A Virtual Tour of Alandi and Dehu Road
- Anuradha Shankar
- Jul 25
- 7 min read
Ashadi Ekadashi is the sacred day of Ekadashi (11th day of the lunar month), in the month of Ashada (June-July). All Ekadashis are considered to be special for Lord Vishnu, but Ashadi Ekadashi is very special for Lord Vitthal of Pandharpur. It is believed that Ashadi Ekadashi is the day that Lord Vishnu goes into a yogic sleep for 4 months, and hence devotees throng the temple to see Him before He goes off to sleep. This day marks the culmination of the Wari, the sacred pilgrimage, where devotees from across Maharashtra (called Warkaris) walk to Pandharpur to have darshan of the Lord.
The present-day Wari is a recreation of a tradition believed to have been started by Sant Dnyaneshwar (Or Jnaneshwar), when he made the journey from Alandi to Pandharpur in the 13th century. It is also believed that Sant Tukaram also made the same journey, from Dehu road (his hometown) to Pandharpur, in the 17th century, thus continuing the tradition started by Sant Dnyaneshwar. These two journeys, and these two great saints, beacons of the Bhakti tradition in Maharashtra, are celebrated with great enthusiasm even today, with their padukas (symbolic footwear) being carried from their respective towns (Alandi and Dehu Road) to Pandharpur, reaching the temple on the sacred day of Ashadi Ekadashi.
While I have followed the Wari virtually over the years, I have not yet been fortunate enough to join in person. However, wherever I am, my thoughts on this day are always on these great saints who started this tradition, and gave such an impetus to the Bhakti movement. So, on this auspicious occasion this year, let me take you on a virtual tour of the two sacred towns of Alandi and Dehu Road.
ALANDI
Alandi, located on the banks of the Indrayani River, is closely associated with Sant Dnyaneshwar. While he was born at Apegaon near Paithan, this is where he grew up, and where he started his journeys from. This is where he eventually returned, and attained Samadhi, at the tender age of 21 years. In this short life span, he wrote not only his magnum opus, the Jnaneshwari, but also plenty of other works, like the Amrutanubhav, the Changadeva Pashasti, the Haripath, as well as miscellaneous Abhangs.
The main attraction at Alandi today is the Dnyaneshwar Samadhi Mandir. Sant Dnyaneshwar took Sanjeevan Samadhi (entering into samadhi while still alive) in 1296, within the Siddheshwar Temple complex in Alandi. It is said that when Namdev came to see him and found that he had already entered Samadhi, he was distraught, and prayed to Vitthala to let him see his friend one more time. Jnaneshwar, heeding his friend’s heartfelt plea, came back to life briefly to bid goodbye to him, and entered Samadhi again. Devotees believe that the saint is still alive inside his samadhi, and the place undoubtedly has a powerful presence which cannot be ignored.
The last time I visited Alandi, in Feb 2025, we were fortunate to see a group of students offering prayers to the saint, singing his abhangs, going around the shrine. Their love and devotion enhanced the divine experience of the Jeeva Samadhi.
It is said that this sacred site was forgotten and lost, till Sant Eknath arrived here in the late 16th century, realized its significance, and found the samadhi again. He restored the samadhi and built the shrine over it, and instituted rituals and regular prayers. The present structure however dates to 1976, when the latest restoration took place.
Alandi also has a few more shrines dedicated to Sant Dnyaneshwar’s life. One is built at the place where it is believed that Muktabai, his sister, unable to find a hearth, baked bhakris on his back. A marble replica of the incident marks this place.
Another interesting site is the temple of Kala Bhairav and Kashi Vishwanath, which is at the outskirts of the town.
This is believed to be where the saint and his siblings met Changdev. As the story goes, Changdev was a great Natha saint, who heard of Sant Dnyaneshwar and his siblings, and came to visit them. He came, riding on a tiger, to show his power. Dnyaneshwar and his siblings were then seated on a wall, and on learning of Changdev’s arrival, he got the wall to fly to go meet the saint. Changdev was suitably impressed, and conceded the greatness of Dnyaneshwar, saying that while he (Changdev) could only exert his will over animated beings, Dnyaneshwar could exert even inanimate things to do his will.
Over this wall today are statues of the 4 siblings, and one of Changdev opposite them, mounted on a tiger. Unfortunately, they are all covered with glass, and are placed in such a way that I wasn’t able to get a decent photograph.
On the banks of the Indrayani River is another site, most probably where the family lived. The board there touts the place as the birthplace of the 4 siblings, but that isn’t possible since they were not born at Alandi, but at Apegaon. However, considering their story, and that they were outcasts from the village, due to their father having taken sanyas and returned to householder life, it is quite possible that they lived away from the main village on the river bank.
