Visit Dehu, The Birthplace Of Devout Sant Tukaram Near Pune

Airfare Booking brings you to the beautiful land of the devout Sant Tukaram, the saint popularly known for his Abhangs. Sant Tukaram is a Bhakti poet saint hailing from Dehu in Maharashtra. The state is well known for producing Bhakti poet saints and Sant Tukaram is one of the highest order. His Abhangs are sung tenderly at Kirtans and concerts.

Brief insight before visiting Dehu near Pune

Most of his works are in Marathi and the Abhangs have purely unadulterated devotion in them. He is always depicted as a saint carrying an ektara (a musical instrument with 1 string) in his hand. Our quest in knowing more about him and his translated works took us to Dehu.

Historical significance of Dehu, Sant Tukaram’s birthplace

This is where Sant Tukaram lived in the first part of the 17th CE. By then, Dehu was renowned as Sri Kshetra, a holy place precious for Pandurang Vithal. Now if you didn’t know, Pandharpur is the abode of Lord Vishnu in his Vithal Swaroop. Here, he is worshipped with his consort Rakhma. But the question arises, why did Dehu become sacred?

All about Dehu’s history

Settled on the banks of the Indrayani River, Dehu is primarily associated with the legend of Lord Indra’s arrival. Dehu is considered to be a tributary of the Bhima River. And on the banks of Bhima River, you can find Bhimashankar Jyotirling.

Concise summary of Sant Tukaram

Before we get into the details, consider checking out our Canada to India flight deals on Airfare Booking and visiting the place in person for better understanding.

Sant Tukaram is the 8th generation descendant of Vishambhar Buva, who used to live in Dehu. He was born in a rich household where he learned agriculture and trading from his father. After losing his parents early on in life, he took over the responsibility of the family business and was pretty good at it. But after a series of sudden deaths in his family, he grew unattached to the mortal world.

He sat down and meditated at Bhangiri Hill for 15 days without eating or drinking anything. After he descended the hill, he had the glow of a saint. This was when he began singing and composing Abhangs (devotional songs).

The story of Sant Tukaram

Sant Tukaram was a fervent devotee of Pandurang, and he visited Pandharpur on every Ekadashi. If you didn’t know, Ekadashi or the 11th day of each fortnight is when Vishnu devotees either observe asceticism or fast the whole day.
However, as he grew older, his body grew weaker. He was unable to visit Pandharpur as much as he did before. He devoted himself in praying to Pandurang / Vithoba and sought a solution for his dilemma. Pandurang appeared in his dreams and asked him to seek a location with 3 things and dig there. The 3 things were Tulsi leaves, flowers, and Bukka.

The next day, Sant Tukaram went to look for such a place early in the morning. He came across it in a mango grove. After digging the place up, he found the statues (murtis) of Lord Vithal and Rakma. It was truly the case where the God himself decided to come to the devotee because he was unable to travel anymore. The God himself arrived at his presence because the saint couldn’t go to meet him at Pandharpur.

Rejoicing at reuniting with his God, Sant Tukaram formally installed them and built a temple for them on the banks of Indrayani River. This is the reason why the sculptures are considered to be self – manifested or Swayambhu in Sanskrit.

So, go ahead and check out the airfare from Canada to India to fly with us and know about him personally.

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