Vitthal Rukmini Temple Wadala Mumbai

Vitthal Rukmini Temple – Wadala- Mumbai

Vitthal Rukmini Temple is one of the oldest in Mumbai with a historic significance. Saint Tukaram, poet-saint of the Bhakti movement, first laid the foundation of the temple almost 400 years ago.

Unlike the temple in Pandharpur where the idols of Vithoba and his consort Rukmini are housed separately, in Vitthal Mandir deities are placed in the same room. The Rukmini idol was constructed later, although the date is not known. The 4,000 square-metre temple area also houses the temples of Ganpati and Shiva within its premises.

This Vitthal Rukmini temple is historically significant because of Sant Tukaram, the 17th-century poet-saint of the Bhakti movement, who first laid the foundation of the temple here. “Back then, there was nothing here but wada (banyan) trees. Sant Tukaram, who travelled to the city for his salt business, would preach sitting under one of the banyan trees, which is now situated inside the temple premises”.

The idol in the temple is very beautiful and is always decorated with beautiful clothes, gold jewellery and flowers.

Legend has it that the Vithoba idol in Vitthal Mandir was first fished out of Chandrabhagha river by a few locals from Wadala, when they were visiting Pandharpur. “It is speculated that some locals from Pandharpur must have thrown the idol into the river to protect it from being vandalised by the Mughals.”

The temple sees the second highest footfalls after Pandharpur during Ekadashi, and is also popularly known as Prati Pandharpur (Pandharpur’s replica).