranya Kanda (book of the forest) of Ramayana is set in Panchavati.
, the sister of Ravana, when she attempted to kill Sita. 

Our guide told this is the exact  place where people believe Ravan abducted Sita .
I felt so good after visiting such cultural places.But one thing made me really sad.People's faith and religious feelings were being misused . Such places also became centre of earning by following ways...

• VIP culture now a days is common almost everywhere.If we are equal before almighty ,why discrimination is everywhere?
• 'Purchase coupan and get priority' is motto almost most of the temples.
• Devotees are forced to buy the floral offering but they are not allowed to offer ,nor the those were offere by pandits. 
• cutural places were also not maintained properly..Ignored amd neglected attitude was visible everywhere. 
• The Place where lord Rama spent few years of exile was encroched by pandas..,as if still the exile period is going on...

kya kabhi khatm hoga prabhu ka vanvaas???????