URBAN DESIGN 2022 A Case of Chandrabhaga River, Pandharpur, Maharashtra, India
Bhagyashri C Narendra
RESILIENCE BUILDING THROUGH REGENERATION & REVITALIZATION OF RIVER SACREDSCAPE
A Case of Chandrabhaga River, Pandharpur, Maharashtra, India 2022
HISTORY The oldest mention of Pandharpur is from 516 CE from Rashtrakuta era copper plate inscription. Yadava Kings in 11th and 12 the century gave numerous donations to the temple as evident from the inscriptions. In the era of Adilshahi, most of the town was destroyed by Afzal Khan to hurt the religious sentiment of Shivaji. Saints from all across Maharashtra still gathered here for annual pilgrimage and thus Pandharpur became the heart of the devotional movement which laid to the social-religious reform. This resulted in new social synthesis which later paved the foundation of Maratha Empire. In the second half of the 18th century under the Marathas the temple and town was rebuilt under the Peshwas of Pune, Scindia of Gwailor and Holkar of Indore.
Mahadwar is main locality in the city and a market place. Mahadwar leads to main ghāt of Pandharpur that is "Mahadwar ghat".There is temple of Bhakta Pundalika on the ghāt. It is said that Krishna came to Pandharpur to meet his disciple Bhakta Pundalīka who was busy serving his parents that time .He offered brick called vit in marathi to Krishna and requested him to wait standing on the brick for sometime till he attends his parents. The same Krishna is standing on the brick for last 28 yuga and thus is also knows as Vitthala.
There are other many ancient scriptures which elaborate the importance of Vitthala. Chandogya Upanishad : The fourth chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad, has one of the source of the ancient tradition of Shri Vitthala's worship. It contains the story of King Janśhruti who mentions about his visit to Pandharpur when he was on the way to search for Raikva. He remarks that " He arrived at the location where the god "Vitthala," who is simply a reincarnation of Vishnu, was located on the bank of the river Bhimā. The name of this pilgrimage is Bindutirth, and the name of the local deity is Bindumādhav. There the God who gives the blessings of material and spiritual prosperity still lives."
TYPOLOGY
INTERVENTION Proposed by Bhagyashri C Narendra
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