Shri Vitthal Rukmini Mandir

Shri Vitthal Rukmini Mandir on the banks of the Chandrabhaga River is the most visited temple in Maharashtra and the beating heart of the Varkari Bhakti tradition. The temple enshrines Lord Vithoba, a form of Krishna or Vishnu, standing in his iconic hands-on-hips posture on a brick, flanked by Rukmini and Satyabhama. Originally built by Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana between 1108 and 1152 CE, the present structure is a layered Hemadpanthi and Deccan-style complex with carved pillars, a Sabha Mandap supported by 60 pillars, and the historic Namdev Payari entrance steps. The temple is the endpoint of the Palkhi procession, in which millions of Warkari pilgrims walk to Pandharpur twice a year carrying the padukas of saints Dnyaneshwar and Tukaram, chanting abhangas on Ashadhi and Kartiki Ekadashi.