Families, friends and dindis make way to Dive Ghat for Sunday pilgrimage

Time of India

5 hours ago

Pune: Thousands of Pune residents turned out in large numbers to witness the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj
palkhi procession
climb up Dive Ghat despite thecloudy weather.
People from across the city joined the procession since dawn on Sunday, either walking or commuting directly to Dive Ghat to experience the annual pilgrimage.
Even before the sun rose over Dive Ghat on Sunday, the hillside was already aglow with devotion. A stream of white-clad warkaris flowed past the ghat, singing abhangs and chanting 'Gyanba Tukaram' and 'Jai Hari Vitthal' in unison.
Residents participated in the age-old tradition with family, friends, and neighbours, with many going beyond viewing it just as a religious obligation to become a communal act of joy, heritage, and devotion.
"This is not just a religious event, it's an experience. We don't come every year, but this time, we all wanted to feel the energy. You don't get this kind of collective joy often," said Amruta Deshmukh, who booked a cab at 4am with her husband and two teenage sons.
The Deshmukhs, like many others, braved intermittent showers and muddy roads, clutching umbrellas and plastic-wrapped tiffins. Some carried flasks of tea,while sometook alongpackets of pohe and bananas, all determined to witness the palanquin procession wind its way toward Pandharpur.
Showers and long queues did not dampen the sense of unity and spiritual rhythm as chants and cymbals echoed through the hills.
"This is my first palkhi experience," said Shilpa Nair, a 28-year-old software engineer from Kerala who recently shifted to Pune for work. She stood with her colleagues from an IT firm in Hinjewadi, all sporting rain jackets over traditional attire. "I did notknow what to expect, but when everyone started singing in sync, even strangers, it gave me goosebumps," said Nair.
Their colleague, Abhijit Gokhale, who organised the office outing, said, "We wanted our teammates who aren't from Maharashtra to see and experience the wari. It's not about religion, it's about community —people sharing food, wiping benches for each other —this is who we are," said Gokhale.
Children, seniors and newcomers walked side by side with seasoned warkaris, many forming their own dindis.
Several housing societies turned the day into a mini-yatra of their own.
Agroup from a housing society in Pimpri hired a bus for 30 residents. "We left at 4.30am and packed tea, snacks, umbrellas and a lot of excitement. My granddaughter and her friends saw many old reels of warkaris at Dive Ghat and were fascinated. They urged us to arrange a trip to witness it. On Sunday, when we reached, they sang 'Gyanba Tukaram' with the crowd," said Ashok Bhide, who coordinated the trip for his housing society residents.