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| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| India | |
| Religions | |
| Vaishnavism (Hinduism) | |
| Scriptures | |
| Vedas,Upanishads,Bhagavad Gita,Brahma Sutra,Pancharatra,Dnyaneshwari,Eknathi Bhagwat | |
| Languages | |
| Marathi,Sanskrit,Konkani |
Varkari (/wɑːrkəri/VAR-kə-ree;Marathi:वारकरी; Pronunciation:Marathi pronunciation:[ʋaːɾkəɾiː]) meaning: 'The one who performs theVari' is anAdvaitaVaishnavsampradaya (religious movement) within theBhakti spiritual tradition ofHinduism, geographically associated with the Indian state ofMaharashtra. Varkaris worship Shri Krishna asVitthal (also known asVithoba), the presiding deity ofPandharpur, regarded as a form ofVishnu, and his consortRakhumai (also known as Rahi), regarded as a form ofLakshmi. Saints andgurus of thebhakti movement associated with the Warkaris includeDnyaneshwar,Namdev,Chokhamela,Eknath, andTukaram all of whom are accorded the title ofSant.[1] Recent research has suggested that the Varkaris were historically the followers of Krishna.[citation needed] Vittala is also another name for Krishna. The Varkaris acknowledge and accept the oneness ofVishnu with other deities likeShiva,Shakti andGanpati, building upon the core principles ofAdvaita Vedanta. Krishna is referenced as Vitthal in most Bhakti songs of Purandara Dasa and other Bhakti Saints.
The Varkari tradition has been part of Hindu culture in Maharashtra since the thirteenth-century CE, when it formed as apanth (community of people with shared spiritual beliefs and practices) during theBhakti movement. Varkaris recognize around fifty poet-saints (Sants) whose works over a period of 500 years were documented in an eighteenth-centuryhagiography byMahipati. The Varkari tradition regards these sants to have a common spiritual line of descent.[2]
The Varkari movement includes the worship of Krishna as Vitthal and a duty-based approach towards life emphasising moral behavior and strict avoidance ofalcohol andtobacco, the adoption ofsattvic diet, a modifiedlacto-vegetarian diet that excludes onion and garlic and fasting onEkadashi day (twice a month), self-restraint (celibacy) duringstudent life, equality and humanity for all rejecting discrimination based on thecaste system, gender or wealth, the reading ofHindu texts, the recitation of theHaripath every day and the regular practice ofBhajan andKirtan.[3][4]The Varkaris wear tulashi-mala, arosary made from the wood of the sacredTulsi (Ocimum sanctum L.) plant. The Varkari men may be known by their three upright brow lines, a black between two white gopichandan or white clay and sandal-paste lines which is also popular with other Vaishnavaite devotees.[5]Varkaris look upon God as the Ultimate Truth and ascertained grades of values in social life but accept ultimate equality among men. Varkaris bow to each other because "Everyone hasGod's soul in them" and stress individual sacrifice, forgiveness, simplicity, peaceful co-existence, compassion, non-violence, love and humility in social life.[6] The Warkari poet-saints are known for their devotional lyrics, theAbhang, dedicated to Vithoba and composed inMarathi. Other devotional literature includes the Kannada hymns of the Haridasa, and Marathi versions of the genericaarti songs associated with rituals of offering light to the deity. Notable saints andgurus of the Warkaris includeJñāneśvar,Namdev,Chokhamela,Eknath, andTukaram, all of whom are accorded the title ofSant.
Warkari people undertake an annual pilgrimage calledwari, to Pandharpur, gathering there onEkadashi (the 11th day) of the Hindulunar calendar month ofAshadha, corresponding to a date falling sometime between late June to July in theGregorian calendar. Pilgrims carryPalkhi of the saints from their places ofSamadhi (Enlightenment or "spiritual birth"). The tradition of carrying thepaduka (sandals) of the sants in a Palkhi was started by the youngest son ofTukaram, Narayan Maharaj, in 1685. Further changes were brought to the pilgrimage by descendants of Tukaram in the 1820s and by Haibatravbaba, a courtier of theScindias and devotee of Dnyaneshwar.[7][8]
Devotees of Vitthal were holding pilgrimages prior to the 14th century. In the present day, about 40 palkhis and their devotees from all over Maharashtra do so.[9] Another pilgrimage is celebrated on theEkadashi of the month ofKartika, which falls in November of the Gregorian Calendar.[10]
Events such asRingan andDhava are held during the pilgrimage. During theRingan, an unmounted sacred horse called Maulincha Ashva, who is believed to be the soul of the saint whose idol is being carried in the litter, runs through the rows of pilgrims, who try catching the dust particles kicked off and smear their head with the same.Dhava is another kind of race where everyone wins and it is held to commemorate the manner in which Tukaram first saw the temple at Pandharpur and started running in sheer exhilaration.[11]
The Vaishnavism developed in Maharashtra as a special form which goes under the name of the Varkari sampradaya.
The Vaishnav Varkaris may be known by their three upright brow lines, a black between two white gopichandan or white clay and sandal-paste lines.
