Ancient Vitthala Murti Discovered In Pandharpur, Vijayanagara Ujjivana Trust Demands Its Consecration In Hampi Temple

Vijayanagara Ujjivana Charitable Trust announced the discovery of ancient Vitthala in Pandharpur and requested PMO and Maharashtra and Karnataka CMOs to ensure its consecration in Hampi.

"It is believed in Hampi that the Maratha sardars in the invading Sultanate forces managed to save the murti of Vijaya Vitthala temple and safeguarded it in Pandharpur," the press release said.

It added that while there was no evidence for this claim till now, a murti of Lord Panduranga Vitthala was found on 31 May in a secret chamber of Pandharpur temple.

It asserts that the four-armed form of Vitthala is "clearly ancient" and sports a Sri Vaishnava-style tilaka, corroborating the legend about Vijaya Vitthala being shifted to Pandharpur during the destruction of Vijayanagara.

The trust thanked Maratha sardars for their efforts to protect the Vitthala of Purandaradasa and linked the development to the reconsecration of Ramlalla at the Ayodhya Janmabhoomi Mandir.

It requested the Union Government and the state governments of Maharashtra and Karnataka to repatriate the murti back to Hampi and reconsecrate it in the temple there.

The trust has been advocating to not keep our temples as dead monuments and instead worship gods by reconsecrating them at the temples.

Similarly, it said, "Let the Hindus of the world witness the homecoming of Vitthala of Vijayanagara... The restoration of worship in this temple shall herald the beginning of another Dharmic renaissance."