What to do in Pandharpur, Omkareshwar & our other holy towns

Pandharpur, on the banks of the Chandrabhaga in Solapur district, is the spiritual capital of the Varkari sampradaya. The traditional order of the pilgrimage begins with a snan in the Chandrabhaga — the crescent-shaped stretch of the Bhima river — followed by darshan of Lord Vitthal and Rukmini at the main mandir. The riverfront ghats are especially beautiful in the soft light of early morning and evening, and the quieter early darshan hours suit families with elders.

The town itself rewards an unhurried day. The Pundalik Mandir stands on the riverbank, dedicated to the devotee whose service to his parents brought the Lord to stand on a brick; the Vishnupad temple and the Gopalpur shrine, associated with the Gopalkala festival, lie along the pilgrimage route with many smaller temples and maths between them. During Ashadhi and Kartiki Ekadashi the streets fill with lakhs of Varkaris and the abhangs of the saints — the most devotional time to be present, and the most crowded.

Devotees with more time often extend the yatra by road to Tuljapur, seat of Goddess Tulja Bhavani, and Akkalkot, the abode of Shri Swami Samarth — both within reach of Pandharpur.

Trimbakeshwar, in the green foothills of the Brahmagiri near Nashik, enshrines a Jyotirlinga unlike any other — a linga with three faces representing Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. Darshan of the Jyotirlinga and a snan at the Kushavarta Kund, revered as the origin point of the river Godavari, form the heart of every visit. The climb up the Brahmagiri hill, past the Gangadwar where the river first appears, is itself a revered act of devotion.

Trimbakeshwar is also the foremost centre in India for ancestral and dosha-nivaran rituals — Narayan Nagbali, Kalsarp Dosh Puja, Tripindi Shradha and Pitru Dosh puja — performed by authorized local priests over fixed numbers of days. Devotees with extra time visit Anjaneri, believed to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman, and the Panchavati area of Nashik with the Kalaram Temple, Sita Gufa and Ramkund on the Godavari; Saptashrungi at Vani and the Pandavleni caves lie further afield.

Girada, a village in Washim district, is chosen not for its sights but for its stillness. Set amid the fields and open skies of rural Vidarbha, the days here open up for japa, paath, reading and silent reflection — mornings quiet and well-suited to prayer, evenings calm under the open sky. For devotees in the tradition of Shree Gajanan Maharaj, it is a place to deepen devotion in solitude before or after the busier kshetras.

The surrounding region offers gentle excursions when you want them. Washim town is an ancient settlement with old temples and tanks, including the well-known Balaji temple and the Padmatirth, while Shegaon, Pohradevi — revered as the Banjara Kashi — and Karanja Lad, associated with Shri Nrusinha Saraswati, are all within reach by road.

Shegaon, in Buldhana district, is the samadhi kshetra of Shree Gajanan Maharaj — the principal seat of the saint whose spirit of seva inspires every Bhakt Niwas of the Sansthan. Darshan at the main temple is the heart of the visit, and devotees from across India arrive through the year for the blessings of Maharaj.

The serene Anand Sagar complex, developed by the Shegaon Sansthan, gives pilgrims a peaceful, green space for reflection after darshan. Devotees travelling through Vidarbha often pair Shegaon with the quiet retreats at Girada and Adgaon and the old temples of Washim, making a complete circuit of darshan and stillness.