Sant Tukaram

What is Shila Mandir?

• Shila refers to a rock that is currently on the Dehu Sansthan temple premises, and that for centuries has been the starting point of Wari, the annual pilgrimage to Pandharpur.
• Sant Tukaram had sat on this piece of rock for 13 continuous days when challenged about the authenticity of the Abhyangs he had written. 
• Prior to this, the saint had immersed his entire work in the Indrayani river and the work miraculously reappeared after 13 days, proving their authenticity. 
• The very rock where Sant Tukaram Maharaj sat for 13 days is pious and a place of pilgrimage for the Warkari sect.
• On the Dehu Sansthan temple premises, the rock used to be covered by a silver cast with an image of Sant Tukaram, and devotees would pay obesiance. 
• In 2008, the silver mask was stolen, and found on the banks of the Indrayani after a few days. 
• The Sansthan decided to replace the silver covering with an image of Sant Tukaram Maharaj on the Shila, with a temple housing both.  

A brief history of of Sant Tukaram-

• He was a 17th-century Marathi poet, Hindu sant, popularly known as Tuko Baraya in Maharashtra. 
• His complete name was Tukaram Bolhoba Ambile.
• He was born to Kanakai and Bolhoba More and scholars consider his family to belong to the Kunbi caste. 
• He was a contemporary of Mughal king Jahangir.
• His parents were devotees of Vithoba, an avatar of Hindu deity Vishnu (Vaishnavas).

• His guru was bhakti movement Saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

• He was a Sant of Warkari sampradaya – that venerates the god Vithoba – in Maharashtra, India.  
• Tukaram is best known for his devotional poetry called Abhanga and community-oriented worship with spiritual songs known as kirtans.
• He pointed out the evil of wrongdoings of society, social system and Maharajs by his kirtans and abhangs.
• In his work of Abhangas, Tukarama repeatedly refers to four other persons who had a primary influence on his spiritual development, namely the earlier Bhakti Saints Namdev, Dnyaneshwar, Kabir and Eknath.