What to see in Pandharpur

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Pandharpur is known as the southern Kashi of India. This is a very famous and very holy place. It is visited by lakhs of devotees from all over the country. People from all religions and caste visit this shrine and the best part is all are allowed to enter the sanctum and touch the holy feet of the deity. Pandharpur is the only place in the country, where the devotee can touch the idol directly.

There are very famous and holy temples of Lord Vitthal - Rukmini along with many other deities. Lord Vitthala is said to be the incarnation of Lord Shiva and Vishnu. Lord Vitthala is also called as Pandurang, Pandhari and Vitthal.

The temple is located on the banks of the river Bhima. The temple shrine has important historical inscriptions dating back to the 13th century. The main temple of lord Vithala is spread over a vast area. This temple has six gates and the eastern gate is called as Namdeo gate. The temple is fortified from all sides. The entrance to the temple is beautiful and has a Ganesh Idol on it.

The Vitthal temple at pandharpur is a beautiful structure. The courtyard has a wooden roof and the temple is in black stone. There is a Ganesh Idol at the left side as you enter. At the right side, there is a Garud Stambha which has gold and silver plating. This represents the Garud, which is the carrier of lord Vishnu. Every devotee embraces this stambha lovingly. . The sanctum has a beautiful idol of Lord Vitthala.

The innermost sanctum is called as the garbha griha. There is a idol of Lord vitthala. It is about 3-3.5 feet tall and the arms are folded at the hips. The lord has fish shaped earrings and a sandalwood tika on forehead.

The river Bhima is famously called as Chandrabhaga here. The river bed is semicircular shaped exactly like a crescentic moon, hence the name.

There are many poems and abhangas written and sung in the praise of lord Vitthala. The most saints who followed lord Vitthala are Saint DYnaneshwar, Saint Tukaram, Saint Namdeo and others to name a few.

There are many famous temples in Pandharpur. There is a Laxmi temple, Pundalik temple, the Vishnupad temple, Trimbakeshwar temple, Gopalpur and Shri Ram temple.

Vishnupad Is a small square shaped platform on the banks of chandrabhaga. This temple houses the footprints of Lord Vitthal.

Gopalpur is around 2-3 kms from Pandharpur. This place has residence of sant Namdeo and sant Janabai who was a domestic help in Namdeos house. As the legend goes, she was helped by lord himself in her daily chores.

There is a Dattatreya temple in the same premises. There are small swayambhu lingam that symbolizes Lord Bhrama, Vishnu and Mahesh. The idol of Lord Dattatreya is situated just outside the lingams. There is an old tree behind the idol.

You can visit other places like Solapur, Akkalkot, Tuljapur and Gangapur from Pandharpur. These are other very important religious places in Maharashtra.