Pandharpur and Panduranga
The principle
deity of Pandharpur is Sri Vitthala. The image of Vithoba is three and half
feet tall and bears a shivalinga on the head. Around his neck, vitthala has the
kaustubha-mani (a precious gem that was obtained during the mythical churning
of the ocean) and his chest is adorned with the footmark of his devotee, known
as vastsalanchhana. The back drop of the image is formed by a prabhavali, a
decorative silver plate.
Besides
the main temples there are the images of Kashi Vishwnatha, Rama-Ladshmana, Kalabhairava,
Rameshwara Shiva, dattatreya and Narsoba in six different rooms.
Meaning of the Name Panduranga
In Sanskrit, “pandu” means “white” while “ranga” means “color.” Thus, in one sense, Panduranga means the white-colored one. This seems odd for a black statue.This white colour is believed to have referred to himilayas where lord shiva dwells.
Krishna and Panduranga
In common parlance, Krishna was called “Ranga” meaning his blue color. They used the word “Ranga” to denote the one with the dark color. With the appearance of the statue, Panduranga came to be synonymous with Krishna in this form of the statue. In another context, Krishna was friend and guide to the Pandavas. Thus he became Pandava’s Ranga or Panduranga.
The other part of Panduranga’s name is Vittala. Breaking apart this word, “vi” stands for “Vidhi” or Brahma, “ta” stands for Nilakanta, which is a name of Shiva as the “blue- throated-one who saved the celestials by drinking poison spewed forth by the serpent Vasuki, and “la” stands for Lakshmi Pati or the husband of Lakshmi who is Vishnu. Thus, Vittala stand for the three in one: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
Before Krishna came and stood at Pandharpur, the place was known as Panduranga Kshetre associated with an old Shiva temple. The white-colored interpretation of Panduranga was a reference to the snowy peaks of the Himalayas where Shiva dwells. One day when the Shiva temple priest came early to prepare for puja, he could not see his Shiva lingham anywhere. Instead there was this large black figure standing there with hands on the waist. After searching for a bit, his glanced the head of the figure standing there and he saw the Shiva lingham on the top of the head of the large statue.
In common parlance, Krishna was called “Ranga” meaning his blue color. They used the word “Ranga” to denote the one with the dark color. With the appearance of the statue, Panduranga came to be synonymous with Krishna in this form of the statue. In another context, Krishna was friend and guide to the Pandavas. Thus he became Pandava’s Ranga or Panduranga.
The other part of Panduranga’s name is Vittala. Breaking apart this word, “vi” stands for “Vidhi” or Brahma, “ta” stands for Nilakanta, which is a name of Shiva as the “blue- throated-one who saved the celestials by drinking poison spewed forth by the serpent Vasuki, and “la” stands for Lakshmi Pati or the husband of Lakshmi who is Vishnu. Thus, Vittala stand for the three in one: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
Before Krishna came and stood at Pandharpur, the place was known as Panduranga Kshetre associated with an old Shiva temple. The white-colored interpretation of Panduranga was a reference to the snowy peaks of the Himalayas where Shiva dwells. One day when the Shiva temple priest came early to prepare for puja, he could not see his Shiva lingham anywhere. Instead there was this large black figure standing there with hands on the waist. After searching for a bit, his glanced the head of the figure standing there and he saw the Shiva lingham on the top of the head of the large statue.
Hence for this particular reason our Adi Shankaracharya in
his Pandurangashtakam has written the
following verses
“¥ÀgÀ§æºÀä°AUÀA ¨sÀeÉà ¥ÁAqÀÄgÀAUÀªÀiï”
The symbol of the Supreme Brahman sits atop the
image of Panduranga
