Devotees from UK and Europe join traditional Wari pilgrimage at Alandi
Devotees from the United Kingdom and Europe have joined the traditional annual Wari pilgrimage at Alandi, near Pune, after traveling across continents to participate in the walk to Pandharpur. Led by initiative leader Anil Khedkar, the "Global Wari" journey began on June 6 at the Royal Windsor Racecourse in the United Kingdom, with pilgrims arriving in Maharashtra to join the local foot pilgrimage on July 6.
The international pilgrims traveled by road through more than 20 countries to Georgia, from where they flew to Mumbai. After reaching Maharashtra, they joined the traditional pilgrimage at Alandi to walk the final 200 kilometers to Lord Vitthal's shrine in Pandharpur. They are scheduled to reach their destination ahead of Ashadi Ekadashi on July 25.
Anil Khedkar, a pharmaceutical regulatory affairs professional who moved to the United Kingdom in 2008, is leading the initiative. Although settled abroad, Khedkar has returned to participate in the Wari every year since 2018. He conceived the idea for the Global Wari during the previous year's pilgrimage to help drive efforts to establish the first Lord Vitthal temple in the United Kingdom.
"When I was in Pandharpur last year, I wondered why there were no Lord Vitthal temples outside India," Khedkar recalled. He carried sanctified padukas (footwear) of the deity back with him for consecration at the proposed shrine in the United Kingdom.
According to Khedkar, the Global Wari was started so that the heritage of the Pandharpur Wari can be experienced in Europe. While the number of participating pilgrims was kept limited for the inaugural year, organizers plan to gradually expand it in the future.
The global initiative is part of the "IT Dindi," a pilgrimage group founded by information technology professionals from Pune more than two decades ago. This year, organizers also introduced an "AI Dindi," reflecting the changing professional landscape while preserving the spiritual ethos of the centuries-old tradition.
Rajesh Patil, an IT entrepreneur and coordinator of the IT Dindi, stated that the Global Wari has the potential to take Maharashtra's Bhakti tradition to audiences far beyond India. The pilgrimage commemorates the journey undertaken by the 13th-century Bhakti saint Sant Dnyaneshwar from Alandi to Pandharpur.
"Humanity is currently suffering from violence, hatred and terrorism," Patil said. "The message of 'Universal Unity' articulated by Sant Dnyaneshwar through his prayer Vishwātmake Deve, along with the teachings of other saints, can be experienced through initiatives such as the Global Wari."
