Alandi

Maharashtra village famous as the
home of the poet-saint Jnaneshvar and
the site of his samadhi (burial) shrine.
Jnaneshvar was the first great figure in
the Varkari Panth, a religious community centered around the worship of the
Hindu god Vithoba. Varkari religious
practice centers primarily around two
annual pilgrimages, in which all the
participants arrive in Pandharpur in the
modern state of Maharashtra on the
same day. Despite having been dead for
over 700 years, Jnaneshvar still symbolically travels from Alandi to Pandharpur
twice each year; a palanquin (palkhi)
carrying his sandals is at the head of the
procession bearing his name.
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Alandi