When the entire village turns golden

Ever heard of the Vitthal Birdev Annual Yatra? It’s very unlikely that you may have, because even Wikipedia doesn’t give enough information on this. Celebrated at the Pattan Kodoli village in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra, the celebration also known as Haldi Festival is attended by thousands of devotees who come down from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. The festival is celebrated in the Vaishakh month of the Hindu calendar to offer prayers to Shri Vitthal Birdev, the principal deity of the shepherd community. It is believed to bring in good fortune to the community. I was lucky to witness this last year, between October 17 and 24, and I couldn’t help but share this experience. 

I reached Kolhapur town on October 19. As I made my way through the busy streets, I enquired the locals about the festival in Pattan Kodoli. To my surprise, not many were aware of the festival, some even failed to recognise the village. After waiting for an hour, I finally managed to hop on a bus that was overflowing with devotees headed to the same destination. 

On reaching the village, the festive mood was electrifying. Young kids, who were throwing turmeric ( haldi ) powder at each other, also dragged me into the celebration. A certain ‘Baba’ drenched in turmeric powder and seated under a banyan tree caught my attention. The locals  told me that he was Sri Keloba Rajabau Waghmode, the ‘Baba’ of the devotees, who walks for over 17 days from his village to reach Pattan Kodoli for the festival every year. 

On the next day, being the main festival day, I joined the crowd of devotees en route to the temple. Baba was surrounded by devotees who occasionally threw a mixture of haldi and dry coconut on him. There were huge umbrellas brought in to welcome Baba to the temple, accompanied with drums and traditional music. As soon as he entered the temple, Baba performed a customary dance before he went on to give his predictions on the future of the farming community followed by a rain forecast for that year as the devotees listened to him attentively. The next few days had similar rituals with devotees flowing in and out of the village and seeking their blessings from Baba. With such intense traditions and unbelievable rituals, it was quite an experience. If you’re planning to visit this year, it is advisable to make day trips to the temple by staying in Kolhapur because of the low frequency of buses and the unfamiliarity of the place. Also, stay hydrated because it is quite hot and dry during the day. This year, Vitthal Birdev Annual Yatra kicks off on May 14.