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According to the authorities, Lord Vitthala’s bed is taken outside after seeing the auspicious day and time.
Kartiki Yatra will start on November 4.
Kartiki Ekadashi, one of the important festivals in Maharashtra, is celebrated in Pandharpur at the holy Vitthala Rukmini Temple. According to Local 18, for this festival, authorities have arranged for a 24-hour darshan of Lord Vitthala for the devotees. Devotees from all over the state have arrived at the temple for Lord Vitthala’s darshan. From November 4 till the end of the Kartiki Yatra, the Vitthala Rukmini Temple will remain open 24 hours for the devotees.
According to popular beliefs, Lord Vitthala wakes up during the time of Ashadhi and Kartiki Yatra. According to these traditions, the diety’s bed was taken out on November 4 and the devotees got the privilege of watching Lord Vitthala for 24 hours.
According to the executive officer of the Shri Vitthal-Rukmini Temple Committee Rajendra Shelke, Lord Vitthala’s bed is taken outside after seeing the auspicious day and time. This year, considering November 4 as an auspicious day for Kartiki Ekadashi, Shri Vitthala’s bed was taken out in the morning after performing the puja.
The authorities have taken adequate measures to ensure that Lord Vitthala doesn’t suffer from fatigue for the 24-hour darshan. They have provided soft cotton support behind Lord Vitthala’s idol. They have also placed a cotton pillow behind the idol of Rukmini Mata. The devotees will get to see the idols of the God and the Goddess for about 22 hours except for daily puja, naivedya, dress and lemon water rituals. Naivedya means food offered as part of a worship ritual, before eating it.
The time limit for the darshan of Lord Vitthala is 15 minutes. Devotees can participate in distributing free Mahanaivedya (Mahaprasad) and then dedicate it to Shri Vitthala and Rukmini Mata. They will be required to pay Rs 7,000 for this participation. If the devotees want more information about this, they can contact the office of the Pandharpur Shri Vitthal-Rukmini Temple Committee.
Registration for this participation will start on January 1, 2025, and will end on December 31, 2025. For more information, the devotees can contact the temple committee numbers 02186 224466 and 223550. They can also contact the donation office located at Shri Tukaram Bhawan, Pandharpur.
