PIMPRI: The palkhi procession of Sant Tukaram Maharaj which left Dehu on Tuesday morning was given a rousing welcome by thousands of assembled devotees at the Bhakti Shakti Chowk in Nigdi on Tuesday evening.
Pimpri Chinchwad Mayor Rahul Jadhav and Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar welcomed the procession.
Thousands of warkaris in the palkhi procession entered Pimpri Chinchwad, singing bhajans and dancing to the tunes of the accompanying musical instruments.
A large number of devotees from the city and nearby areas had assembled at the Bhakti Shakti Chowk to welcome the procession.
Many social organisations distributed snacks and some material to warkaris to make their pilgrimage comfortable. The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has made elaborate arrangements for the visiting pilgrims in the city.
The palkhi procession halted for the night at Vitthal-Rukmini temple in Akurdi. It will resume its journey for Pandharpur on early Wednesday morning and will reach Pune in the evening. The traffic police have diverted traffic on the Pune-Mumbai highway from Akurdi to Khadki on Wednesday.