Yamagarni village in Nipani taluk, Belagavi district, recently witnessed an extraordinary event that captivated the local community. The village came together to celebrate the miraculous return of a black Indie dog, affectionately known as Maharaj, who was lost in a pilgrimage town but found its way back home nearly 250 kilometers away.
Maharaj, who is well past its prime, had accompanied its owner, Kamalesh Kumbhar, on an annual pilgrimage trip to Pandharpur in South Maharashtra. Kumbhar, a devoted ‘Warkari’, makes the journey every year during Ashadha Ekadashi and Kartiki Ekadashi, a significant pilgrimage period for devotees of Lord Vithoba.
According to Kumbhar, Maharaj had previously shown a fondness for listening to bhajans, the devotional songs sung during the pilgrimage. The dog had accompanied him on a similar trip to Jyotiba temple near Mahabaleshwar in the past.
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In late June, during this year’s pilgrimage, Maharaj followed Kumbhar and his group of friends for nearly 250 kilometers, all the while chanting bhajans and participating in the spiritual journey. However, after the darshan at the Vithoba temple, Kumbhar noticed that Maharaj was missing. Despite an extensive search, Kumbhar could not locate the dog and was told by locals that Maharaj might have left with another group.
“Despite searching everywhere, I could not find him. I thought maybe the people were right, and that he left with someone else,” Kumbhar told PTI. He returned to his hometown on July 14, only to be astonished the very next day when Maharaj appeared at his doorstep, wagging its tail as if nothing had happened. “He looked well fed and perfectly fine,” Kumbhar recounted.
The joyous reunion led to a grand celebration in Yamagarni village. The villagers, overcome with happiness, held a feast in Maharaj’s honor, attributing the dog’s miraculous return to divine intervention. “It is such a miracle that the dog could find its way back home after being 250 kilometers away. We believe it was Lord Panduranga who guided him,” Kumbhar said.
