Āṣāḍhī Ekādaśī is the great day of the Pandharpur Wari. On Āṣāḍha Śukla Ekādaśī the pilgrims and the palkhis of the saints arrive at Pandharpur for the darśana of Viṭhobā and Rakhumāī. Viṭhobā is said to begin his four-month rest of cāturmāsya on this day. For Marathi households it is a day of fasting and of taking Viṭṭhala's name. How the day is fixed: The day is the civil day on which Āṣāḍha Śukla Ekādaśī prevails at local sunrise. It usually comes in June or July. Keep in mind: The date of the fast follows local sunrise, but the time of pāraṇā on the next morning follows each household's own ekādaśī tradition. This year: The 2027 date shown here is worked out from sunrise at the place you chose, so in another city the same day can fall a day earlier or later. The Wari: The walking pilgrimage and the palkhis of the saints reach Pandharpur on this day. The pilgrims seek the darśana of Viṭhobā and Rakhumāī. Fast and nāma: At home the day is kept as an ekādaśī fast, with Viṭṭhala's name on the lips. The fast is broken with pāraṇā on the next morning. Worth remembering: Across India the same tithi is known as Devśayanī Ekādaśī, which is kept as its own observance. Āṣāḍhī Ekādaśī is the Marathi name, and it belongs to the Wari. Every Marathi family has its own way of marking Āṣāḍhī. Some members walk the Wari year after year, while others keep the fast at home and sing abhaṅgas of Viṭṭhala. The foods allowed during the fast and the hour of pāraṇā follow the household's ekādaśī school. The surest guide is the practice the elders of one's own house have followed.
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