Nagpur: Chants of “Vitthal Vitthal” echoed across Nagpur on Saturday as temples, auditoriums and neighbourhoods came alive with dindis, bhajans, abhangs and devotional concerts to mark Ashadhi Ekadashi. The festival brought together thousands of devotees in a vibrant expression of faith and Warkari tradition.At the historic Vitthal-Rukmini temple at Dhapewada, popularly revered as ‘Vidarbha’s Pandharpur’, devotees began arriving well before sunrise. The festivities started at around 3 am with traditional rituals and a mahapuja attended by District Collector Kumar Ashirwad and MLC Rajiv Potdar. Throughout the morning, groups of warkaris carrying saffron flags, cymbals and tulsi plants reached the temple in dindis, chanting “Dnyanba Tukaram” and singing abhangs dedicated to Lord Vitthal.
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The temple premises and surrounding roads remained crowded as devotees from Nagpur and neighbouring areas queued for darshan. Bhajans, kirtans, and other religious programmes continued through the day, while prasad was distributed among devotees, recreating the atmosphere associated with the annual wari to Pandharpur.The city’s Ashadhi Ekadashi celebrations also spilled into its auditoriums, with ‘Gajar Vitthal Namacha’ drawing devotees and music lovers to Kavi Suresh Bhat Auditorium in Reshimbagh. The programme was organised by the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Directorate of Cultural Affairs.National Award-winning playback singer Savani Ravindra presented devotional compositions including ‘Mogra Phulala’, ‘Sundar Te Dhyan’ and ‘Bheti Lagi Jeeva’. Abhishek Marotkar performed ‘Abir Gulal’, ‘Yei Vo Vitthale’ and ‘Mauli Mauli’, while Hrishikesh Karmarkar received repeated applause for ‘Dnyaniyancha Raja’, ‘Vedha Vedha’ and ‘Tirth Vitthal’. Manjiri Vaidya Iyer also presented several popular abhangs. Mayor Neeta Thakre, MLAs Pravin Datke and Sudhakar Kohale, former MLA Anil Sole and other dignitaries attended the programme.At the Scientific Society Auditorium, Soham Kalavishkar organised ‘Vrukshavalli Amha Soyare’, celebrating Maharashtra’s rich tradition of saint literature and devotional music. Nidhi Ranade, Manjiri Vaidya Iyer, Mukul Pande, Akshay Charbhai and Akanksha Charbhai presented compositions dedicated to Vitthal and the Warkari movement.
