This name is generally used in the Pushtimarg sect. The additional honorific suffix -ji may be added, giving the name Vitthalnathji. The people of Gujarat add the suffix - nath (Lord) to Vitthala, which yields the name Vitthal-nath. Other variants of the name include Viṭhurāyā (King Vitthala), and Viṭhāī Toshinobu kubota biography. The deity was subsequently named as Vitthala, a derivative of Bittidev, by the builder-king. Mate of the Deccan College, Pundalik-who is assumed to be a historical figure-was instrumental in persuading the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana alias Bittidev to build the Pandharpur temple dedicated to Vishnu. This corruption of Vishnu to Vitthu could have been due to the tendency of Marathi and Kannada people to pronounce the Sanskrit ṣṇ ( /ʃn/) as ṭṭh ( /ʈʈʰ/), attested since the 8th century. The suffixes - la and - ba (meaning 'father' in Marathi) were appended for reverence, producing the names Vitthala and Vithoba. Historian Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar offers yet another possibility-that Vitthu ( Viṭhu) is a Kannada corruption of the name Vishnu adopted in Marathi. However, the Varkari poet-saint Tukaram proposed a different etymology-that Vitthala is composed of the words vittha (ignorance) and la (one who accepts), thus meaning 'one who accepts innocent people who are devoid of knowledge'. The prescribed iconography of Vithoba stipulates that he be shown standing arms-akimbo upon a brick, which is associated with the legend of the devotee Pundalik. William Crooke, orientalist, supported this explanation. Thus, Vitthala would mean 'one standing on a brick'. Varkari tradition suggests that the name Vitthala (also spelled as Vitthal, Viththal, Vittala and Vithal Marathi: विठ्ठल, Viṭṭhala Kannada: ವಿಠ್ಠಲ, Telugu: విఠ్ఠల and Tamil: விட்டல் Viṭhala) is composed of two Sanskrit-Marathi words: viṭ, which means 'brick' and thal, which may have originated from the Sanskrit sthala, meaning 'standing'. There are several theories about the origins and meanings of these names. Vithoba (Marathi: विठोबा, IAST: Viṭhobā) is known by many names, including: Vitthala, Panduranga, Pandharinath, Hari and Narayan. Though the origins of both his cult and his main temple are likewise debated, there is clear evidence that they already existed by the 13th century.Ī 1922 photograph of the Vithoba icon in Pandharpur adorned with jewellery and clothes. Various Indologists have proposed a prehistory for Vithoba worship where he was previously: a hero stone, a pastoral deity, a manifestation of Shiva, a Jain saint, or even all of these at various times for various devotees. The historiography of Vithoba and his cult is an area of continuing debate, even regarding his name. The most important festivals of Vithoba are held on Shayani Ekadashi in the month of Ashadha, and Prabodhini Ekadashi in the month of Kartik. Other devotional literature dedicated to Vithoba includes the hymns of the Haridasa and the Marathi versions of the generic aarti songs associated with rituals of offering light to the deity. The Varkari poet-saints are known for their unique genre of devotional lyric, the abhang, dedicated to Vithoba and composed in Marathi. Vithoba legends revolve around his devotee Pundalik, who is credited with bringing the deity to Pandharpur, and around Vithoba's role as a saviour to the poet-saints of the Varkari faith. Vithoba is the focus of an essentially monotheistic, non-ritualistic bhakti-driven Varkari faith of Maharashtra and the Haridasa faith.Vitthal Temple, Pandharpur is his main temple. Vithoba is often depicted as a dark young boy, standing arms akimbo on a brick, sometimes accompanied by his main consort Rakhumai. He is generally considered a manifestation of the god Vishnu or his avatar, Krishna. Vithoba, also known as Vitthal, Vitthala and Panduranga, is a Hindu deity predominantly worshipped in the Indian state of Maharashtra. For other uses, see Panduranga (disambiguation).