TRIP BLOG
Photo: Udaykumar PR · CC BY 3.0
The Vitthal Rukmini temple at Pandharpur, then Tulja Bhavani temple and Naldurg fort.
A short pilgrim trip in south Maharashtra. Day one is Pandharpur, where the Vitthal Rukmini temple stands on the Chandrabhaga; the town fills with walking pilgrims at Ashadhi Ekadashi in June or July. Day two goes to the Tulja Bhavani temple at Tuljapur, the family deity of Shivaji, and Naldurg fort, with its Pani Mahal built into a dam on the Bori river. October to February is the most comfortable time.
On the banks of the Chandrabhaga, the temple of Vitthal at Pandharpur is the heart of the Varkari tradition of Maharashtra. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims walk here in procession for the Ashadhi and Kartiki Ekadashi festivals, singing the verses of the saints.
The temple of Tulja Bhavani at Tuljapur is one of the most important goddess shrines in Maharashtra and the family deity of the Bhosale rulers. Legend says the goddess gave Shivaji his sword. The Navaratri festival draws huge crowds.
One of the largest land forts in Maharashtra, Naldurg was held by the Bahmani and Adil Shahi sultans. Its most remarkable feature is a dam with a palace built inside it, the Pani Mahal, where water cascades past the windows during the rains.
Seasons from 20 years of NASA POWER climate data.
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