On Friday we took off work early to go see the
Sant Tukaram Palkhi, a pilgrimage of nearly 3 lakh (300,000) people from Dehu to Prandharpur, a 22 day journey of approximately 235km, or 146 miles.
A
palkhi is a litter, a covered vehicle carried by the pilgrims as they walk from city to city. In the Sant Tukaram Palkhi, the palkhi itself contains the shoes of
Sant Tukaram, a holy man and poet from the 1600s. After his death, his youngest son introduced the Sant Tukaram Palkhi has been marched in his honor. The tradition of palkhis goes back about a thousand years, honoring several different saints, and several of them go through Pune; their participants are called
warkaris. Warkari is a sect of Hinduism that emphasizes, among other things, equality for all, regardless of caste. When they come into town, sections of roads are shut down, a large field outside of town is effectively turned into a fairground, and the residents of Pune offer free food and water to the pilgrims. This was a rare opportunity for us to see a tradition that is nearly five times older than the United States.
 |
| On the trip there, we saw more kids playing cricket... |
 |
| ... in the middle of a busy street |
 |
| These symbols marked the path oh the palhki |
 |
| Saffron is considered a holy color, and the pilgrims carry saffron flags on their journey |
 |
| According to one estimate we heard, nearly 2 million people were at the fairground that day. |
 |
| The palkhi itself, containing the shoes of Sant Tukaram |
 |
| Robert hopped up on Ray's shoulders for a better view |
In the center of the gathering, there was a large clear area where the warkaris themselves gathered. They carried out several rituals, including dancing, running, jumping, and chanting the names of the saints they had come to honor. The main event involved the warkaris standing in two concentric circles. Once those circles were formed, a man on horseback rode between them at full gallop. One man in the crowd commented that this was to demonstrate a miracle - that the horse could ride as fast as possible and yet never touch the warkaris forming the circles around it.
 |
| There was a significant security presence |
We were, to my knowledge, the only non-Indian people there. As such, we were accorded nearly celebrity status. People came up to shake our hands, take pictures with us, ask us America, and even just gather around and stare. Sometimes they would know english, sometimes they would not. Some conversations went a bit like this:
Indian: What is your name?
Us: Andrew, Robert, Ray, Jose, etc... What is your name?
Indian: English no.... no understand english. Marathi?
Us: No, sorry, we only know english
Either way, everyone was very friendly.
 |
| We were also the subjects of many cameras. While we walked back to our car, this guy filmed us from a rooftop. |
