# Namdev and Varkari Devotion (c. 1300)

URL: https://allhistories.com/hinduism/timeline/1300-namdev-and-varkari-devotion
Location: Pandharpur, Maharashtra
Themes: Culture

The tailor-saint Namdev, born in Maharashtra around 1270, sings of Vitthala of Pandharpur and later travels in Punjab. His abhangs in Marathi and Hindi verses preserved in the Guru Granth Sahib reject caste differences and ritual. He is a key early voice of the Varkari tradition alongside Jnaneshwar. He is traditionally buried at Pandharpur, where his shrine remains on the temple steps. Sources differ on his dates, which tradition sets in 1270-1350. His Punjab stay is linked to the village of Ghuman, where a shrine also commemorates him.

## Why it matters
His songs link the Maharashtra bhakti tradition with North Indian sant poetry and later Sikh scripture and a link to Sikh scripture.

Paramount Power at the Time: [Alauddin Khalji](https://allhistories.com/hinduism/rulers/alauddin-khalji)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Namdev](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namdev)
- [Wikipedia — Pandharpur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandharpur)
- [Wikipedia — Vithoba](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vithoba)