Origins & Early Life

Surdas was a 16th-century blind Hindu devotional poet and singer, who was known for his works written in praise of Krishna. Most of his devotional songs, or bhajans, were written in the Braj language, while some were also written in other dialects of medieval Hindi, like Awadhi. Surdas's biography is most often told through the lens of the Vallabha Sampradāya aka the Puṣṭimārga. The Puṣṭimārga regards Surdas as an initiated disciple of Vallabha, and his hagiography is told in the Caurāsī Vaiṣṇavan kī Vārtā by Gokulnāth and Harirāy.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Surdas' poems, along with those of other Aṣṭachāp poets, form a central part of Puṣṭimārga liturgical singing-worship. However modern scholars consider the connection between Sūrdās and Vallabha and his sect to be ahistorical. The book Sur Sagar (Sur's Ocean) is traditionally attributed to Surdas. However, many of the poems in the book seem to be written by later poets in Sur's name. The Sur Sagar in its present form focuses on descriptions of Krishna as the lovely child of Gokul and Vraj, written from the gopis' perspective.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature suggests a birth year of 1258 into a Brahmin family of Uttar Pradesh. Encyclopædia...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Antonello da Messina — Contemporary (Died in 1479) (1479): Master Italian painter known for introducing Netherlandish oil techniques to the Renaissance.
• Diego Columbus — Contemporary (Born in 1479) (1479): Spanish explorer and second admiral of the Indies, son of Christopher Columbus.
• Hatuey — Contemporary (Born in 1479) (1479): Taíno Cacique of Guanaba, famed for early resistance against Spanish conquest in the New World.
• Charles I of England — Contemporary (Born in 1600) (1600): King of England, Scotland, and Ireland; ruled during the English Civil War.
• Claude Lorrain — Contemporary (Born in 1600) (1600): Master of Baroque landscape painting, renowned for his sunlit classical scenes.
• Giordano Bruno — Contemporary (Died in 1600) (1600): Italian philosopher known for cosmic pluralism and infinite universe theories.
• Osman I — Historical peer (Born in 1258) (1258): Founder of the Ottoman Empire, establishing a powerful Turkish principality.
• Baldassare Castiglione — Contemporary figure (Born in 1478) (1478): Influential Renaissance author and courtier, known for 'The Book of the Courtier'.
• Francisco Pizarro — Contemporary figure (Born in 1478) (1478): Spanish conquistador famed for the conquest of the powerful Inca Empire.
• Ferdinand Magellan — Contemporary figure (Born in 1480) (1480): Portuguese explorer famed for the first circumnavigation attempt.
• 1479 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1479
• 1600 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1600