Foreign students of Deccan College enamoured by palkhi

Every year few groups (Dindi) of devotees stay at the DeccanCollege. The staff of the college provide them food and lodgings.

"Students from Sri Lanka, Iran, England and many more counties are doing research in Deccan College. It helps them study our long tradition. They can experience ‘Bhajans' and different programs during the stay of the devotees," said Dr Vrushali Jadhav, lecturer of Sanskrit and Lexicography.

She also told that this year foreign students actively participated in the ‘Wari'. Researchers from Sri Lanka shared their experience with Mid-Day.

M Ariyawansa from Sri Lanka said, "It's the first time we witnessed the procession and it was a great experience. It is nice to see that thousands of devotees have gathered and covered a long distance in search of God.

I am curious to know the history of this event. Actually we had heard about Kumbha Mela and other rituals of Varanasi, but we were unaware about such a rich tradition." Ariyawanasa is a lecturer and doing his PhD in linguistic studies.

Another researcher, A Ananda, who is studying comparison between Marathi and Sinhala (Sri Lankan Language) said, "These traditions have contributed greatly in the development of language. The literature of the Saints from Maharashtra plays an important role in this tradition over generations." u00a0