Context

• The Prime Minister of India is going to inaugurate the Sant Tukaram Shila Mandir in the temple town of Dehu in Pune district.

The Shila Mandir

• The Bhakti saint Sant Tukaram had sat on this piece of rock for 13 continuous days when challenged about the authenticity of the Abhyangs he had written.
• The very rock where Sant Tukaram Maharaj sat for 13 days is pious and a place of pilgrimage for the Warkari sect.
• On the Dehu Sansthan temple premises, the rock used to be covered by a silver cast with an image of Sant Tukaram, and devotees would pay obesiance.

The Warkari sect

• Sant Tukaram and his work are central to the Warkari sect spread across Maharashtra. His message about a casteless society and his denial of rituals had led to a social movement. Sant Tukaram is credited with starting the Wari pilgrimage.

  

• The Wari sees lakhs of devotees congregating in the temple towns of Dehu and Alandi to accompany the padukas of Sant Tukaram and Sant Dyaneshwar respectively as they start for Pandharpur.

Back to Basics

About Sant Tukaram

• A 17th century bhakti saint from Maharashtra
• Popularly known as Tuka, Tukobaraya, Tukoba
• Sant of Varkari sampradaya (Marathi-Vaishnav tradition) – that venerates the god Vithoba.
• Best known for his devotional poetry called Abhanga and community- oriented worship with spiritual songs known as kirtans.
• His guru was bhakti movement Saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
• He oscillates between a Dvaitist [Vedanta] and an Advaitist view of God and the world, leaning now to a pantheistic scheme of things, now to a distinctly Providential, and he does not harmonize them.
• According to him, God realizes Himself in the devotion of His worshippers.
• Accepted disciples and devotees without discriminating gender.
• Work are central to the Warkari sect spread across Maharashtra.
• His message about a casteless society and his denial of rituals had led to a social movement.
• Credited with starting the Wari pilgrimage.
• In his work of Abhangas, Tukarama repeatedly refers to four other persons who had a primary influence on his spiritual development, namely the earlier Bhakti Sants Namdev, Dnyaneshwar, Kabir and Eknath.

Reference:

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/the-sant-tukaram-temple-and-its-significance-7963601/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tukaram

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