Pandharpur Kolhapur Yatra - Concluding Part

On 25th December, 2021 our group of 15 Yatris left Mumbai and travelled by road to Pandharpur. We had darshan of Lord Vittal on the same evening and that of Mahalakshmi Devi on 26/12/2021 at Kolhapur.

On the morning of 27/12/2021, after morning ablutions and prayers etc., the entire group were punctual and assembled at 8 a.m., as planned the earlier day, at the restaurant on the ground level of Hotel Ramee Panchsheel for breakfast. The breakfast spread was adequate and consisted of cut Papaya, Papaya milkshake, idli, Vada, Poha, Potato wedges, Toast with butter / jam, curds, cornflakes, tea / coffee. The fare was delicious and everyone, including our driver, enjoyed it immensely.

After this, we checked out of the Hotel by 9 a.m. and got our pictures clicked outside the hotel before boarding the TT. We then departed towards Satara, en route to Mumbai. 

At Satara, just off the highway, there is a beautiful temple called Uttara Chidambaram temple. We reached this temple by 11.40 a.m. just in time as the temple closes at noon everyday.

In 1980, during His Chaturmasya stay at Satara, His Holiness Sri Chandrasekhara Saraswati, Shankaracharya of Kanch Peetham, desired that a replica of the Chidambaram temple be built there. One of the devotees donated a plot of land where this temple was built using South Indian temple architecture. The Kumbabhishekam / consecration of the temple was conducted in 1984.

In addition to the presiding deity of Lord Chidambareshwar, other Shrines located in the temple include:

- Ganapati Mandir

- Hanumaan Mandir

- Raadha-Krishna Mandir

- Shiva Linga Mandir

- Parvati Devi temple

- Nav-Graha Mandir

- Aadi Shankaracharya Mandir

- Ayyappa Swami Mandir

There is also a small pond within the sprawling complex where we could spot two tortoises. A veda Patasala is also being run by Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam at the temple. This temple is being managed & patronised by the local community at Satara under the guidance from the Kanchi Peetham. It is a must visit place for all Yatris traversing via Satara.

We had a good darshan here and partook in the Prasad (crushed boondi laddoo and tamarind rice) given in a small leaf donnai when we exited. Outside the temple, we had our customary photo session before boarding the TT to proceed homewards at around 12.30 p.m.

The highway from Kolhapur to Mumbai is wide, smooth and well maintained. As traffic in each direction is separated by a median, the drive was comfortable. 

One of our co-yatris gave a short discourse on the significance of 'Chidambara Rahasyam' to let us know the story behind the closed curtain at the temple. When the curtain is drawn, one can see a strand of gold & silver bilva leaves hanging and slightly swaying in the breeze.

Around 1.30 p.m., cut fruits were passed around along with Chaklis, chocolate biscuits etc. This was to stop the hunger pangs before we had lunch. As the route took us from the outskirts of Pune, we decided to have lunch at a restaurant near ISKCON temple at Katraj. The detour towards this destination took some time as we lost our way. When we reached at 2.45 p.m., we thought we may not get lunch as it was late. Luckily, with God's grace, thali lunch was available. Most of us had it - simple fare of Chapati, satvik dal, satvik chana masala and rice. This was followed by masala buttermilk. And then topped with Kulfi.

The temple here is beautiful and worth visiting. Unfortunately, it was closed in the afternoon and we couldn't visit inside. We left Katrak by 3.45 p.m. and a short drive took us back to the National Highway. We estimated that we will reach Mumbai by a good time in the evening. But fate had other plans...

As we approached the toll gates near Khalapur, our driver noticed a slight wobbling on the right rear tire. Upon checking, he found out that it was punctured. Unfortunately, due to paucity of time at Kolhapur, he had not got a spare tire to replace the stepney used the previous evening. We feared that we might get stranded in the expressway. 

Luckily though, after crossing the toll gate, we found a tire repair shop close by. So, it turned out to be our second wait by the roadside, while the punctured tire was removed, repaired and replaced back. It was dusk time and the most active time for mosquitoes who feasted on us. We kept moving / walking by to keep them at bay but couldn't prevent the hordes from taking their 'toll' from our exposed skins.

