Dehugaon: For the 339th Palkhi ceremony of Jagadguru Shri Santshreshtha Tukaram, pairs of bulls namely Malhar and Gulab of Nanded's Nikhil Korde and Hira and Raja of Suraj Khandve from Lohgaon have been selected to carry the Palkhi chariot. Balasaheb Malekar's Nandya and Sandya pair from Talagaon Chikhli were selected to pull the Chaughada cart. The bulls will carry the procession from Dehu to Pandharpur and back.
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On behalf of Shri Sant Tukaram Maharaj Sansthan, out of 26 pairs of bulls, two bull pairs were selected for the Palkhi chariot and one bull pair for the Chaughada cart.
The selection was made by Vishal Maharaj More, head of the Palkhi ceremony and trustee of the institute, late on Monday night. Manik Maharaj More, Santosh Maharaj More, President of The Sansthan Purushottam Maharaj More, Sanjay Maharaj More, Ajit Maharaj More, and Bhanudas Maharaj More were present on the occasion.
Suraj Dnyaneshwar Khandve is a farmer from Lohgaon (Haveli Taluka, Pune), which was Shri Sant Tukaram Maharaj's maternal village. His bull pair's names are Hira and Raja. Similarly, Nikhil Suresh Korde, who is a farmer from Nanded village (Haveli Taluka) had also applied for a chance for his Malhar-Gulab bull pair for the Palkhi ceremony.
According to Vishal Maharaj More, the Nandya and Sandya bull pair of progressive farmer and entrepreneur Balasaheb Sopan Malekar of the historic village of Chikhli Talgaon were honored to pull the Chaughada cart in front of the Palkhi Rath.
Meanwhile, Dehu Sansthan is preparing for the Palkhi ceremony. Various works are being carried out by the Dehu Municipal Council. The administration is making efforts to provide facilities to the Warkaris coming from across the state.
District Collector Suhas Dinde recently held a review meeting at Dehu. Officials of all departments have been instructed to take appropriate measures. Also, the administrative officials are preparing to ensure that there is no inconvenience to the Warkaris coming from across the state.