As a part of a 200 year old tradition, a procession or ‘Vithhalnathji ni Palki’ or ‘Vitthalnathji Varghodo’ as it is known in the local terms, is taken out from Vitthalnathji Temple every year on the occasion of Devpodhi (Shayani) Ekadashi (agiyaras) & Dev Uthi Agiyaras.
Significance :
The procession or the occasion signifies the start of a four month long holy period of the rainy season, also known as the “Chaturmas”. According to Hindu mythology, on this day the preserver god Vishnu falls asleep on the “Shesh Naga” (the cosmic serpent) floating on the infinite cosmic ocean or the “Ksheersagar” and finally wakes up on the “Prabodhini Ekadashi/ Devuthi Agiyaras/Kartik Sud Ekadashi” in the month of Kartik according to the Hindu calendar. This also marks the start of an inauspicious period for marriages.
People usually observe fasts during this period and restrict their meals to only once a day. They also abstain from consuming various vegetables such as onion, garlic, a few type of grains, spices, cereals and especially from consuming alcohol.
The Procession :
The rituals preceding the procession are usually performed by the erstwhile royal Gaekwad family of Baroda State.The procession is carried out in a silver “palanquin” and carries the idol of Vitthalnathji (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu). The procession begins at the Vitthalnathji Temple at Mandvi with the chants of “Vitthal, Vitthal, Vitthala…”. The procession is kicked off with the palanquin being showered with flowers and “ittar”(scented oils) by the devotees. There after it heads on for the round of the old city. The palanquin follows a fixed going through narrow by lanes along with wide roads in all it’s grandeur and glitter. The route is as follows : MG Road, Nyay Mandir, Roapura, Kothi, SSG Hospital, Kedareshwar Mahadev Temple at Kirti Mandir and comes at an end to its starting point. Along side the palanquin, fine “Bhajans” (devotional songs) are played continuously by a moving band which drowns the whole atmosphere in a festive mood. The palanquin is usually carried by the devotees on their shoulders who patiently for their turn for this honour of being able to carry their Lord on their shoulder.
The Lord Vitthalnathji procession is organised twice every year to mark the beginning on the Devpodhi Ekadashi and ending of the Chaturmas period which is on the “Dev Uthi Agiyaras/Kartik Sud Ekadashi”.
Along with the procession there is one other tradition very dearly celebrated by the children of the city, called the “Fugga Agiyaras” (Baloon Ekadashi). On this day children rejoice by throwing colorful water filled balloons on each other. They also throw these balloons on the passers by through the windows of their houses, and then hide behind the doors to avoid being caught.
This colorful procession has been a part and parcel of the lives the residents of the city, elder and children alike for almost 200 years and continues to be a marker of the start of a festive period which finally ends with “Diwali-The festival of Lights”.
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