Chandidas
Topic: Bhakti and Sufi Traditions · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Chandidas was a Bengali poet of the late medieval period, roughly the 14th–15th centuries. He wrote songs in Bengali about the love of Radha and Krishna, which stands for the soul's love for God. Tradition says that Chaitanya, the 16th-century bhakti saint of Bengal, loved his songs. Chandidas therefore helped shape the Vaishnava poetry of Bengal and was one of the first great poets of the Bengali language.
Example
The Srikrishnakirtan, a long Bengali poem about Radha and Krishna, is credited to Baru Chandidas. His songs were sung at the kirtans (group singing sessions) of Chaitanya's followers in 16th-century Bengal.
Don't confuse with
- Chaitanya: He was the saint who founded the Radha-Krishna devotional school of Bengal. Chandidas was an earlier poet whose songs Chaitanya loved.