Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Sant Tukaram Shila Mandir in Dehu in Maharashtra’s Pune district. The temple is dedicated to the 17-century Bhakti saint. While a Shila Mandir was constructed after his demise, it was not established as a temple. Now it has been rebuilt in stone masonry.
While talking about his visit to Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “I feel blessed to be getting the opportunity to inaugurate the Jagatguru Shrisant Tukaram Maharaj Temple in Dehu. We are all inspired by the divine teachings of Sant Tukaram Ji, particularly the emphasis on serving society and empowering the downtrodden.”
I feel blessed to be getting the opportunity to inaugurate the Jagatguru Shrisant Tukaram Maharaj Temple in Dehu. We are all inspired by the divine teachings of Sant Tukaram Ji, particularly the emphasis on serving society and empowering the downtrodden.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 13, 2022
Who is Sant Tukaram?
Sant Tukaram was a Warkari saint and a poet known for his devotional songs and abhanga poetry.
He preached about a society without caste and turned away from rituals, which led to a social movement. His poetry refers to earlier Bhakti saints Namdev, Dnyaneshwar, Kabir, and Eknath, who influenced his spiritual growth.
Sant Tukaram is credited with starting the Wari pilgrimage, where devotees of Lord Vitohba, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, walk 250 kilometres from Dehu (also the birthplace of the saint) to the Shri Vitthal-Rukmini Mandir in Pandharpur over 21 days. They carry the padukas of Sant Tukaram during the pilgrimage and reach Pandharpur on the auspicious day of Ashadi Ekadashi. The padukas of Sant Dnyaneshwar are also carried in the palanquin which heads to Pandharpur but starts from Alandi in the Pune district.
Also read: Walking to Pandharpur: On the trail of Maharashtra's 21-day, 250 km wari for Lord Vithoba
Why Shila is significant to Sant Tukaram?
Shila has great significance in the story of Sant Tukaram. The Bhakti saint sat on this rock for 13 days when the authenticity of his abhangas was questioned.
According to Nitin More, president of the Jagatguru Sant Tukaram Maharaj Sansthan Dehu, the saint had immersed all his work in the Indrayani river. After the 13 days, the work mysteriously reappeared and since then rock that he sat on is considered sacred by the Warkari sect.
The Shila is placed on the Dehu Sansthan temple premise, which is the point from where the annual pilgrimage to Pandharpur has been taking off for centuries.
The rock was covered in a silver cast with an image of the saint on it. In 2008, the cast was stolen but days later was found on the banks of the Indrayani river. The Sansthan decided to replace the silver covering with an image of Sant Tukaram Maharaj on the Shila, with a temple housing both, reports The Indian Express. The PM will inaugurate this temple on Tuesday. It has 36 peaks and an idol of Sant Tukaram.
The temple town of #Dehu near #Pune is all set to receive Prime Minister @narendramodi this afternoon.
PM will inaugurate the #ShilaTemple, revered by the Warkaris at the existing Sant Tukaram Maharaj Temple. It is from here the annual #Pandharpur yatra begins. pic.twitter.com/L7osig2Ien
— PIB in Maharashtra 🇮🇳 (@PIBMumbai) June 14, 2022
What we know about the PM’s visit and the temple inauguration
The temple will be inaugurated around 1.45 pm. However, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is likely to skip the event, according to a report in The Hindustan Times.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be presented the Tukaram Pagdi, a traditional headgear with verses of an abhanga – “Vishnumay jag, vaishvancha dharm, bhedabhed bhram amangal” – written on them. It calls for denouncing discrimination in the world.
Murudkar Zendewale, Pune’s renowned turban-making firm, has designed a special pagdi that will be gifted to Modi.
The PM will interact with warkaris, devotees of Sant Tukaram who undertake the pilgrimage on foot to Vithoba temple at Pandharpur in Maharashtra. The silver chariot with the palanquin, which devotees carry to the temple town, and the walls and pillars inside the sanctum sanctorum have been polished. The 10-member team that carried out the polishing work comprises eight Muslims, according to a report in The Indian Express. The artisans from Pune have been carrying out work at the temple for years and do it free of charge.
Why Modi’s visit matters
Modi will be the first PM to visit the temple in years. Former president Prathibha Patel visited the temple in 2009.
Modi’s visit comes ahead of the local body elections including the Pune Municipal Corporation in the state, where the Maha Vikas Aghadi government is in power.
The newly created Dehu Nagar Panchayat is ruled by the NCP. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been trying to woo voters in the state and challenge the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine.
The last time the PM attended a programme organised by the warkaris was on 8 November 2021, when he performed the ground-breaking ceremonies of the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi marg and Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi marg, part of the multi-road projects boosting connectivity to Pandharpur.
With inputs from agencies
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