Synonyms
Adi Chandidas; Ananta Badu Chandidas; Badu Chandidas; Dina Chandidas; Dvija Chandidas; Kavi Chandidas
The name Chandidas is common to more than one great lyrical poet in medieval Bengali literature. Renowned as a devotional poet of fifteenth-century Bengal, Chandidas was a pioneering exponent of the Sahajia Vaishnava cult. Primarily a humanist, Chandidas and emphasized the equality and sanctity of all humans, irrespective of caste, creed, race, religion, or gender. Chandidas’s religion was love. He stressed a passionate and absolute devotion to a personal God without any formal ceremony, rites, or rituals. One of the greatest Vaishnava poets of Bengal, Chandidas’s “padas,” or short love songs were written in praise of Krishna, the Dark Lord of Love. His poems primarily depict Radhabhavaor the myriad emotions experienced by Radha in her all-absorbing love for Krishna. Chandidas’s verses on Radha and Krishna, and their legendary love-play, form a significant part of Bengali...
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All English transliterations and translations of Chandidas’s Bengali poems are by the author of this article.
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Chaudhuri, S. (2021). Chandidas. In: Long, J.D., Sherma, R.D., Jain, P., Khanna, M. (eds) Hinduism and Tribal Religions. Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1036-5_37-1
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