On the bank of the Chandrabhaga river at Pandharpur in Maharashtra stands the temple of Vitthal (Vithoba) and his consort Rukmini — the spiritual heart of the Varkari tradition and one of the most beloved shrines of the Deccan. Vitthal is worshipped as a form of Krishna, standing with his hands upon his hips, waiting eternally upon a brick. The tender legend tells of the devotee Pundalik, so absorbed in serving his parents that when the Lord came to bless him he tossed out a brick for Krishna to stand upon until he was free — and the Lord, delighted by such devotion, has waited there ever since.
For centuries the saints of Maharashtra — Dnyaneshwar, Namdev, Tukaram, and many more — have sung of Vitthal, and each year hundreds of thousands of Varkari pilgrims walk in the great wari, carrying the saints' palkhis, to reach Pandharpur on Ashadi Ekadashi. Vitthal of Pandharpur is the abiding Lord of the common devotee's heart.
