Vithoba is a Hindu god, worshipped predominantly in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. While generally considered a manifestation of the Hindu god Vishnu or his avatar Krishna, he is sometimes associated with the god Shiva, the Buddha or both. Vithoba is often depicted as a dark young boy, standing arms-akimbo on a brick, sometimes accompanied by his main consort Rakhumai (Rukmini). Vithoba is the focus of the monotheistic, non-brahminical Varkari sect of Maharashtra and the Haridasa sect of Karnataka. Vithoba's main temple stands at Pandharpur in Maharashtra, close to the Karnataka border. 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. The Varkari poet-saints are known for their unique genre of devotional lyric, the abhanga, dedicated to Vithoba and composed in Marathi. Other devotional literature dedicated to Vithoba includes the Kannada hymns of the Haridasa, and Marathi versions of the generic Hindu arati songs, associated with rituals of offering light to the deity. Though the origins of both his cult and his main temple remain subjects of debate, there is clear evidence that they already existed by the 13th century.
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1776:
American Revolutionary War: Samuel Nicholas and the Continental Marines successfully landed on New Providence and captured Nassau in the Bahamas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Nicholas
1875:
The first recorded organized indoor ice hockey game was played at the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal by James George Aylwin Creighton and McGill University students. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ice_hockey
1878:
The signing of the Treaty of San Stefano, ending the Russo-Turkish War, established Bulgaria as an autonomous principality in the Ottoman Empire. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_San_Stefano
1997:
The Sky Tower in Auckland, the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere at 328 metres (1,080 ft), opened. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_Tower
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