. ▁In ▁the ▁times ▁of ▁Muslim ▁r ul ers , ▁the ▁faith ▁faced ▁st agn ation . ▁However , ▁after ▁the ▁decl ine ▁of ▁the ▁V ij ay an ag ara ▁emp ire , ▁when ▁wars ▁er upt ed ▁in ▁the ▁De cc an ▁region , ▁the ▁Muslim ▁r ul ers ▁had ▁to ▁accept ▁the ▁faith s ▁of ▁Mah ar as ht ra ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁gather ▁the ▁support ▁of ▁its ▁people . ▁In ▁this ▁period , ▁E kn ath ▁( c .   1 5 3 3 – 9 9 ) ▁rev ived ▁the ▁V ark ari ▁tradition . ▁With ▁the ▁foundation ▁of ▁the ▁Mar ath a ▁emp ire ▁under ▁Sh iv aj i , ▁T uk aram ▁( c .   1 5 6 8 – 1 6 5 0 ), ▁a ▁Sh ud ra ▁gro cer , ▁further ▁propag ated ▁the ▁V ith oba - cent ric ▁tradition ▁throughout ▁the ▁Mah ar as ht ra ▁region . ▁ ▁All ▁these ▁poet - s ain ts , ▁and ▁others ▁like ▁Jan ab ai , ▁the ▁ma id serv ant ▁of ▁Nam dev , ▁wrote ▁poetry ▁dedicated ▁to ▁V ith oba . ▁This ▁Mar ath i ▁poetry ▁advoc ates ▁pure ▁dev otion , ▁referring ▁to ▁V ith oba ▁mostly ▁as ▁a ▁father , ▁or ▁in ▁the ▁case ▁of ▁the ▁female ▁saint ▁Jan ab ai ' s ▁poetry , ▁as ▁a ▁mother ▁( V ith ab ai ). ▁Not ▁only ▁women , ▁like ▁Jan ab ai , ▁but ▁also ▁a ▁wide ▁variety ▁of