Pundalik Temple, which is located on the banks of River Chandrabagha, and is devoted to Lord Vitthal. sVitthal is a manifestation of Lord Vishnu. Pundalik or Pundarik, who is a central figure in the legends of Hindu God Vithoba, is credited to have brought Vithoba to Pandharpur, where the central shrine of Vithoba stands today. It is believed that devotee Pundalik was Brahman from Karnataka and he lived in a village called Melkote, which was at 45 km away from Mysore.
The main shrine of Pundalik Temple is a five-story building with a pyramidal gun spire, where the statue of Jaya and Vijaya flanks Lord Vitthal. A portico, which has a measurement of 25 by 17 feet, is the main attraction of this square shaped temple. The idol of Lord Shiva (Shivling) protected by a brass cover resides in this portico. On the Shivling there is the idol of Pundalik. The temple has 65 feet height and 63 feet breadth. It also has an attractive an artificial peak. Priests from Koli society are the worshipers of Pundalik. The daily rituals start in the morning and all rituals are done by Koli society. Big celebration is held on Mahashivratri. The time for darshan is scheduled between 4 am to 7 pm.
There is a customary practice in the temple that devotees should embark their darshan of the Lord only after washing their feet in the warm water spring that flows near to the temple. An iron boat of 4 feet by 2 feet, which floats in the river but looks too heavy to lift with hands, is the embarrassing allure in the temple. Even though Pundalik Temple was constructed by Changdev, Lord Bhate, the knight of Peshwa, reconstructed it.
While some people say that Pundalik Temple is the temple of Lord Shankar, many others argue that it has the temple of Pundalik only. There are many hotels and other lodging services in Pandharpur that offer best accommodation facilities at affordable rate to the pilgrims. People mainly depend rail and road services to reach here.
Also Read:
Temples in Pandharpur
The main shrine of Pundalik Temple is a five-story building with a pyramidal gun spire, where the statue of Jaya and Vijaya flanks Lord Vitthal. A portico, which has a measurement of 25 by 17 feet, is the main attraction of this square shaped temple. The idol of Lord Shiva (Shivling) protected by a brass cover resides in this portico. On the Shivling there is the idol of Pundalik. The temple has 65 feet height and 63 feet breadth. It also has an attractive an artificial peak. Priests from Koli society are the worshipers of Pundalik. The daily rituals start in the morning and all rituals are done by Koli society. Big celebration is held on Mahashivratri. The time for darshan is scheduled between 4 am to 7 pm.
There is a customary practice in the temple that devotees should embark their darshan of the Lord only after washing their feet in the warm water spring that flows near to the temple. An iron boat of 4 feet by 2 feet, which floats in the river but looks too heavy to lift with hands, is the embarrassing allure in the temple. Even though Pundalik Temple was constructed by Changdev, Lord Bhate, the knight of Peshwa, reconstructed it.
While some people say that Pundalik Temple is the temple of Lord Shankar, many others argue that it has the temple of Pundalik only. There are many hotels and other lodging services in Pandharpur that offer best accommodation facilities at affordable rate to the pilgrims. People mainly depend rail and road services to reach here.
Also Read:
Temples in Pandharpur
