Abhang is a Marathi-language genre of devotional poetry sung in praise of the Hindu deity Vithoba, also called Vitthal, rooted in the Varkari bhakti movement that favored personal devotion over ritual observance. The form, described as a type of ovi verse, was pioneered around 1200 by Jnaneshvar and Namdev, who used it to spread spiritual teaching across caste lines, and it became central to pilgrimages at the Pandharpur temples. The seventeenth-century poet-saint Tukaram of Dehu composed more than five thousand abhangs, many combining devotion to Vithoba with social criticism.
Facts
Place of OriginMaharashtra, India, centered on Pandharpur and the Varkari pilgrimage towns of Paithan, Mangal Veda and Alandi 1 Notable ExampleThe roughly 5,000 abhangs attributed to the seventeenth-century poet-saint Tukaram of Dehu, many criticizing social injustice. 1 Defining TraitDevotional poetry whose name, a-bhanga or unbroken, denotes a continuous, uninterrupted form of praise sung to Vitthal during pilgrimage. 1 Sources
1. Abhang (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia)History section
All these happened around places like Paithan, Pandharpur, Mangal Veda, Alandi and slowly spread to the entire Maharashtra.
lead paragraph
The word "abhang" comes from a for "non-" and bhanga for "ending" or "interrupting", in other words, a flawless, continuous process, in this case referring to a poem.
History section, Tukaram paragraph
It is said that over 5000 Abhangas were written by Sant Tukaram.
Practise section
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 of the bhajan, spiritual and ethical messages are sung.
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