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Pandharpur Yatra 2023

The first time I visited Pandharpur was back in 2007 . The names Vitthal and Pandharpur, were just names to me. I had heard of them, but that was about it. Seeing the lord standing on the brick, hands on his hips, was memorable, but more memorable was the sight that greeted us as we walked out of the main sanctum of the temple. In the mandap just outside were a group of devotees singing abhangs , and dancing. This was the first time I had heard abhangs , and even almost 15 years later, I can remember the welling of feeling within me, listening to the songs, and how fascinated I was by the sight of the devotees dancing, lost in their love of the Lord. Over the years, as I have read more about Vitthal, and participated in Ashadi Ekadashi programmes at Puttaparthi, that first experience has stayed clear in my mind and heart. Every time I tell my Balvikas students of the saints who sang of Vitthala, it is that experience that I re-live. I visited Pandharpur again, in 2010, but that experie
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Sky Watch Friday... Sunrise amidst the Mist

'Writer's block' is probably the only excuse I can give for not posting for so long! There is so much I want to write, but somehow, the words elude me... which is why I have decided to begin with posting some pics..... and being Friday, its time for SkyWatch Friday.....

This is how the sun greeted us, on the first day of our vacation. Our train was speeding towards Guntakal Station, and the sun had just risen...... mist and fog were everywhere, and when I opened the window for a better look, I got some strange glances from my fellow passengers, who shook their heads and pulled their blankets tighter around themselves! But even the chill, numbing wind couldn't make me take my eyes off the spectacular sight in front of me... Here are a couple of shots I managed...




I liked the first pic more than the second, but neither really capture the feeling we had, of rushing through the mist, trees appearing and disappearing.... endless fields just a  blur against the horizon! As to the sun itself, here's another pic taken at the same time... Doesn't it look like an eclipse?


So, what do you think? For more skies around the world, go to Sky Watch Friday!



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  1. ArtiJanuary 14, 2011 at 9:56 PM

    So strikingly beautiful both of the pics and the last one.. Yes it does look a bit like an eclipse to me!

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