Alandi - The city of temples (near Pune)...

Recently when I visited Shri Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga shrine, en route I also covered the Alandi village (around 25 kms from Pune) which is famous for being home to the samadhi of Sant Dnyaneshwar, one of the most prominent sages of Maharashtra. Sant Dnyaneshwar wrote the Marathi translation of Bhagwat Gita and later took Samadhi under the Siddheshwar temple in Alandi. He spent his last few years in Alandi and inspired the people of the city to follow and worship Lord Panduranga. Devotees and followers of Sant Dnyaneshwar comes from various parts of India to take blessings and pay homage to the saint. Apart from being home to the Samadhi of Sant Dnyaneshwar, Alandi is also the venue for the Palakhi festival, which is attended by thousands of pilgrims in the month of “Ashadh” every year. Devotees comes from different corners of the state to take part in this festival, where they walk around 150 kms from Alandi to Pandharpur (in Solapur District). Pandharpur is the holy pilgrimage, where the renowned Vitthal temple is located on the banks of river Bhima. 

 

Alandi is situated on the banks of river Indrayani and it has a beautiful ghat behind the Siddheshwar temple. Pilgrims often come here to take bath in the river and spend time at the ghat. During dusk the picturesque view of the ghat from the backdrop of Sant Dnyaneshwar temple provides a breathtaking experience. 

 

There is a pillar located in the middle of the river next to the ghat. It’s a huge structure with few animals like Elephant, Lion, Eagle, Peacock and Pigeon are placed on it at certain heights. I didn’t get much information about its significance, but it did look to me an important pillar.

Places near Alandi:

1) Vithalla-Rakhumai Temple

2) The Dnyaneshwar Samadhi Complex

3) Dnyaneshwar's Wall

4) Krishna Temple

5) Muktai temple

Since I had visited Alandi in evening, so couldn't cover most of the above places. These places have been taken as reference from google. But before we left we asked few people in Alandi about other places to visit in the city and they suggested many of the places which I mentioned above. So, if you plan to visit Alandi, you can search for the places, as they all are very good. For those who love visiting religious places, Alandi is surely a place worth visiting.

Best time to visit:

Alandi is very much reachable and can be visited at any time in 12 months. Though avoid visiting it during the month of "Ashadh", as there will be lot of traffic on roads. And if you're visiting Alandi then best you plan your visit early in the morning or during sunset. The peace you get in there is the most amazing thing.

How to reach Alandi from Pune:

There are direct buses from Pune to Alandi. They run in morning from Pune station and from other locations within Pune.

If you are planning to travel with your own vehicle, then please find the route below-

Alandi--Dehu Phata--Nirma Company--Sai Mandir--Bhosari Phata--Telco Godown--Dighigaon--Kalasgaon--Vishrantwadi--Phule Nagar--Deccan College

Note: Few details have been taken from Google for accuracy.

This post is written for the #HalfMarathon blogging challenge at #Blogchatter DailyChatter.

Suggestions and feedback are most welcome.