This is also a calm and peaceful place, and had the river been a little cleaner, and had more water, would have been beautiful as well. What made this place memorable for us was a young boy sitting in the garden nearby, practicing playing the tabla. The music added a touch of divinity.
Also located on the riverbank is a new temple – the Jnaneshwari Mandir, which has the entire Jnaneshwari written on marble, and also has images of the saint and his siblings, and a variety of gods, enshrined.
One last place to visit at Alandi is the Narasimha Saraswati Mutt. Narasimha Saraswati was a guru from the Dattatreya Sampradaya, who lived in the 14th century. It is said that he lived and meditated at Alandi for a while, and during his stay, built a wooden mandapam for the samadhi shrine. His mutt is another peaceful place with divine vibrations.
DEHU ROAD
Let us now move to Dehu Road, which is located amidst the Sahayadris, also on the banks of the Indrayani. Sant Tukaram lived here in the 17th century.
The first place we shall visit in Dehu Road is the birthplace of Sant Tukaram. Tucked away inside a lane, is the wooden house, which, in all probability is just a renovated version of the original.
There is a shrine inside to the saint, and very interestingly, he is shown standing exactly like Lord Vitthal. This is probably to symbolize that he attained one-ness with Vitthal, and hence there is no difference between him and the Lord. I loved this idea, which is the essence of the Advaita that Tukaram sang about.
The true test of a place’s sanctity is how people behave within it. We visited this site when there were quite a few people there, and every single one of them was silent. Every one here sat down to meditate for a while, and the silence was absolutely divine.
Another important place to visit in Dehu Road is the Shila mandir, which houses the stone on which Tukaram meditated for 13 days, and composed his abhangs.
It is said that he was forced to drown his parchments with his abhangs in the Indrayani River, but they floated back miraculously intact. There is a small shrine commemorating this event on the river bank, on the ghats.
In 1650, at the age of 42, Tukaram disappeared. It is believed that he ascended to Vaikuntha in his physical form, carried there by Garuda, the vehicle of Lord Vishnu. The site where he was last seen is marked as Vaikunta Gaman Sthan. There is a small temple here to Tukaram, and a banyan tree marks the space where it is believed he attained Vaikuntha.
At this sacred site, regular Harikathas are held, and his abhangs are chanted, by groups of people who come from all over Maharashtra. One such group was chanting while we visited, and this once again added to our experience.
The final place to visit in Dehu Road (related to Tukaram), is the Gatha Mandir, a new temple dedicated to Tukaram and his works.
It is a two-storied hall, dominated by a beautiful bronze image of Tukaram.
Above him are 4 sets of sculptures, of divine pairs over the 4 yugas – from the Krita Yuga, Narasimha and Prahalada; from the Treta Yuga, Rama and Hanuman; from the Dwapara Yuga, Krishna and Uddhava, and from the Kali Yuga, Vitthal and Tukaram.
All around, on the walls, are the abhangs he composed – all 4145 of them. They are grouped by theme, and very impressive. While I am not really enthusiastic about new temples, this one captured my interest.
We visited Alandi and Dehu Road in Feb 2025. I had recently completed my MA in Philosophy, and more than the saints’ lives, it was their philosophy that was on my mind. However, visiting these two sites, and listening to their works reminded me that more than the theory, it was their practice that mattered – Bhakti, dominated by Love. This Ashadi Ekadashi, let us remember this – to focus on Bhakti, and see the Lord in all our fellow beings.
P.S. I am writing this post a few days before Ashadi Ekadashi, getting ready to spend Ashadi in the manner which I enjoy most – at Puttaparthi, seeing our Balvikas children put up a play in front of our beloved Swami. Memories of other Ashadis flood my mind, those when Samhith was one of the participants. This year’s play is about the greatness of Maharashtra over the years, and the two saints who feature here are very much a part of it. My writing has been interrupted by my husband, who has been sending me photos and videos from Dharmavaram, from where the Dindi Yatra has started for Puttaparthi. They are also carrying flags with Dnyaneshwar and Tukaram’s names on them, symbolizing their presence. My heart is wishing I was already there, and I wish I could at least participate in this smaller version of the Wari. But my health does not allow me that pleasure. And I yearn for the day when I can at least see the Wari with my own eyes. Some day. Meanwhile, I am content to write about them, and remember them, and hopefully help you think of them as well.
Information:
Alandi is located about 140 Km from Mumbai and around 20 Km from Pune
Dehu Road is located about 125 Km from Mumbai and 25 Km from Pune
Both these places can be covered in a single day from either Mumbai or Pune.
Buses to both places are available from both Mumbai and Pune, but it is easiest to hire a car and cover both sites in a day.
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