Gopalpur, Pandharpur

Gopalpur near Pandharpur is a sacred tirtha touched by the lotus feet of Lord Krishna. It lies just 5.4 kms away from the centre of Pandharpur town in Maharashtra. It had played a very important role in the lila of Lord Panduranga Vitthala. Gopalpur remains very much relevant still even though Pandharpur remains the main centre of pilgrimage.

The natural beauty of Gopalpur adds to its sacredness. Devotees fall in love with this sacred place at the very first sight.

On the first day of Margashirsha month, Lord Vitthala’s sandals are taken from Pandharpur to the Vishnupad temple in Gopalpur. On the last day of the Margashirsha month, Lord Vitthala’s chariot goes all the way from Pandharpur to Gopalpur with a grand procession celebrating His lila of coming here while searching for Queen Rukmini.

The temple of Sant Jana Bhai, an ardent devotee of Lord Sri Krishna stands near the Vishnupad Temple.

Lord Krishna visits Gopalpur

Gopalpur and Pandharpur are intertwined in the lila of Lord Vitthala. The Padma Purana speaks of the appearance of Lord Vitthala and the various places connected to the lila.

Once, Rukmini Devi left Dwaraka after She found that Lord Krishna was showing greater affection for Radharani. Understanding that Rukmini Devi could not tolerate it, Lord Krishna followed Her to the Dindiravana forest on the banks of the sacred Bhima river. While following Rukmini Devi, the cows and His Gopa friends went along. Reaching Gopalpur Hill, they stayed there to graze the cows while Lord Krishna went on further to appease Rukmini Devi.

Since then, the Gopalpur Hill became very sacred. In fact, it is non-different from the Govardhana Hill in Vraja Bhumi as Krishna’s cows had grazed there herded by His Gopa friends. The local devotees say that Sri Krishna comes here every day with the Gopas to enact His lunch lila.

Some devotees believe that after Krishna went to appease Mother Rukmini, She was not ready to be pacified. At that time Krishna came to this spot and saw cows and cowherd boys. He remembered His vraja-lila and played with the cows and the cowherd boys. That left the mark of Lord Krishna’s lotus feet at Vishnupada.

The lila involving his devotee Pundalika happened during this journey too which led to Lord Krishna settling in Pandharpur as Vitthala.

Sacred Spots in Gopalpur

Gopalpur is a small tirtha but it has a few unique sacred spots which would arouse your spiritual sentiments. They are as follows –

Sri Gopalkrishna Temple & Gopalpur Hill: Being non-different from Govardhan Hill in Vraja Bhumi, it assumes immense significance in Gopalpur. A mesmerizing deity of Sri Gopalkrishna adorns the sanctum of the temple atop the hill.

Sri Vishnupad Temple: As the name suggests, this temple houses the lotus-footprints of Lord Krishna and the hoof-prints of the cows and calves who came along with Him. Being an open-hall temple supported by 16 pillars, it is located in the Bhima river connected by a ramp from the river bank.

The Vishnupad Temple is revered as sacred as Vishnupada Temple in Gaya. Devotees perform shraddha or tarpana here when they are not able to visit Gaya.

Sri Narada Temple: This is the only unique temple in the world dedicated to Narada Muni. It is near the Vishnupad Temple situated in the Bhima river. The temple is said to indicate the desire of Narada Muni to witness the lunch lilas of Sri Krishna every day.

However interestingly once Narada Muni instigated a duel between Rukmini and Satyabhama. Due to this duel Lord Krishna had to loose a lot of peace of mind. When Lord Krishna got to know that it was the doing of Narada Muni, He made him to stand here in the water.

For six months the Deity of Narada is immersed in the water as a light punishment to Narada and other 6 months one can have darshan of Narada Muni which is one of the most rare temples in the sacred land of Bharat.

Pushpavati-Bhima Confluence: The two sacred rivers Pushpavati and Bhima meet here in Gopalpur. The Pushpavati river is said to be non-different from the sacred Yamuna river.

How to Reach Gopalpur

After knowing about Gopalpur, most of you would be excited to go there. With food, accommodation, transportation, authentic sthala-purana narrations and much more, there is none better than the Pandharpur Nashik Yatra conducted by Tirtha Yatra.

Lying right next to Pandharpur town, you have to reach Pandharpur to visit Gopalpur. The following means will help you with your pilgrimage –

By Road: Pandharpur is well-connected by road to and from other cities and towns in Maharashtra and other states. It lies on SH8 and NH561A. There are regular bus services, both state and private to and from Pandharpur. You can catch taxis from nearby cities.

By Rail: Kurduvadi Junction is the nearest railway station 50 kms away which connects Pandharpur with the rest of the country. You can alight here and take a bus or taxi to Pandharpur. The Pandharpur Railway Station is a small station which has local services to places like Solapur, Miraj, etc. only, barring three weekly services to Mumbai.

By Air: Pune Airport 215 kms away is the nearest airport. You can fly in here and use the road or rail route to reach Pandharpur.