Kanhopatra
Kanhopatra (or Kanhupatra) was a 15th-century Marathi saint-poet, venerated by the Varkari sect of Hinduism. Little is known about Kanhopatra. According to most traditional accounts, Kanhopatra was a courtesan and dancing-girl. These accounts typically concentrate on her death when she chose to surrender to the Hindu god Vithoba—the patron god of the Varkaris—rather than becoming a concubine of the Badshah (king) of Bidar. She died in the central shrine of Vithoba in Pandharpur. She is the only person whose samadhi (mausoleum) is within the precincts of the temple. Kanhopatra wrote Marathi '' ovi'' and ''abhanga'' poetry telling of her devotion to Vithoba and her struggle to balance her piety with her profession. In her poetry, she implores Vithoba to be her saviour and release her from the clutches of her profession. About thirty of her ''abhangas'' have survived, and continue to be sung today. She is the only female Varkari saint to have attained sainthood based solely ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kanhopatra
Kanhopatra (or Kanhupatra) was a 15th-century Marathi saint-poet, venerated by the Varkari sect of Hinduism. Little is known about Kanhopatra. According to most traditional accounts, Kanhopatra was a courtesan and dancing-girl. These accounts typically concentrate on her death when she chose to surrender to the Hindu god Vithoba—the patron god of the Varkaris—rather than becoming a concubine of the Badshah (king) of Bidar. She died in the central shrine of Vithoba in Pandharpur. She is the only person whose samadhi (mausoleum) is within the precincts of the temple. Kanhopatra wrote Marathi '' ovi'' and ''abhanga'' poetry telling of her devotion to Vithoba and her struggle to balance her piety with her profession. In her poetry, she implores Vithoba to be her saviour and release her from the clutches of her profession. About thirty of her ''abhangas'' have survived, and continue to be sung today. She is the only female Varkari saint to have attained sainthood based solely ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Vithoba
Vithoba, also known as Vi(t)thal(a) and Panduranga, is a Hindu deity predominantly worshipped in the Indian state of Maharashtra and Karnataka. He is generally considered as a manifestation of the god Vishnu, or his avatar Krishna. Vithoba is often depicted as a dark young boy, standing arms akimbo on a brick, sometimes accompanied by his consort Rakhumai. Vithoba is the focus of an essentially monotheistic, non-ritualistic bhakti-driven Varkari faith of Maharashtra and the Haridasa faith of Karnataka. Vithoba Temple, Pandharpur is his main temple. Vithoba legends revolve around his devotee Pundalik who is credited for bringing the deity to Pandharpur, and around Vithoba's role as a saviour to the poet-saints of the Varkari faith. The Varkari poet-saints are known for their unique genre of devotional lyric, the abhang, dedicated to Vithoba and composed in Marathi. Other devotional literature dedicated to Vithoba includes the Kannada hymns of the Haridasa and the Marathi versio ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mangalvedha
Mangalwedha is a town in the Solapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the birthplace of Shri Jayatirtha, also called Teekacharya, one of the prominent saints of the Dvaita school of Vedanta. Geography The city of Mangalwedha is situated 55 km west of the district headquarters at Solapur and 25 km southeast of Pandharpur city. Mangalwedha shares its boundaries with Pandharpur, Sangola, Mohol, Jath, and Bijapur in Karnataka. There are so many villages in Mangalwedha Sub district. Khomnal is one of the near village. History Mangalwedha is also known as the "Land of Saints" as Saint Jayatirtha, Saint Damaji, Saint Kanhopatra, Saint Basaveshwera, and Saint Chokhamela are said to have come from Mangalwedha during the 14th century. Mangalwedha is also known as Jwariche Kothar. The major crops that are grown in and around Mangalwedha include Jowar, Bajra, groundnut, Sugarcane, and corn. Mangalwedha's Jowar and Bajra have received geographica ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Courtesan
Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress (lover), mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the Royal court, court of a monarch or other powerful person. History In European feudalism, feudal society, the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together. Prior to the Renaissance, courtesans served to convey information to visiting dignitaries, when servants could not be trusted. In Renaissance Europe, courtiers played an extremely important role in upper-class society. As it was customary during this time for royal couples to lead separate lives—commonly marrying simply to preserve bloodlines and to secure political alliances—men and women would often seek gratification and companionship from people living at court. In fact, the verb 'to court' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Vithoba Temple, Pandharpur
The Vithoba Temple, officially known as Shri Vitthal-Rukmini Mandir ( mr, श्री विठ्ठल-रूक्मिणी मंदिर kn, ಶ್ರೀ ವಿಟ್ಟಲ-ರುಕ್ಮಿಣಿ ಗುಡಿ ), is a Hindu temple in Pandharpur, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the main centre of worship for Vithoba, a form of the god Vishnu or Krishna, and his consort Rakhumai. The temple was built by King Vishnuvardhana of Hoysala Empire between 1108–1152 CE upon being convinced by the historical figure Pundalik. Also, there is an inscription in the temple, of a Hoysala King Vira Someshwara dating back to 1237 CE, which grants the temple a village for its upkeep. It is the most visited temple in Maharashtra. The Warkaris start marching from their homes to the temple of Pandharpur in groups called Dindi (procession) to reach on Aashadhi Ekadashi and Kartiki Ekadashi. A dip in the holy river Chandrabhaga, on whose banks Pandharpur resides, is believed to ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chokhamela
