Sant Chokhamela

Chokhamela was a saint in Maharashtra in the 13th to 14th century. He belonged to the Mahar caste considered untouchable in India during those days. He was born at Mehunaraja, a village in Buldhana district. He lived in a place called Mangelvedha near Pandharpur, Maharashtra. The details about his life are not available historically. He was one of the first Dalit poets in India.

Chokhamela lived with his wife Soyarabai and son Karmamela in Mangalvedha. Chokhamela's hereditary task was to remove dead animals from people's homes and farms and to dispose of them beyond the town limits (this was the task that was traditionally performed by Mahars in Maharashtra). As a lower-caste person, Chokhamela was forced to live outside the town in a separate settlement meant for members of the untouchable community. But his saving grace was the Lord himself and his close association with saints. His family members also followed varkari cult and his wife and son followed the varkari tradition. His sister, Nirmala and her husband, Banka (who was the brother of his wife, Soyarabai) also were the members of the varakari cult.

Chokha with his wife Soyarabai used to go to Pandharpur on the day of 'Ekadashi' to attend the Puja and celebrations. But because of his birth in the lower caste he was not allowed to enter the temples or attend any celebrations, so he used to stand at a distance and watch. On one such occasion at Pandharpur, Chokhoba and Soyarabai saw a person in white clothes with a Vina(a musical instrument) in his hand and doing kirtan (singing the songs about Lord) and lot of people were standing around him. He was none other than the great Saint Namdev. After the kirtan was over, all the people started touching the feet of Saint Namdev to show gratitude. But Chokha and Soyarabai stayed at a distance as they were aware that, due to their lower caste, people would not allow them to touch the feet of Saint Namdev.  Saint Namdev observed this and asked them to come closer. He told Chokha that ''God never distinguishes his children due to high caste or low caste, rich or poor, educated or uneducated. It is pure love and devotion that distinguishes a 'Bhakta' (devotee) from an ordinary man''. The couple was very happy on hearing this, they bowed before Saint Namdev. Saint Namdev kept his hand on the Chokha's head and chanted the name of Lord Pandurang for 3 times. He told Chokha to continuously chant the name of Lord Panduranga. By doing so he would be able to meet the Lord and manage all sorrows and happiness in the Samsara (worldly life). Thus he was initiated into bhakti cult by the poet-saint Namdev.  Chokhamela migrated to Pandharpur. He was moved by Namdev’s teachings and became a disciple of the great saint-poet.  After this kirtan, Chokhoba’s life was completely changed. Devotion to Lord Vithoba became the goal in his life. Even though he was uneducated, he started composing abhangas on Lord Vithoba and also about his experiences in his own life.
Later he came and settled in Pandharpur. Being untouchable, he was not allowed by the upper caste people to enter in the temple; he was not allowed to come even to the main door of the temple. He therefore built a hut on the other side of the river, Chandrabhaga beyond Pandharpur.
When he was staying at Pandharpur, Chokha’s brother-in-law Banka became a disciple of Chokha. The whole family including Chokha, Banka, his son Karmamela, wife Soyara and sister Nirmala were devotees of Vitthal.  

Saint Tukaram paid tribute to Chokamela in one of his abhangas which says: “you are a tome of ideologies, Innumerable are the wicked that you have taken to task.” Chokhamela was a Saint from Saint Jnaneshwar’s clan with Saint Namdev as his Guru.

There is even a popular folk lore that when his wife was pregnant, it was the Lord Vitthal himself who came to her in the guise of her sister-in-law and looked after her and became her midwife during her delivery. His son Karmamela also became a Saint. There are some beautiful abhangas composed by Soyrabai, Karmamela, brother-in-law, Banka and sister, Nirmala. Chokhamela was a saint of the highest order. He would consider God present in everyone and in everything. He considered himself as a servant of Lord Vitthal, just like a Mahar was the servant of the Village Chief.

One day Chokha was said to be standing at the door of the temple from morning till late in the evening. At nightfall, the priests locked up the doors and went away. As Chokha stood there, fully immersed in devotion, Vithoba himself came out, exclaimed in distress to see Chokha patiently waiting, embraced him, and led him by the hand to the innermost sanctum where he lovingly embraced him. The night was spent by him in the company of the Lord, after which Vithoba playfully removed his tulsi garland which the Varkaris used to wear as a mark of their identity and put it around Chokha’s neck. Next day early in the morning, Vithoba led Chokha out of the temple, still with the garland on. Chokha, in a state of extreme ecstasy lay down on the sands of the river in a trance position. In the temple the priests observed that Vithoba’s gold necklace was missing and remembering that Chokha had been at the temple doors last night, they were enraged by the fact that the temple was not only polluted but the necklace also was stolen by Chokha. But the priests found Chokha still dazed, with a gold necklace around his neck. He was punished for the crime. Chokha was tied to bullocks and was about to be dragged to death but the animals which stood firm and did not move an inch despite the whip-lashing on them. The legend came to an end with Vithoba revealing Himself to the entire public, holding the bullocks by the horns. The Lord protected Chokha. 

One day someone questioned the futility of Chokha’s devotion to Vithoba. Humiliated and deeply hurt Chokha stopped taking food and wept continuously till Vithoba appeared before him, embraced him, took him inside the temple and talked to him. The temple priests were outraged as they felt that the temple was again desecrated by Chokha. The priests became angry and ordered him to stay the other side of the river Chandrabhaga. However it is said that Vithoba started visiting Chokha daily and both of them used to eat food together. One day the priest was passing by Chokha's hut when Chokha was eating food with God and Soyara was serving them. The priest, his mind being impure, could not see God. Soyara spilled the curd on Vithoba's clothes by mistake. Chokha exclaimed, "Oh! Soyara you have soiled Vithoba's clothes". The priest felt it was a deliberate attempt by Chokha to show his devotion and slapped on the face of Chokha.  Later, having touched a Mahar, he bathed in the river. On coming back to the temple, the priest was stunned to see Lord Vitthal's swollen cheek. He realized the intensity of Chokha's devotion towards the Lord. He went to Chokha, asked for his forgiveness and requested him to pacify the Lord. Chokha's prayers and request pacified Vithoba.

Chokha was forced to return to Mangalavedha as the people there wanted to construct a wall in order to separate people of the lower castes from others. While he was working there, he was killed when the wall collapsed and was crushed. Namdev deeply grieved the death of a great devotee, went to Mangalvedha to find his remains and picked up those bones that murmured Vitthal, Vitthal, Vitthal. 
It is said that, when the wall collapsed, Lord Pandurang appeared in front of Saint Namdev and asked him to bring the bones of Chokhoba and construct a Samadhi in front of his temple as Chokhoba had a strong desire that his body should be buried in front of the Panduranga temple.

The bones were buried at the bottom of the steps outside the gate of the main temple at Pandharpur where Chokha used to stand all day long. A Samadhi was built at that place in Chokha’s honour. The small blue temple in front of the main gate of Vithoba temple in Pandharpur, is saint Chokhamela's memorial (samadhi). All devotees can visit Chokha’s shrine before climbing up to have darshan of Lord Vithoba.