Religion - No Comments » - Posted on October, 18 at 4:40 pm
This is the most popular form of Vishnu in Maharashtra and some parts of Karnataka. He is also called Vitthala or Vithoba. He is depicted as black, standing akimbo (with two hands kept on the waist) on a brick, one of it holding a Shankha. He is always accompanied by his wives Rai and Rakhumabai (Rukmini) standing on either side.
Krishna was once pleased with the unsurpassed devotion of Pundarika and is said to have appeared in the form of Panduranga. Many trace the origin of the deity to Karnataka, which was popularised by the saints of Maharashtra who formed the Varakari cult, an offshoot of the Bhakti cult. The main centre of Panduranga worship is at Pandharapur in the state of Maharashtra where people of the Varakari cult from far off places in and around Maharashtra gather on Ashadh Ekadashi and Kartik Ekadashi days.
Panduranga inspired a whole series of saint poets who wrote in Marathi. Starting with Jnaneshvara, the line continued till Tukarama,several centuries later. The literature produced by these saints who came from diverse, humble backgrounds influenced Marathi literature and culture greatly.
The devotion of the Marathi people to this incarnation of Vishnu continues undiminished to this day.