Lably
Skip to content

Vithoba Temple

Temple in Pandharpur, Maharashtra, India

  • 9 min read
  • 7 chapters

Related on Lably

Through Hoysala Kingdom, Epigraphy and Dnyaneshwar

Lab · Class 6–9The Chola EmpireLab · Class 7–12Ashoka & the Mauryan EmpireLab · Class 7–9Ancient Indian EmpiresLab · Class 6–12Buddhist Art at Sanchi

Although parts of the temple date to the 12th or 13th century, the existing structure mainly dates to the 17th century or later, and reflects the later Deccan style, with dome motifs and lobed arches. Attempts were made to destroy the temple by Afzal Khan, however the original central figure of the shrine was protected by the Brahmin priests Badve while Afzalkhan destroyed a similar idol.

History

Worship of the god Vithoba, or Vitthala, began in Karnataka before spreading to Pandharpur. The spread of Vithoba worship to Pandharpur is traditionally attributed to Pundalika, a semi-legendary figure who, according to archaeologists M. S. Mate and Madhukar Keshav Dhavalikar, probably lived no earlier than the 12th century.

An inscription in the Vithoba temple, dated to the year 1189, states that a small shrine to Vithoba was set up on the site of the current temple that year for the first time. Thus, according to Shima Iwao, the origins of Vithoba worship at Pandharpur cannot be much older than this period. Another inscription, dated to the year 1237, describes the construction of a temple gateway by the reigning monarch. The first epigraphic evidence of an association between Pandharpur and a Puṇḍarīkamuni also dates from 1237. Further inscriptions dated to 1273-77 record the construction of a temple to Vithoba on the site of the earlier shrine — that is, on the site of the present temple.

From the 1200s onward, various religious figures incorporated Vithoba worship into the broader bhakti movement. These included Jñāneśvara, who lived in the late 1200s; Nāmadeva, who lived in the 1200s and 1300s; Ekanātha in the 1500s; and Tukārāma in the 1600s. These early accounts only say that Vithoba came to Pandharpur "for the sake of Pundalika"; the full story, where Vithoba comes to Pandharpur because he is impressed by Pundalika's devotion to his parents and then agreeing to stay, does not appear until Bāhiṇabāī's Puṇḍalīka-māhātmya in the 1600s.

Although parts of the temple date to the 12th or 13th century, the existing structure mainly dates to the 17th century or later, and reflects the later Deccan style, with dome motifs and lobed arches.

In May 2014, the temple became the first in India to invite women and people from backward castes as priests.

Sign in to keep reading

6 more chapters are free with a Lably account.

More in Religion

PinyinRomanization scheme for Standard ChineseHindusAdherents of HinduismTraditional Chinese charactersStandardized set of Chinese charactersLiteral translationWord-for-word translation of a textReligionSocial-cultural systemTheologyStudy of the nature of deities and religious beliefs