VITHOBA

Vithoba is a Hindu God, worshipped predominantly in the states of Maharashtra (the epicenter of Vitthal worship is Pandharpur), Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and parts of Gujarat. Vithoba is the focus of monotheistic non-Barhminical Vaarkari sect of Maharashtra and the Haridasa sect of Karnataka. Vithoba’s main temple stands at Pandharpur in Maharashtra clost to the Karmataka border. Vithoba is known by many names including Vitthala, Pandurang, Pandharinath, Hari, Narayana etc.

The etymology of the name is many-fold. The Nath-panthiya Vaarkari sect suggests that Vitthala is composed of two words – Vita meaning brick and Thala which originated from the Sanskrit word ‘sthala’ meaning ‘standing’. Thus Vitthala means one standing on a brick. Vithoba is depicted as a dark God, standing arms akimbo on a brick sometimes accompanied by his main consort Rakhumai or Rukmini. Vaarkari poet saint Tukaram proposed a different etymology – that Vitthala composed of the word Vitha meaning ignorance and La (one who accepts) thus meaning one who accepts innocent people devoid of knowledge or education. Some Indologists including the eminent Bahndarkar suggest that Vitthala (Vithu) is a Kannada corruption of the name Vishnu adopted into Marathi. The suffices ‘La’ and ‘Ba’ (meaning ‘father’ in Marathi) are appended for reverence producing the names Vitthala and Vithoba. Another Indologist of repute M.S.Mate suggests that it was Pundalik (Vitthala’s devotee) who was instrumental in persuading the Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana alias Bittudeva to build the Pandharpur temple dedicated to Vishnu. The deity was subsequently named Vitthala, a derivative of Bittudeva, the builder King. The other variants are Vithuraya, Vithaai. People of Gujarat add the suffix ‘Nath’ hence the name Vitthalanath at the Nathadwara temples in Gujarat. Pandurang is another popular name for Vithoba. It means ‘White God’ in Sanskrit. The Jain saint Hemachandra (1089 – 1172 AD) notes that it is also an epithet for God Rudra (Shiva). Though Vithoba is dark complexioned, he is still called a ‘White God’. Due to the increasing popularity of the Vitthala movement the Shaiva temple (which still stands in Pandharpur) was transformed into Vitthala (i.e. Vishnu’s) temple and hence the paradox. Vithoba is also at times called ‘Pandharinath’ which means ‘Lord of Pandharpur’. Vithoba is also at times addressed by the generic Vaishnava name of Hari or Narayana. The worship of Vithoba can be traced back to the 6th century (the name Pandurang was found inscribed on a Rashtrakuta copper plate dated 516 AD). Vithoba was probably assimilated into the Shaiva pantheon and identified with God Shiva like most other pastoral Gods. (Note that the temple in Pandharpur is surrounded by Shaiva temples most notably that of Pundalik himself, and the statues of Vithoba and Rahkumai in Pandharpur have a hooded snake {a symbol of Shiva} in the background as their protective canopy. )

According to some historians (R.C. Dhere in his monumental treatise Shri Vitthala – Ek Mahasamanavyaya) opines that Vithoba worship may be vedic or pre-vedic, thus predating the worship of Lord Krishna himself. He was first worshipped by the Dhangars (cowherds) as a protsctor and a brother of Viroba (Lord Shiva himself). The rise of the Yadava dynasty led to glorification of Vithoba and assimilation of Vithoba into Krishna form who was the ruling deity of the Yadavas. This Vaishnavization of Vithoba led to the conversion of the Shaiva Pundalik shrine to the Vaishnava shrine of Pundalik (one who brought Vithoba to Pandharpur).

Despite his assimilation into Vaishavism as Krishna / Vishnu, Vithoba is associated not with eroticism and the pageantry of Lord Krishna but with compassion and infinite love and tenderness for his Bhaktas (devotees) comparable to the love of a mother for her children. Hence he is called ‘Maauli’ (i.e. mother) in the Abhangas (devotional songs), and His pining for the presence of His devotees as a cow pines for her calf.

The devotee Pundalik is connected with the establishment and propagation of the Vithoba-centric Vaarkari sect and was not only the founder but also responsible for inspiring the Vaarkari Sampradaaya. Most of the present temple in Pandharpur, though built in the 17th century has parts of it built in the 12th and a stone inscription dated 1237 in an overhead beam mentions Hoysala King Someshwara’s donation of a village for the expense of ‘Bhoga’ (food offering for Vitthala). Another inscription dated 1249 on a cooper plate records the Yadava King Krishna granting one of his generals Paundrikakshetra as a plot for construction of the temple. There were two other statues which predated this temple. There was a Tirtha moorti at the river and a Kshetra moorti at the temple which predated the present temple which were replaced by the present Vithoba statue in the 12th century. One of the oldest inscriptions showing the antiquity of Vithoba and Rakhumai is seen in Alandi and deals with the pilgrimage from Alandi to Pandharpur. Primarily, there are thre Hindu deities associated with Vithoba - Vishnu, Krishna and Shiva. The Buddhista, at some stage, were also associated with Vithoba and in some of their almanacs and temple sculptures, He replaces Gautam Buddha (said to be the 9th avatar of Vishnu).

