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  • Rise of a Folk God: Vitthal of Pandharpur

    Rise of a Folk God by Dhere, Ramchandra Chintaman;

    Vitthal of Pandharpur

    Series: South Asia Research;

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    Product details:

    • Publisher OUP USA
    • Date of Publication 3 November 2011

    • ISBN 9780199777594
    • Binding Hardback
    • No. of pages372 pages
    • Size 160x236x30 mm
    • Weight 635 g
    • Language English
    • Illustrations 33 b&w halftones, 1 map
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    Short description:

    Vitthal, also called Vithoba, is the most popular god in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, and the best-known Hindu god of that region outside of India. This book by Ramchandra Chintaman Dhere is the foremost study of the history of Vitthal, his worship, and his worshippers.

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    Long description:

    Vitthal, also called Vithoba, is the most popular Hindu god in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, and the best-known god of that region outside India. His temple at Pandharpur is the goal of an annual pilgrimage that is one of the largest and most elaborate in the world.

    This book is the foremost study of the history of Vitthal, his worship, and his worshippers. First published in Marathi in 1984, the book remains the most thorough and insightful work on Vitthal and his cult in any language, and provides an exemplary model for understanding the history and morphology of lived Hinduism. The author, Ramachandra Chintaman Dhere, is the leading scholar of religious traditions in Maharashtra and throughout the Deccan, the plateau that covers most of central India.

    Vitthal exemplifies the synthesis of Vaisnava and Saiva elements that not only typifies Maharashtrian Hindu religious life but also marks Vitthal's resemblance to another prominent South Indian god, Venkates of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. Dhere's analysis highlights Vitthal's connection with pastoralist hero cults, and demonstrates the god's development from a god of shepherds to a god of the majority of the population, including Brahmans. In addition, Dhere also explores the connections of Vitthal with Buddhist and Jain traditions. In the book's final chapter, Dhere presents a culminating stage in the evolution of the worship of Vitthal: the interpretation in spiritual terms of the god, his temple, the town of Pandharpur, and the river that flows past the town.

    Dhere received India's highest literary award, the Sahitya Akademi prize, for this book.

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    Table of Contents:

    Introduction
    Puranic Sources for the Study of Vitthal
    Hari in Cowherd's Garb
    The Secret of the Dindira Forest
    Vitthal, Venkates, and Virabhadra
    Vitthalesvar
    In Search of the Original Image of Vitthal
    Vitthal and Hero-Stones
    Pundalik and Pundarikesvar
    The Sources of the Story of Pundalik
    Vitthal and the Buddha
    Vitthal, Jains, and Ramdasis
    Mother Vithai
    The Vedicization of Vitthal
    The Yadavas' God
    The Body Is Pandhari
    Glossary
    Abbreviations
    Bibliography
    Index

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