India, July 16 -- Every year, in the weeks before Ashadhi Ekadashi, Pune welcomes the palkhis of Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj from Alandi and Sant Tukaram Maharaj from Dehu as they make their way to Pandharpur. The annual pilgrimage, known as the "waari", draws hundreds of thousands of devotees, known as warkaris, from across Maharashtra.

The word warkari means one who undertakes a regular pilgrimage to the shrine of a chosen deity. In Maharashtra, however, it has come to refer specifically to devotees who make the pilgrimage to the shrine of Vithoba at Pandharpur on the banks of the River Bhima.

Most pilgrims travel in organised groups, called "dindis", which are often divided by caste, family, or village, and in some cases, even by gender...