Chokhamela was a Hindu saint in Maharashtra, India in the 14th century. He belonged to the Mahar caste, present day, which is considered one of the untouchable castes in India. He was born at Mehuna Raja, a village in Deulgaon Raja Taluka of Buldhana district. He lived at Mangalvedha in Maharashtra. He wrote many Abhangas. One of his famous Abhangas is 'Abir Gulal Udhlit Rang". He was one of the first low-cast poets in India. Chokhamela lived with his wife Soyarabai and son Karmamela in Mangalvedha. Chokhamela's task was to guard and work in farms of upper-caste people. His family also followed varkari sect. * Soyarabai - Wife * Nirmala - Sister and her husband Banka (who is brother of Soyarabai) * Karmamela - Son Chokhamela was initiated into bhakti (spirituality) by the poet-saint Namdev (1270-1350 CE). Once when he visited Pandharpur, he listened to Sant Namdev's kirtan. Already a devotee of Vitthal (Vithoba), Chokha was moved by Namdev's teachings. Later, he mo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Indian Express Group
Indian Express Limited is an Indian news media publishing company. It publishes several widely circulated dailies, including ''The Indian Express'' and '' The Financial Express'' in English, the '' Loksatta'' in Marathi and the '' Jansatta'' in Hindi. The company's newspapers are published from over a dozen cities daily, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Pune, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Kochi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Nagpur, Vadodara and Chennai. Its weekly entertainment magazine ''Screen'', covering Indian film industry, also has a popular following. On 2 November 2006, the Indian Express Group signed a print syndication deal with ''The Economist'', which included allowing the Indian Express Group to publish surveys, some reports, and various other content published in ''The Economist'' magazine. Publications The following brands and concerns are owned by the Group: * ''Indian Express'' - a national daily (English) * ''The Sunday Express'' - a news weekly * '' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the introduction of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world; and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, and bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion. Vivekananda became a popular figure after the 1893 Parliament of Religions in Chicago, where he began his famous speech with the words, "Sisters and brothers of America...," before introducing Hinduism to Americans. He was so impactful at the Parliament that an American newspaper described him as, “an orator by divine right and undoubtedly the greatest figure at the Parliament”. After great success at the Parliament, in the subsequent years, Vivekananda delivered hundreds of lectures across the United States, England and Europe, disseminating the core tenets of Hindu philosop ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Damaji
Damaji, also known as Damaji Pant (Damajipant - '' Pant'' indicates ministership or high scholarship), Sant Damaji and Bhakta Damaji, was a 15th-century Marathi saint ('' sant'') or ''bhakta'' ("devotee"), venerated by the Varkari sect of Hinduism. He was the ''Kamavisdar'' (main revenue official) of Mangalvedha under the Bahamani king of Bidar. He is described as a devotee of the god Vithoba - the patron deity of the Varkari sect. He distributed grain from the royal granaries to the people in famine. Vithoba is said to have come as an outcaste with a bag of gold to pay for the grain and rescue Damaji. The famine of 1460 is known as Damaji Pant's famine in the Deccan region in honour of Damaji's generosity in the famine. Life Damaji's chief hagiographical account is found in the ''Bhaktavijaya'' by Mahipati (1715 - 1790). Damaji was the revenue official of the Muslim king ( sultan/ badshah) of Bidar (see Bahmani Sultanate). He is described as "generous, wise and brave". He liv ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Abhanga
Abhanga () is a form of Hindu devotional movements, devotional poetry sung in praise of the Hinduism, Hindu god Vithoba, Vitthal, also known as Vithoba. The word "abhang" comes from ''a'' for "non-" and ''bhang'' for "ending" or "interrupting", in other words, a flawless, continuous process, in this case referring to a poem. By contrast, the devotional songs known as Bhajans focus on the inward journey. Abhangs are more exuberant expressions of the communitarian experience. Abhanga is considered a form of the ovi (poetry), ovi. Abhangs are sung during pilgrimage to the temples of Pandharpur, by the devotees. Practise Marathi language, Marathi ''bhajans'' start with the ''naman'' (invocation of god), followed by the ''Roopancha Abhang'' (Portraying the physical beauty of god by personifying in the human form) and towards the end bhajans giving spiritual and ethical messages are sung. Some famous musicians for Abhangs are Bhimsen Joshi, Sudhir Phadke, Suresh Wadkar, Ranjani-Gayatri, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Apsara
An apsaras or apsara ( sa, अप्सरा ' lso ' pi, अक्चरा, translit=accharā) is a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hinduism and Buddhist culture. They figure prominently in the sculpture, dance, literature and painting of many Indian and Southeast Asian cultures. There are two types of apsaras: ''laukika'' (worldly) and ''daivika'' (divine). Urvasi, Menaka, Rambha, Tilottama and Ghritachi are the most famous among them. They are most often depicted in the court and discretion of Indra. Apsaras are widely known as ''Apsara'' ( ) in Khmer, and also called as ''Accharā'' in Pāli, or ''Bidadari'' (Malay, Maranao), ''Biraddali'' ( Tausug, Sinama), ''Hapsari/Apsari'' or ''Widadari/Widyadari'' ( Javanese), ''Helloi'' ( Meitei) and ''Apsorn'' ( th , อัปสร). English translations of the word "Apsara" include "nymph", "fairy", "celestial nymph", and "celestial maiden". In Hinduism, apsaras are beautiful, supernatural female beings. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |