Pune’s roads are heading into their annual disruption as the Ashadhi Wari, one of Maharashtra’s largest religious processions, gets underway. The Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi departs Dehu on July 7, and the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi departs Alandi on July 8, both heading toward Pandharpur, according to PuneNow and the pilgrimage schedule reported by Agami Stores. Pune City and Pune Rural police have issued a phased traffic advisory that will reshape commuting patterns across the district’s southeastern corridors for roughly ten days.

Why this happens every year

The Wari is a centuries-old pilgrimage in which lakhs of warkaris (devotee-pilgrims) walk alongside palanquins carrying the padukas (sandals) of saints Dnyaneshwar and Tukaram, converging on Pandharpur ahead of Ashadhi Ekadashi, which falls on July 25 this year. Both palkhis are expected to reach Pandharpur by July 24. Because the procession moves on foot along fixed highway corridors over several days, Pune’s police close or restrict the roads it occupies rather than attempt to route pilgrims around live traffic — a trade-off the city has made annually for generations, but one that still catches out-of-town drivers and daily commuters unprepared each year.

The diversion schedule

The restrictions roll out in phases as the palkhis move south from Pune district toward Solapur district:

• Immediate to July 8: Heavy vehicles are banned from Theur Phata toward Lonikand on the Pune-Solapur highway, with trucks diverted via Kedgaon Chowphula, Nhavare and Talegaon Dhamdhere to Shirur.
• July 11 (2am) to July 13: Dive Ghat and Bopdev Ghat close completely. Pune-to-Saswad traffic must use Khadi Machine Chowk, Katraj and Kapurhol; Saswad-to-Pune traffic is routed via Garade and Khed Shivapur.
• July 13 to July 14: The Pune-Nira highway via Saswad, Jejuri and Walhe shuts, with traffic diverted via Zendewadi, Pargaon Memane, Supe, Morgaon and Nira.
• July 15 (2am-5pm): The Walhe-Lonand stretch locks down temporarily, with an alternative via Saswad, Jejuri and Morgaon.
• July 15 to July 18: The direct highways from Pune to Phaltan and Lonand close entirely, with all traffic diverted via Shirwal.

Police have advised heavy transport operators to bypass the pilgrimage corridor altogether via NH-48 through Kapurhol and Shirwal for the duration.

What it means for residents

Anyone travelling between Pune and Solapur, Satara or the Saswad-Jejuri belt during this window should plan for significantly longer journey times, particularly around the Dive Ghat and Bopdev Ghat closures, two of the busiest hill routes out of the city. Families with weddings, medical appointments or intercity travel booked in this period should check the diversion schedule in advance rather than assume normal routes will be open. Along the pilgrimage route itself, authorities have set up emergency health clinics and water stations for the warkaris, a reminder that the disruption also comes with a large, coordinated public-service operation to support the pilgrims making the multi-day walk.

Outlook

Pune City Police maintain a live diversion tracker at diversion.punepolice.gov.in, which is the most reliable way to check real-time road status as the palkhis progress, since exact closure timings can shift with the pace of the procession. Commuters should expect the district’s southeastern highways to remain constrained through July 18, with normal traffic patterns typically resuming only after the palkhis have moved well beyond Pune district toward Pandharpur.

Sources: PuneNow, Agami Stores

This report was compiled and written with AI assistance from publicly reported sources, and reviewed for accuracy.