June - July (Aashaadh Shukla paksha)

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Ashadi Ekadashi is a religious procession and is celebrated during

the months of June - July (Aashaadh Shukla paksha). It consists of a

procession in which people collectively go singing and dancing the

glory of the Lord in what are called as `Dindis'. This custom of

taking out a holy procession is said to have started as far back as

the year 1810.

 

Tradition has it that two of the greatest devotees of the Lord from

the State of Maharashtra, Sant Gyaneshwar and Sant Tukaram had set

out on a pilgrimage to the temple of Lord Vittala from their

respective places and reached the Divine Abode in fifteen days time

on the auspicious day of Ashadi Ekadashi.

 

Vithal, or Vitthal, or Vithoba, or Pandurang (a form of Krishna )

is worshipped in some temples in Kerala. Vitthala's original temple

is at Pandharpur, Maharashtra. Pandharpur is located 65 km West of

Sholapur, on the banks of the river Bhimarathi also known as

Chandrabhaga . Vitthala is said to have been derived from the word

Vishnu in Kannada. Panduranga is a Sanskritized form of Pandarga,

the old name of Pandharpur.

 

Following this tradition established by these great souls centuries

ago, even today devotees from the entire length and breadth of the

state of Maharashtra and even from outside the state set out for

Pandharpur, to the famous temple of Lord Vittala, wearing basil

beads and singing His glory on a pilgrimage scheduled so that they

reach Pandarpur on the auspicious day of Ashadi Ekadashi to have His

Divine Darshan. This pilgrimage is traditionally called the Dindi

Yatra.