The Vaarkari pantha is one of the most important Vaishnava sects focused on the worship of Vithoba based on the tradition of Bhagvat dharma. They follow the spiritual worship of Vithoba and not the ritual worship performed by the priests. The credit for popularizing this sect goes to Dyaneshwar poet saint of Maharashtra, “Dyana deve rachila paaya” and Pundalik “Pundalika varade Hari Vitthala”. The Vaarkari saints come from all classes and communities, including women. Namdev (shudra, tailor, 1270-1350) wrote abhangas which are sung even today with the same devotion and dedication. Sant Tukaram (1568-1650) was a shudra grocer who further propagated Vithoba-centric tradition throughout Maharashtra. There was Janabai (the maidservant of Namdev), Visoba Khechar (an orthodox Shaivaite and the teacher of Namdev), Sena the barber, Narhari the goldsmith, Sawata the gardner, Gora the potter, Kanhopatra the dancing gal, Chokha Mela the Mahaar and even Shaikh Mohammed (5160-1650). All these and more poet saints of Maharashtra wrote poetry dedicated to Vithoba which advocates pure devotion referring to Vithoba mainly as a father and in case of female saints as a mother i.e. Vithabai.

Anyone who considers Vithoba as his Mai-Baap (mother & father) and Pandharpur as his Maher (maternal home of the bride) “Mazhe maher Pandhari…” (as Pt. Bhimsen Joshi sings so fondly) is accepted as a Vaarkari irrespective of his caste or orientation (whether Shaivaite or Vaishnavite) because it is Bhagvat dharma.

Haridasa sect – Means servant (das) of Hari (Vishnu). Was founded by Achalananda (888AD). While Vaarkaris are mainly associated with Maharashtra and Telangana, Haridasa sect is associated with Karnataka and some parts of Telangana and Tamil Nadu. The worship of Vitthala is acknowledged as having first emerged in Karnataka and even in the Marathi abhangas it is said “Kaanada tu Vitthalu, Karanataku…” Vyasa tirtha, Rajaguru to King Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara is credited with influencing the King to grant royal patronage to the Vitthala sect and the construction of the temple at Vijayanagara (now a world heritage site at Hampi). Haridasas considered the temple at Pandharpur to be sacred but the one at Hampi is accorded equal status. Haridasa literature deals with the praise of Vittha;a and His bhakti and saints such as Vijaya Vitthala, Gopala Vitthala, Venugopala Vitthala, Mohana Vitthala assumed pen names ending with Vitthala as an act of devotion. The Haridasa poet Purandaradasa or sometimes called Purandaradasa Vitthala (1484-1564) and also called the Father of Carnatic music used to end his Kannada language compositions with a salutation to Vitthal. The Hampi temple had for some time housed the statue of Vitthal from Pandharpur to save it from plunder by the Muslim invaders. It was returned to Pandharpur by Bhanudas, the great grandfather of the poet Sant Eknath. Today, the temple at Hampi stands without a central figure in the garbha gruha (the sanctum sanctorum), and is considered as the second home of Pandharpur’s Vithoba.

Three of the Madhavacharyas, 8 Mathas (monasteries) in Karnataka i.e. Shirur, Pejavara and Puttige have Vithoba as the presiding deity. A Vitthaleshwara temple stands at Mulbagal, Karnataka. In Tamil Nadu, Vitthal shrins are found in Shrirangam, Vitthalapuram in Tirunelvelli district and Thennangur, sculptures are also found in Kaanchi. Vithoba is worshipped as Vitthalanatha at Nathadwara in Gujarat. Along with Pandharpur, important Vithoba temples in Maharashtra are at Dehu, Alandi, Paithan, Kolhapur, Rajapur and at Kole. Vithoba’s praises are sung in Marathi in Maharashtra and adaptaions of the same are sung in Tamil and Tulu in Telangana and Tamil Nadu, along with the Telugu poet Tennali Ramakrishna (circa 16th century) (Panduranga Mahatmayamur). His praises are sung in Kannada by the Haridasis and in Gujarati at Nathadwara. He is referred to in the Skanda Purana and the Padma Purana (in both in Panduranga Mahatmya and also as Bhima Mahatmya). Adi Shankaracharya has written the Pandurangastaka or Panduranga stotra in His praise. The abhangas of Namdev (Guru Nanak was also inspired by these abhangas of Namdev) and the Vaarkari text of Bhaktililamruta and Bhaktavijaya by Mahipati and mahatmya by Bahinabai are legendary. Sant Tukaram, Namdev and Dyaneshwar have taken this bhakti to lofty heights and there it remains. A testimony to the faith are the Varis (pilgrimages) to Pandharpur on Ashadhi Ekadashi (June/July) and Kartiki Ekadashi (October/Noember) where more than half a million do the pilgrimage from their place of origin on foot, singing the praises of Vithoba all the way. They come all the way from all over Maharashtra and Karnataka and some places in Andhra Pradesh and even as far as Tamil Nadu. They march carrying the Palkhis of their poet saints to pay homage and to meet their ‘Mai-Baap’ (Vithoba). If you walk with them, or even hear the abhangas, the chants, the songs, you will experience the same feeling and longing that they feel (Deva Vitthala, Deva Puja Vitthala, Khshetra Vitthala, Teertha Vitthala – i.e. merging with God whose love is that of a Mother and Father, all encompassing, all forgiving and most importantly, without discrimination).