Thousands of citizens line up as Pimpri-Chinchwad bids adieu to palkhis
THE Sant Tukaram Maharaj palkhi was given a rousing farewell by thousands of citizens who lined up the Pune-Mumbai highway which passes through the Akurdi's city's limits.
At the same time, the industrial city first welcomed the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi which entered the civic limits this morning.
The Sant Tukaram Maharaj palkhi left Akurdi around 5 am.
'Like every year, the citizens of Akurdi gave shelter to various 'dindis' and made meal arrangements for the warkaris' said Iklas Sayeed, a local activist.
Throughout the night, citizens from across Pimpri-Chinchwad crowded Akurdi to have a darshan of the Sant Tukaram Maharaj which were carried in the palkhi to Pandharpur, a distance of 250 km.
Around 5 am, the palkhi procession then left Akurdi.
'The Palkhi procession reached HA premises in Pimpri around 6.30. And after breakfast by the warkaris, the palkhi left for Pune City around 8.15 am. This time, it left half an hour early,' said former corporators Geeta Mancharkar.
The palkhi was then given a rousing welcome by citizens who had lined up on both sides of the highway between Vallabh Nagar and Nashik Phata.
From Nashik Phata to Dapodi, citizens rushed forth at every short distance to have a darshan of the palkhi.
'Entire Pimpri Chinchwad wore a festive look today…It rained early morning, there were clouds but there was bright sunshine when the palkhi started its journey to Pune city ,' said Sapna Landge, a homemaker, who like thousands of others waited anxiously on the highway since early morning.
Devotees also distributed biscuits and bananas, others reached out to the warkaris with tea cups, water bottles and a breakfast of pohas and vada pavs.
In the Phugewadi-Dapodi area, a team of doctors had also set up a tent to examine and provide medicines to the warkaris.
Several housing societies hosted the 'dindis' by making arrangements of their meals.
'Like every year, our society hosted one 'dindi,' which had nearly 200 warkaris. We had prepared the meal early in the morning. All the society members contributed towards the expenses,' said Sanjay Tope, chairman of Goyal Residency, Kasarwadi.
The Sant Tukaram Maharaj palkhi procession reached Dapodi around 12 noon where the warkaris took rest and had lunch.
The procession then left for Pune City later in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi procession which left Alandi this morning was given a warm welcome by Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Commission Commissioner Shekhar Singh, along with Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissioner Vinaykumar Choube, at Magazine Chowk in Dighi.
PCMC had set up a special welcome centre at Magazine Chowk, where Commissioner Singh and senior officers joined in the celebration by matching steps to devotional rhythms, officials said.
As a gesture of respect, PCMC presented the 'maanachi dindi' (honourable dindi) with eco-friendly cloth bags, seeds of indigenous trees, Tulsi saplings, information booklets, and first-aid kits.
The initiative reflected the civic body's commitment to both tradition and sustainability.
To mark the occasion, students and teachers from PCMC's Sant Tukaram Maharaj Santpeeth School performed soulful abhang recitals, adding a cultural and devotional layer to the proceedings.
The Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj palkhi procession proceeds from Dighi, Vishrantwadi to join the Sant Tukaram Maharaj palkhi procession at Wakdewadi.
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Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Indian Express
Thousands of citizens line up as Pimpri-Chinchwad bids adieu to palkhis
THE Sant Tukaram Maharaj palkhi was given a rousing farewell by thousands of citizens who lined up the Pune-Mumbai highway which passes through the Akurdi's city's limits. At the same time, the industrial city first welcomed the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi which entered the civic limits this morning. The Sant Tukaram Maharaj palkhi left Akurdi around 5 am. 'Like every year, the citizens of Akurdi gave shelter to various 'dindis' and made meal arrangements for the warkaris' said Iklas Sayeed, a local activist. Throughout the night, citizens from across Pimpri-Chinchwad crowded Akurdi to have a darshan of the Sant Tukaram Maharaj which were carried in the palkhi to Pandharpur, a distance of 250 km. Around 5 am, the palkhi procession then left Akurdi. 'The Palkhi procession reached HA premises in Pimpri around 6.30. And after breakfast by the warkaris, the palkhi left for Pune City around 8.15 am. This time, it left half an hour early,' said former corporators Geeta Mancharkar. The palkhi was then given a rousing welcome by citizens who had lined up on both sides of the highway between Vallabh Nagar and Nashik Phata. From Nashik Phata to Dapodi, citizens rushed forth at every short distance to have a darshan of the palkhi. 'Entire Pimpri Chinchwad wore a festive look today…It rained early morning, there were clouds but there was bright sunshine when the palkhi started its journey to Pune city ,' said Sapna Landge, a homemaker, who like thousands of others waited anxiously on the highway since early morning. Devotees also distributed biscuits and bananas, others reached out to the warkaris with tea cups, water bottles and a breakfast of pohas and vada pavs. In the Phugewadi-Dapodi area, a team of doctors had also set up a tent to examine and provide medicines to the warkaris. Several housing societies hosted the 'dindis' by making arrangements of their meals. 'Like every year, our society hosted one 'dindi,' which had nearly 200 warkaris. We had prepared the meal early in the morning. All the society members contributed towards the expenses,' said Sanjay Tope, chairman of Goyal Residency, Kasarwadi. The Sant Tukaram Maharaj palkhi procession reached Dapodi around 12 noon where the warkaris took rest and had lunch. The procession then left for Pune City later in the afternoon. Meanwhile, the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi procession which left Alandi this morning was given a warm welcome by Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Commission Commissioner Shekhar Singh, along with Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissioner Vinaykumar Choube, at Magazine Chowk in Dighi. PCMC had set up a special welcome centre at Magazine Chowk, where Commissioner Singh and senior officers joined in the celebration by matching steps to devotional rhythms, officials said. As a gesture of respect, PCMC presented the 'maanachi dindi' (honourable dindi) with eco-friendly cloth bags, seeds of indigenous trees, Tulsi saplings, information booklets, and first-aid kits. The initiative reflected the civic body's commitment to both tradition and sustainability. To mark the occasion, students and teachers from PCMC's Sant Tukaram Maharaj Santpeeth School performed soulful abhang recitals, adding a cultural and devotional layer to the proceedings. The Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj palkhi procession proceeds from Dighi, Vishrantwadi to join the Sant Tukaram Maharaj palkhi procession at Wakdewadi.