The process of repair took about an hour after which the rest of our drive back was smooth and incident free. We reached our respective homes at a reasonable hour although much delayed. After saying our goodbyes and thanking each other for the pleasure of their company, we came back home for a good shower and light snack before sleeping off.

Thus ended our short, hectic and eventful yatra in the last week of December, 2021.

Pandharpur Kolhapur Yatra - Part 3

On the way back from Vishnu Paad, Bhagvat took the boat along the river bank. Here we could see different varieties of birds nesting & hunting for their first meal of the day. There being no humans nearby, the birds continued their business undisturbed..

Before we finally came ashore, Bhagvat gave the oars to a couple of us Yatris to try our hand at rowing. And we discovered how unprepared we were to even handle one oar each! We soon gave up and handed the oars back to him to take us back. 

After this, a few of us did some small shopping for momentos before we boarded the TT and went to a nearby restaurant called Vittal which was on the way to our hotel. The team decided to have a heavy breakfast and skip lunch. The restaurant food was not great but for us it was the first meal five hours after waking up. Hence, we gorged on our Poha, Puri Bhaji, Dosa etc. followed by tea / coffee.

It was nearly noon when we reached our hotel and checked out. The GPS said that it is a 4 hour drive to Kolhapur. With a short break in between, we will reach by 4.30 p.m. we thought. That may give us some time for local shopping thought the ladies. The online booking for darshan was scheduled between 7 & 8 p.m. 

The drive to Kolhapur was generally good with a few short patches of poor roads. Many of the Yatris were exhausted and snoozed for an hour or so. After a couple of hours, some snacks were taken out from the bags and shared amongst everyone. Chikkis, Chaklis and home made Mysorepak were finished with relish. We had sufficient bottled water provided by the TT operator.

As we reached the outskirts of Sangli by 4 p.m., we estimated that we would reach Kolhapur by 5 p.m. latest. It was then that a passing motorist pointed out that one of our rear tires was punctured. The vehicle was taken to the side of the road and we discovered that the tire & tube had shredded beyond repair due to being driven in that condition.

It took about an hour to replace the tire with a stepney. In the meantime, we went to a small tea shop and had tea. There was also a petrol pump close by where people could use the washroom facility.

The rest of the journey to our Hotel at Kolhapur was uneventful. We reached Hotel Ramee Panchsheel at 6.15 p.m. This is a very decent hotel and was a welcome upgrade compared to the hotel at Pandharpur. We agreed to meet at the lobby by 7 p.m. after getting freshened up and changing from travel attire to darshan attire. The Mahalakshmi temple was a short drive from the hotel. Thankfully, traffic was light and there was no major rush at the temple.

We got into the queue and moved into the temple by 7.45 p.m. Although the crowd was not heavy, the crowd management was not great. There was a fair amount of jostling in front of the be deity. Also, there were a couple of very tall officials standing inside the temple who were blocking the view. They didn't seem to realise that they were standing on the wrong side, unlike Pandharpur where we devotees had an unrestricted clear view of Lord Vittal. I also noticed that a number of influential people were allowed entry into the sanctum while the rest of the devotees were not allowed. Also, there was too much sound of police whistles and screams of the crowd managers that were distracting and irritating. 

We came out after a brief darshan and later went back during Aarti for a second darshan. This was slightly better and we could see Mahalakshmi Devi to our hearts content.

After coming out, we visited the Dattaguru temple within the premises as well as other small shrines in the complex. We also did the customary photo sessions for the temple. The external lighting was very beautiful and worth capturing.

When we came out of the temple, it was nearly 8.30 p.m. Based on Google help we identified a restaurant close by called Hotel Murali. This was within a short 5 minutes walk. We had a 15 minute wait before we got our tables. The yatris split into groups of 4 for convenience. Each table of 4 ordered for themselves. This made it easier and manageable. The food was decent but nothing extraordinary to write about. The service was fast and we left by 9.45 p.m. 

Our hotel was a short ride away and we were glad to be back in the confines of a very comfortable hotel. The rooms are spacious and well furnished. The AC was working fine as were the other facilities. Everything was fine after another hectic and tiring day. After reaching our respective rooms, we sunk into the comfort of our bed to rest our tired bodies. We had agreed to meet early for breakfast the next day so that we could checkout by 9 a.m. 

Thus ended Day 2 of our yatra.