Keeping up a time-honoured tradition despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday performed the annual puja (worship) at the Vitthal-Rukmini temple in Pandharpur in Solapur district, on the occasion of ‘Ashadhi Ekadashi.’
Mr. Thackeray, who along with his wife Rashmi and son, Sena MLA and Minister Aaditya Thackeray, reached the temple town with a select retinue late on Tuesday, performed the puja early on Wednesday. He said he prayed for a miracle to end the scourge of COVID-19 in the State and across the globe. “I have come here to pray not just on behalf of the people of Maharashtra, but on behalf of all people living everywhere… There is a tradition of belief in miracles wrought by Lord Vitthala. We now want to see a miracle as human beings are tired combating the coronavirus menace and there is no medicine in sight. How long can we go on living our lives by covering our mouths,” said the CM, addressing some warkaris (devotees) after the puja.
Mr. Thackeray, who performed the puja wearing a mask, said he earnestly hoped for things to improve right away in the struggle against COVID-19, on the auspicious occasion of ‘Ashadhi Ekadashi’.
With the alarming rise in new cases and fatalities in Pune, Satara and Solapur districts, the government and the district authorities had scrapped the annual palkhi procession this year in which lakhs of warkaris undertake the wari (pilgrimage) on foot from Dehu and Alandi (in Pune district) to the Vitthal-Rukmini temple.
However, to keep up this 800-year-old tradition, the padukas (footprints) of the Saints Tukaram and Dnyaneshwar from Dehu and Alandi, respectively, were transported by road on Tuesday. They were carried in eight special State Transport buses, with 15-20 warkaris in each bus.
With eight active positive cases reported from Pandharpur, the temple town saw a muted ‘Ashadhi Ekadashi’ celebration for the first time in decades.
With Pune district witnessing an average surge of 700 new cases daily, the number of active positive COVID-19 cases are nearing the 10,000 mark. The district has reported more than 740 fatalities till date.
After Pune, Solapur is the worst-hit district in the division with 264 COVID-19-related deaths and 2,690 cases, of whom 733 are active ones.
The CM’s annual worship at the Vitthal-Rukmini temple had run into stormy waters in 2018 after the hostile pitch of the quota agitation by Maratha outfits had compelled the then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to cancel the event, despite him performing the puja in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
After having successfully pacified the restive Maratha community by fulfilling their quota demands the following year, Mr. Fadnavis had been able to perform the annual puja of Lord Vitthal and Goddess Rukmini in July 2019.
