Saint Muktabai Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Jalgaon and Aurangabad have the nearest airports.

• By train

  Bhusawal is the nearest railway station. It is one of the busiest railway stations in the country.

• By road

  Buses are available from Muktainagar, where the temple is.

Why devotees come here

Saint Muktabai Temple is the Samadhi temple of Sant Muktabai, a revered saint-poetess of the Varkari sect. It stands near the confluence of the Tapi and Purna rivers at Muktainagar in Jalgaon district. It is one of the prominent pilgrimage centres of the Varkari sect.

Sant Muktabai was a deeply revered saint-poetess of the Varkari sect in Maharashtra. Her poems, known as the Tatiche Abhang, are considered a milestone in Marathi literature. Tatiche Abhang means The Verses of the Door. She wrote forty-one abhangs during her life.

The temple marks her Samadhi near the confluence of the Tapi and Purna rivers. The vanishing is dated to 1297 AD. She was there with her eldest brother, Sant Nivruttinath, when a violent storm broke with flashes of lightning. Varkari belief holds that she vanished into that flash of lightning.

In north Maharashtra people worship Muktai and make varis, devotional visits, to her temple. The temple is home to the Muktabai Dindi, which has been part of the Pandharpur Wari for over 310 years. Every year the palanquin of Sant Muktabai travels from Muktainagar to Pandharpur, one of the most honoured processions in the annual Varkari pilgrimage.

Festivals

• Ashadhi and Kartiki EkadashiAshadhi and Kartiki Ekadashi fair

  A grand fair is held at the temple on these two days and on the anniversary of her vanishing.

• Every yearPalkhi procession

  The palanquin of Sant Muktabai travels from Muktainagar to Pandharpur, one of the most honoured processions in the Varkari pilgrimage.

Tips for your visit

• Bhusawal station is the headquarters of the Bhusawal railway division.
• The Pandharpur Vari is an annual yatra to Pandharpur, Maharashtra, to honour Vithoba.

Questions people ask