Lord of Pandharpur- The Vitthal Rukmini Mandir, Maharashtra

Lord Vittobha is none other than  Krishna and in Pandharpur He is waiting patiently  on the banks of Chandhrabhaga with his  hands on his hips for his dearest bhaktha Pundalik.

The legend goes like this, once Lord Krishna came to meet his devotee Pundalik . He was so  engrossed in his duty of serving his parents, he  just threw a brick (Eet or Veet in local parlance) for Lord to stand on as the area was full of slush and asked Lord to wait till his duty was over.   The kind and merciful God waited for his devotee but Pundalik never returned as he didn't want Lord to leave that place thus making Pandharpur a sacred place. The deity came to be known as Vittobha as He is standing on Veet .( Ba ' stands for father figure).

There is a  separate shrine for Rukmini near to Vittobha's sanctum .

The temple always reverberates with devotional songs. The unique feature here, one can enter sanctum and touch the feet of the Lord . The main entrance of temple is known as Namdev Mahadwar.

Ashadha Ekadashi and Kartik Ekadashi  are very important days here  and thousands Varkaris march on foot from various parts of Maharashtra singing the glory of Lord to be with the Lord.

Tips to devotees

There are online facility to book the darshan ticket and one can choose darshan timings . Before going for darshan the ticket  has to stamped at the  administrative office which is very close to the temple. Entry for online darshan is through the main gate.These online tickets are free of cost.  

Cameras, electronic gadgets and mobile phones are banned inside the temple.

Check the link below for ticket booking and other details.

Very few good hotels in Pandharpur .  Recommend Prabhu Residency, it is neat and clean  right in the centre of the  town and is just a Kilometer from the temple.