History Bhakti And Public Memory (Paperback)

Introduction
NAMDEV IS believed to have been born into a low-caste, impoverished family of tailors in the Marathi-speaking region of the Deccan in the latter part of the thirteenth century. He is said to have lived the life of an ardent devotee, a religious composer, and singer of great wisdom, therefore attaining, perhaps in his lifetime, the designation of a sant.1 Sant Namdev, sometimes referred to as Nama, is regarded as having grown up near the preeminent Maharashtrian pilgrimage center Pandhar- pur, the geographical and spiritual center of the Varkari theistic community. The Varkaris are vaiṣṇava, Hindu worshippers of Vishnu or Krishna, who venerate the deity Vitthal (Viththa!). Namdev is considered a foundational figure of the Varkari religious sect, which forms the largest religious tradi- tion in the immediate region, as well as one of the oldest. This book is a cul- tural history of Namdev's public memory, imagined over the past seven hundred years by his devotees, admirers, detractors, and others who applied his memory in the service of some social goal.