INDIA. Mumbai: On Tuesday, in front of a sizable crowd of Warkari Sampradaya members, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the Jagatguru Shrisant Tukaram Maharaj’s Shila Mandir at Dehu, Pune, Maharashtra.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Nitin Maharaj More, the Chairman of the Jagadguru Sant Tukaram Maharaj Sansthan (JSTMS), Opposition leader in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Devendra Fadnavis, and others were present.
Hindu saint and Marathi poet Sant Tukaram Maharaj lived in the 17th century. He belonged to the “Warkari Sampradaya” and was well-known for his Abhyanga devotional poetry and kirtan-style community worship.
Sant Tukaram lived in Dehu. A Shila Mandir (a rock covered by a silver cast with his image)
was built after his demise, but it was not structured like a temple. This temple has been the starting point of Wari, the annual pilgrimage to the Lord Vithoba shrine in Pandharpur (Solapur district), for centuries.
In 2008, the silver mask of the temple was stolen and found on the banks of the river Indrayani after a few days. As such the Sansthan decided to replace the silver covering with an image of Sant Tukaram on the rock, with a temple housing both.
Now the temple has been rebuilt in stone masonry with 36 peaks and carries an idol of Sant Tukaram.
In his speech Modi, he said that the one rarely gets a chance to mingle with the saints. If one gets the blessings of the saints, then self-realization is automatic. I am getting the feeling of heavenly bliss in this pious land of Dehu.
“A few months back I had an opportunity to lay the foundation of the work of widening the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi Marg. Under the plan, the national highway number 04 will be made a four-lane highway. The work of widening the Sant Dnyaneshwar Palkhi Marg will be completed in 5 phases, while the Sant Tukaram Palhi Marg will be widened in four phases. The 350 km highways will be built for Rs 11000 crore”.
“The Sant Tukaram temple is not only a centre of devotion, but it also empowers India’s cultural heritage. I compliment the trustees of Sant Tukaram temple for the efforts made to renovate the temple and add to its glory”.
India is the land of sages. Different saints took birth in this land to guide us. Today the country is celebrating the birth anniversary of Sant Kabir. Sant Tukaram composed “Abhangas” to inspire our generations.
They instil energy in us. The abhangas connote compassion and a sense of service to mankind. The Abhang means the unbreakable thing. The Abhangas remain alive with the situation and do not get disintegrated.
Sant Tukaram propagated that to differentiate people as rich and poor was a sin. His preachings are important not only as “Bhagwat Shakti” but are also important to promote nationalism and socialism.
Today the country is moving on the path of “Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, and Sabka Prayas” (with all, development for all, and everyone’s trust). Today the benefits of Govt schemes are being given without any differentiation.
The saints like Sant Tukaram played an important role in moulding the career of national heroes like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. When Veer Savarkar was serving a jail term in Andaman, he was reciting the Abhangas of Sant Tukaram, Modi added.
Although the BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was allowed to speak, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was not allowed to speak during the function which evoked angry reactions from the NCP workers, who blamed the Prime Minister’s Office for the lapse.
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