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Alandi Aalandi
City
Alandi Location in Maharashtra, India
Coordinates: 18°40′37″N 73°53′49″E / 18.677°N 73.897°E / 18.677; 73.897Coordinates: 18°40′37″N 73°53′49″E / 18.677°N 73.897°E / 18.677; 73.897
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District	Pune
Elevation	577 m (1,893 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	28,576
Languages
• Official	Marathi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	412105 412201

Alandi is a town and a municipal council in the Pune district in the state of Maharashtra, India. The town is popular as a place of pilgrimage and the resting place (Samadhi) of the 13th century Marathi Bhakti Sant Dnyaneshwar.

Geography

Alandi (18°40′37.42″N 73°53′47.76″E / 18.6770611°N 73.8966000°E / 18.6770611; 73.8966000^[1]) is located on the bank of the Indrayani River, 18.8 km (11.7 mi) in Khed Taluka of Pune District, India, near the northern edge of city of Pune. It has an average elevation of 577 meters (1,893 feet).

Pilgrimage center

Alandi is a well known place of pilgrimage for Hindu Marathi people because of the town's association with the 13th century Varkari Sant Dnyaneshwar. After translating the Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita from Sanskrit into Marathi, Dnyaneshwar attained sanjivan Samadhi at the Alandi Siddheshwar temple.^[2] A temple complex was built at Sant Dnyaneshwar's samadhi and is visited by pilgrims, especially those of the Varkari sect. The Ekadashi of the dark half of each month attracts devotees to the town.^[3]

Every year the Paduka (symbolic sandals) of Dnyaneshwar on a Palkhi travel 21 days from Alandi to reach Pandharpur on Ashadhi Ekadashi (June or July in the Gregorian calendar).The palkhi procession is joined by thousands of Varkari devotees for the 150 km journey.^[4][5][6]

The biggest festival in Alandi is held every year on Kartika Vadya Ekadashi (the eleventh day of the dark fortnight of the Hindu month of Kartik). The festival falls close to the day Dnyaneshwar entered Samadhi. This festival or yatra is attended by hundreds of thousands of Dnyaneshwar devotees and has a great economic impact for the local population.^[7]

Bathing in the Indrayani River has special significance for pilgrims to Alandi. However, the river is heavily polluted because of sewage discharge by towns along its course and contains high amount of Faecal coliform.^[8]

Pilgrims perform circumambulation around the town during their visit.

The places of interest to pilgrims in and around Alandi include:

• The Dnyaneshwar Samadhi Complex that includes the Samadhi, the Shri Sidheshwar temple and the famed Ajanvriksha tree^[9]


• The ghats on the banks of the Indrayani river


• Ram Mandir near the banks of the Indrayani River, south of the Samadhi mandir, is one of the many large temples in Alandi


• Laxmi Narayan Mandir - is located South to Samadhi mandir, adjacent to Ram mandir, near the River ghat.


• 
  Vitthala-Rakhumai Temple


• Dnyaneshwari Mandir - modern temple nearing completion, west of Dnyaneshwar Samadhi Complex


• Narsinha Sawaswati Math - west of Dnyaneshwar Samadhi Complex en route to Dnyaneshwari Mandir


• Shree Gajanan Maharaj Temple complex, Alandi – south of Dnyaneshwar Samadhi Complex


• Dnyaneshwar's Wall - According to legend when the arrogant Sant Changdev came to visit Dnyaneshwar on a tiger, Dnyaneshwar and his siblings went to meet him riding on a wall that moved.


• Sant Jalaram Temple: This temple was built in 1960s with the same architectural design as the one in Virpur Gujarat. There is also a temple of Santoshi Mata in the same temple complex.

Nearby places:

• Siddhabet: outside the town where Dnyaneshwar's family was exiled after being ex-communicated.


• 
  Sambhaji Raje Bhosle Memorial: in Tulapur village, approximately 6 km from Alandi. A memorial to the son of Chhatrapati Shivaji and the second Chhatrapati of Maratha Empire.


• 
  Dehu: the birth, work and worship place of Sant Tukaram and from where the Sant Tukaram flew to Vaikuntha on eagle.^[10]

Aalandi laxmi narayan mandir

The town also has dozens of dharmshalas that provide lodgings to pilgrims from their respective communities such as the Padmashali or Maheshwari.^[11][12] A number of these places also have their own shrines to different deities and Varkari Sants.

Demographics

In 2011, Alandi had a population of 28,576. Males constitute 56% of the population and females 44%^[13]. The lingua franca is Marathi. Alandi has an average literacy rate of 73% (82% of the males, 68% of females), which is lower than the national average of 74.04%. 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. All castes are represented in the town. The closely related Maratha clans, Kurhade-Patil and Ghundare-Patil, dominate civic life of the town.

Traditionally, many Hindu widows would come to reside in places of pilgrimage such as Pandharpur and Alandi^[14]

Economy

Place of pilgrimage

The economy of Alandi was historically based around its status as a place of pilgrimage. Although the major festivals in the town are held only twice a year, pilgrims from all over Maharashtra visit the place throughout the year.The needs of the pilgrims are catered for by groups of Brahmins who officiate at the samadhi, weddings, or religious services to the bereaved.Vendors outside the main temple complex offer materials, such as garlands and tumeric, for worshipping at the samadhi along with religious souvenirs and books. Marathi Hindu castes have built Dharmashalas (Pilgrim rest houses) that offer accommodation to pilgrims of their castes. The temple's biggest festival occurs in the second half of the Shaka month of Kartik where the local population earns income by offering accommodation and catering services. The local Municipal council also collects pilgrim or goods tax for public health provision.

Agriculture

As a rural community, farming is an important part of the economy. Groundnut cultivation remains important around Alandi. The produce is sent to oil pressing mills in the industrial town of Chakan.

Pune suburb

Alandi is close to the cities of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad and belongs to the Pune Metropolitan Area. Local residents commute to Pune and Industrial areas around Pimpri for employment. The proximity to these places attracts new immigrants to the town who can not afford to live in the more expensive Pune. The local population also is employed with Indian army bases near Alandi. Recently, villages around Alandi have attracted light manufacturing Industry.

Education center

A more recent addition to the economy of Alandi is the MIT Academy of Engineering college. The school has resulted in the development of student housing, eating places, markets, and shops and the overall expansion of Alandi around the college.

Education

• Maharashtra Academy of Engineering


• Sant Dnyaneshwara Vidyalaya


• Sharadchandra Pawar Chitrakala Mahavidyalaya


• Dnyanganga English Medium School and Ramchandra International School

Footnotes

Citations

References

• 
  Bahirat, B.P. (1998). The philosophy of Jñānadeva : as gleaned from the Amṛtānubhava. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. p. 15. ISBN 978-8120815742.
  

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alandi.

• http://www.maharashtra-tourism.com/pilgrimage/alandi


• http://santeknath.org/karya.html


• 
  "Dnyaneshwar Samadhi Trust".