The distinguished anthropologist Irawati Karwe wrote, “I found a new definition of Maharashtra: the land whose people go to Pandharpur for pilgrimage.”

Pandharpur, near the city of Solapur, is a sacrosanct destination for the Varkari path within Hinduism, centred around the worship of the deity Vitthal or Vithoba, a form of Vishnu. The Varkaris are a part of the Bhakti movement, a spiritual tradition characterised by the immersive loving worship of a chosen deity.

The word ‘Varkari’ means “one who performs the vari”— vari in Marathi refers to the annual 21-day pilgrimage to Pandharpur, which devotees of Vitthal perform as an expression of faith. The vari is a symbolic journey of the sants (those who have seen the truth) from their respective hometowns to the abode of Vitthal, and the varkaris carry symbolic palkhis (palanquins) bearing their padukas (footwear). The pilgrimage culminates on Ekadashi, the 11th day of the Hindu lunar month of Ashadha, which falls between late June and July according to the Gregorian calendar. Another pilgrimage is celebrated on the Ekadashi of the month of Kartika, which falls in November.

Helmed by the sants, the poet-saints who were instrumental in shaping the movement, the Varkari tradition reached its zenith from the 13th to 17th centuries. The tradition recognises about 50 sants, who hailed from varied backgrounds, castes, and professions. Chief among them were Dnyaneshwar, an outcast Brahmin scholar and poet; Namdev the tailor; Chokhamela, born into the Dalit Mahar caste; Eknath, a Brahmin; and Tukaram, a farmer and merchant. Other poets such as Muktabai, Janabai and Gonabai have also contributed to the wealth of verse in the tradition.

The earliest of the Varkari saints, Dnyaneshwar and Namdev broke with convention by composing abhangas, devotional songs in praise of Vitthal, in Marathi, the language of their followers, rather than the classical Sanskrit of the priestly class.

The Varkari saints believed that God was omnipresent and dwelt in the hearts of humans. Their teachings were not dogmatic or rigid. Although they encouraged their followers to live a life of austerity and self-sacrifice, theirs was a householder mode of Bhakti rather than an ascetic one. Their abhangas reinforce the message that all people are equal before god.

In the fourth episode of our series Bhakti Republic, Amit Basole continues his exploration of constitutional values in the poetry of the Varkaris through anecdotes and readings, against a background of original music performances.

Credits:

Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Harshit Hillol Gogoi, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar

Original music tracks performed by Anjali Malkar, Bruce Lee Mani, Junuka Deshpande, Karthik Bhat, and Noel Prashanth

Acknowledgements:

This episode draws extensively on the work of Sadanand More, Indrajit Bhalerao, Christian Novetzke, and Jon Keune. Thanks to Anjali Malkar for help with selecting and interpreting some of the poems.

For a comprehensive list of resources for further reading and exploration, visit our website:

https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/bhakti-republic-with-amit-basole-radio-azim-premji-university

Emerging in 12th-century Karnataka, Vachana Sahitya gave voice to the Sharana movement. The Sharanas were ardent devotees of Shiva, spreading their message through vachanas, verses composed and sung in simple Kannada, which were infused with profound thought. They advocated social equality and rejected caste, challenging Sanskrit dominance and the prevailing literary and social norms. Many of the Sharana poets came from marginalised groups. Their vachanas criticised rituals and hierarchies, emphasising a personal connection with the divine.

While saints like Basavanna, Allama Prabhu, and Akka Mahadevi are the most prominent names of the movement, the tradition was equally enriched by the contributions of about 240 sharanas, including thirty or more women. Their simple lyrics championed social equality and resonated with the common people. As the vachanakaras challenged not just established religious practices but the very fabric of caste and hierarchy, they left an indelible mark on Kannada culture. Their thought and teaching became the foundation of a revolutionary literary and social movement.

As Amit Basole elucidates in this episode of Bhakti Republic, the core tenets of the movement find resonance with the values enshrined in the Constitution of India. The title of this episode, Kayakave Kailasa, draws on a quote attributed to Basavanna which translates loosely to “Work Is Worship”, but carries a deeper meaning. The sharanas believed that the body is the temple of Shiva, and that every act of it, conducted selflessly and honestly, is a path to the divine.

This episode is enriched by vachanas performed in Kannada by singer M D Pallavi and accompanied by Bruce Lee Mani on guitar. You can enjoy the soundtrack in a special music playlist released by Radio Azim Premji University.

CREDITS:

Akshay Ramuhalli, Arjun Jayadev, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Harshit Gogoi, Kripa Gowrishankar, Narayan Krishnaswamy, M D Pallavi, Prashant Vasudevan, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi and Velu Shankar

For a full list of acknowledgements and resources for further reading, please visit our website at https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/bhakti-republic-with-amit-basole/kayakave-kailasa-the-vachanas-of-the-sharanas

We journey to the ancient, timeless city of Varanasi, its ghats washed by the river Ganga, to find ourselves enmeshed in the warp and weft of Kabir’s verse. Kabir the weaver venerates the Almighty without question, but equally, he scorns the hollowness of rituals in society that clutter the path to this sacred union. His poetry is simple and accessible, yet pungent with wit and incisive with insight. And though provocative, it resounds with wisdom and truth of a kind that many of his contemporaries, even his detractors, dared not confront.

Within this city of brick and stone, which also goes by Benares and Kashi, is ensconced a place of dreams, a utopia where the working class is free and spared from taxation, and where society is not riven by caste or stigma. Begumpura (literally, a city without sorrow) is a realm in the imagination of another of Varanasi’s most illustrious sons — Ravidas the leather-worker. A famous parable, which engendered the phrase after which this episode is titled, goes that the saint-poet equated the water in his humble tanner’s bowl (kathauti) to the sacred waters of the Ganga.

Join Amit Basole for the second episode of this series, in which we explore how the histories of the values enshrined in our Constitution find resonance in the poetry of the Bhakti tradition.

CREDITS:

Akshay Ramuhalli, Atif Anwar, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Riju R Krishna, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar

For a comprehensive list of resources and acknowledgements, please visit our website