Hindustan Times
10 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
City reverberates with sound of cymbals and drums as it welcomes palkhis
PUNE The annual Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj and Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi processions arrived in Pune on Friday amid huge fanfare including the chanting of bhajans by lakhs of Warkaris (devotees). With religious chants and playing of traditional instruments, the annual palkhi (palanquin) processions of Sant Tukaram Maharaj (in pic) and Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj reached Pune amid intermittent rains on Friday evening. (MAHENDRA KOLHE/HT) So much so that the entire city reverberated with the sound of cymbals and drums accompanied by vigorous chants of 'Dnyanoba Mauli Tukaram'. The Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi arrived from Alandi whereas the Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi arrived from Dehu via Pimpri-Chinchwad. Both Palkhis took the old Pune-Mumbai highway, Fergusson College Road and Laxmi Road. Pune municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram and all office-bearers welcomed the Palkhi processions to the city. The Warkaris had started arriving in the city Friday morning itself but the main Palkhi processions arrived in the evening. As the processions arrived, many roads in the city were closed since the afternoon which created hurdles for locals to visit the Palkhis and take blessings. Heavy vehicles too were banned by the police, causing traffic snarls on almost all roads leading to the city. Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi will move towards Saswad via Dive Ghat on Sunday. (MAHENDRA KOLHE/HT) Both Palkhis will stay overnight at the Pasodya Vithoba and Nidungya temples located in the Nana Peth area. Both Palkhis will leave the city on Sunday after a two-day halt. They will proceed together till Hadapsar Gadital after which the Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi will move towards Solapur Road while the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi will move towards Saswad via Dive Ghat.
Hindustan Times
11 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Minor falls into river in Pune while taking photo; rescued
Jun 21, 2025 08:16 AM IST Friday saw high drama at Harris Bridge in Dapodi as a boy, 16, was rescued in a daring operation by the Pimpri-Chinchwad fire brigade after he fell into a swollen and fast-flowing Mula River while attempting a photo stunt. The incident occurred at around 1.40 pm on Friday when the boy, a resident of Dapodi, slipped and fell from Harris Bridge into the waters of the Mula River below. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO) The incident occurred at around 1.40 pm on Friday when the boy, a resident of Dapodi, slipped and fell from Harris Bridge into the waters of the Mula River below. The boy was trying to jump from one pole of the bridge to another in a bid to click a one-off photograph when he slipped and fell into the river beneath. A crowd had gathered for the Palkhi procession, and those who witnessed the accident immediately contacted the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) emergency services. Upon receiving a call at around 1.45 pm, the Pimpri-Chinchwad fire brigade rushed its team to the site. The height of Harris Bridge, which connects Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune, is around 25 metres which is tall enough not to be submerged even in severe Pune monsoons. According to officials, the waters of the Mula River were flowing at high speed due to heavy rain. The fire brigade team launched a daring operation using a rescue boat with an outboard motor (OBM) to rescue the teenager who had fallen into the fast-flowing river. Special thanks to fire brigade sub-officer Vikas Naik who made a brave and determined effort to pull the boy out of swirling waters. Naik said that during the rescue operation, the team had to take a detour thrice because of the Palkhi procession and because the road from Bapodi to Harris Bridge was submerged by the rising river. 'We took the boat from the College of Military Engineering and entered the river. The boat, despite having a 25-horsepower motor, was stuck twice due to the water current. The boy was successfully rescued in the next 10 minutes. Fortunately, he escaped with minor injuries,' said Naik. After being rescued, the teenager was handed over to his parents who were present at the spot. The swift and coordinated action was led by Naik and Rupesh Jadhav; along with firemen Prathamesh Bhosale and Vishal Chavan; trainee firefighter Avishkar Pisal; and other members of the fire brigade team, officials said.
