Jai Shree Krishna

We all visit Baithajis to offer Shree Jhariji and do charansparsh. It would be nice if we can place on record our experience at the Baithakji. This would serve as a guideline to other Vaishnavs visiting them and also offer protsahan to visit them.

Starting this series... I humbly submit my recent visit to Shree Mahaprabhujis Baithakji at Pandarpur.

Brief  importance of the Baithakji

Pandarpur was visited by Shree Mahaprabhuji after the Viajyanagar kanakashishek and at this devine abode of Shree Vithalnathji (Vithoba), When Shree Mahaprabhuji came, Shree Thakorji himself came too meet Shree Vallabh. Shree Mahaprabhuji did Shreemad Bhagwat parayan here for 7 days, and later recieved the devine call to get married from noneelse than Shree Vithalnathji himself, and also the proclamation form the lord that Shree thakorji himself will be born as Mahaprabhujis son. For more details please read the 84 baithak charitra.

Pandarpurs geography:

Pandarpur is in Maharashtra, Solapur district. It is about 70 kilometers from the Solapur town. Solapur is well connected by road and train. Pandarpur is by road 1 to 1.5 hours drive from Solapur. Pandrapur is situated on the banks of the river Chnadrbhaga.  

More to follow.....

Jai Shree Krishna

A very good and elaborate information of Pandarpur,  The Mool Swaroopa of Shree Vithoba, etc. is gievn at... http://www.hindubooks.org/temples/maharastra/pandharpur/index.htm and also there are many other sites giving similar and other informations.

The Baithakji of Shree Mahaprabhuji at Pandarpur: 

Location: The Bethakji is located across the river Chandrabhaga, bang opposite to Shree Vithobas temple. The ambience at this devine location is very peaceful and has a very devine charm which one has to experience first hand.

How to get there:  If one is driving down from Solapur, the Baithakji  comes first, then one has to cross the river to reach the actual city of pandarpur. As one approaches the City of Pandarpur, on the left hand side, one can see The Jalaram Mandir (An enquiry there about the Baithakji will take one very safely to the Baithakji). Furhter down one will see board of ISKON temple. adjacent to this board is dirt track road. one has to take this left turn and proceed staright  down close to half a km, and on the right there is a sign indicating the location of Shree Mahaprabhujis Baithakji. take the right and you are at the Baithakji. 

The Baithakji complex at first experience is a little bit complex to understand, as the structure has come up in parts and hence is not a very organised building. The narrow entrance take us to the main small court yard, on the left is another court yard. This court yard leads one to the Actual Baithakji sthan.

Accomodation: The Baithakji has many rooms to suit various groups of people. The rooms are clean and well maintained. All basic facilties including proper sanitation facilities, electricity, mattreses etc. are available at the Baithakji.

More to follow....

Jai Shree Krishna

The Baithakji of Pandarpur:

Shree Thakorji:

The Baithakji has various swaroops birajmaan in a exclusive Nijmandir. The Main swaroopa is Shree Govardhannathji. Many swaroops of Shree Lalan are biraajmaan. One among them is a Thumb sized swaroopa is gaur varan.  Mukhiaji says that , 34 years back, this swaroopa emerged from the Chandrabhaga river, holding the Janeu of his Father, the then Mukhiaji. 4 swaroopas of Shree Girirajji are biraajmaan.

The Baithakji:

The Baithakji of Shree Mahaprabhuji at Pandarpur is very unique. Here unlike the other Baithakjis, there is no chotra - the sqaure shaped pedastal earmarking the Baithak. Also the Baithakji is not at ground lelvel, but on a Cupboard like elevation in the wall.  Instead of the usaul Chotra, we have 5 gadijis on which Shree Mahaprabhujis Baithak swaroop is biraajmaan (The soft pillow unit on which Shungaar is offered). The Five Gadijis indicate the Four Vaishnav sampradays, and fifth one is the Gadiji of Shree Mahaprabhuji himself.

The Milan darshan at the Underground Sanctum (Right on the banks of the river, and at a minimum elevation)

Just on the main courtyard, immidaitely outside the Baithaji is a small door that leads one to the basement section. Situated here are the Charnarvind of Shree Mahaprabhuji and Shree Vithalnathji, when Shree Vithoba himself came to meet Shree Mahaprabhuji.

It is said that a few  years this place was laid with marble, and as part of the facelift, new charnarvinds were incorprorated on a Marble slab and the same was placed. However, A old lady - Bagvidiya Vaishnav living at Hyderabad and serving at the Girirajji Haveli at Kota, got a dream, in which Shree Mahaprabhuji expressed his uncomfort at being hidden under a marble slab, and the Bhagvidiya Vaishnav was given agyaan to remove the marble slab. Unaware of the were abouts of such a Baithakji, the lady wrote a few letters to the various Baithakjis. One of them came to the Pandarpur baithakji, and the Mukhiaji responded  to the same. The Vaishnav, then sought guidance from her Gurughar at Kaashi.  The Vallabhkul biraajmaan immidiately dispatched a few Vaishnavs from there, a few from Hyderabad along with the lady Vaishnav too reached Pandarpur, and the Marble slab was removed. Today there is once again the Charnaarvinds of Shree Mahaprabhuji and Shree Vithalnaathji can be seen and had darshan of.

Another interesting feature here is the upright marble slabe were in one can see the slowly emerging picture of Shree Govardhandharan.

more to follow.....

Jai Shri Krishna,

Wonderful details and very nicely explained. Looking forward to more.

Best Wishes
jagdish

Jai Shree Krishna

Thankyou for your kind words Jagdish bhai.  I shall psot more information soon.

Jai Jai ShriGokulesh,

              I would like to add something, which might not be liked by all, but do accept it as a fact. I would like to make a remark here that the Baithakji described is not the original place but has been created later on to facilitate more sevak-vaishnavas coming there. The original place and the ‘shila’ where Shri Mahaprabhu and Shri Vithobaa met is deep down as Shrikantbhai has written “The Milan darshan at the Underground Sanctum (Right on the banks of the river, and at a minimum elevation)”.

    Secondly, the Swaroop of Shri Mahaprabhu (the Baithak part, the main part) in almost all the Baithaks was originally on ground level, no elevation as such and was just adorned with ‘tilak’ and ‘kanthi’ only. All the other ‘Shringar’ have been added later on. Infact while adorning with Shringar we should also take in consideration of the ‘Lila Dwij Tanudhaari’ swaroop of Shri Mahaprabhu.

Jai Jai ShriGokulesh Parivaar, Baroda

Jai Shree Krishna

Dear Vaishnavs,

The detailed presented by me are as per the narration given by the Mukhiaji of the Baithakji. Furhter No were in my naration I have said that this is the original Baithakji sthan. What I have mentioned here in is the bhaav behind the 5 Gadis on which the Baithakji is biraajmaan at present.

I am grateful to Gopal bhai for pointing out actual location of the Baithakji, and its historic evolution since then and would like to assure Gopal bhai that there is nothing there to be disliked by qnybody at all. I am sure that all of us Vaishnavs while stepping into this Virtual satsang hall keep our likes and dislikes aside and come with the sole idea of having bissful satsang, gain knowledge from great stalwarts of Pushtimarg like Shree Gopal bhai and many others.

I sincerely hope that this would not have caused any Ill- feelings amng any one. my apologies if I have done so.