Narsinhji no Varghodo

Popularly known as the “Narsinhji no Varghodo” the procession that heads out from the Narsinhji Temple every year is a tradition more than 280 years old. Every year the procession is taken out on the day of Kartik Poornima or Dev-Diwali. The ritual celebrates the wedding procession of Lord Narsinhji with the plant goddess, Tulsi.

In the Narsinhji Temple, Lord Vishnu is worshipped in the form of Narasimha, one of his 11 incarnations. The altar also houses the “shaligram” considered as the embodiment of Lord Vishnu. It is believed that the Shaligrams at Narsinhji’s Temple were given to the family that runs the temple, by a sidhha(enlightened) person who used to live in the outskirts of Baroda State.

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The procession is carried out in a “palki”(palanquin) which carries the “Shaligram” form of Lord Vishnu. The image of the Lord is bedecked with the ceremonial jewelry and textiles. This palki carrying the shaligram is adorned with flowers and scented oils. It is then carried on shoulders by the disciples and is taken for a round of the old city. After this it is taken to the Tulsiwada, where the wedding ceremony takes place. The procession is full of devotees who continuously chant the tunes of “bhajans”(devotional music). All the people joining the “varghodo” joyously sing and dance to tunes of these bhajans to celebrate the occasion.

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Story of the Palki:

In India the description of a place or a festival is never complete without a story, thus the Palki also has one story. Years ago, an incident occurred related to the palki. On the day of procession, the palki was ready to go, but when the usual four people came to lift it, they weren’t even able to move, let alone lift it not even with 50 people. That’s when it occurred to one of the people that like every year the smaller Shaligram was not placed in the Palki. It was only after placing the smaller Shaligram in the Palki that they were able to lift it!

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Every year, the Palki is carried around the town with the same amount of enthusiasm as the previous year. The tradition does not only depict the ritual purpose but is also a depiction of faith of the city’s people who, year after year upheld the tradition and are doing so even today with pride and joy !