PURANDARDASA (1484-1564) Purandardasa is the most popular among the 'Haridasas' of Karnataka. He was born at Purandara gada, near Poona in 1484 A.D. In early life he followed his father's occupation of a trader and amassed great wealth but renounced all his riches and world later. He sought spiritual guidance from the contemporary religious savant, Vyasaraya and devoted himself to a life of piety and religion.

His love of god found expression in innumerabic poems in Kannada, which are widely sung to this day. Though the language of his compositions is highly poetic it is adorned with rich imagracy and similes drawn from common life and has a rare power of moving the listeners. In the words of an eminent critic, his works "indicate a mind familiar with the world and its ways and inclined as much to see without as within. Wide knowledge, deep experience and a great love of humanity are visible in them. Their range is great."

Though his mother tongue was Kannada and he wrote in that language, he was an erudite scholar of Sanskrit. He had mastered the theory and practice of music of his day after a deep study of the scriptures and the well-known musical texts. He laid the foundation of Carnatic music and contributes greatly to its form as well as content through his own originality and compositions. Many later composers like Tyagaraja and Muthuswami Dikshitar drew inspiration from Purandaradasa's works. Traditions credits him with having composed 4,75,000 songs besides other works on Hindu mythology. Only a portion of his monumental output is available to posterity but what exists speaks abundantly of his greatness. Purandaradasa is believed to have left his mortal frame in 1564 A.D. and the fourth centenary of this is being observed all over the Kannada country on 14th January '64.

The P & T Department is privileged to issue a special stamp in memory of Purandaradasa on this occasion.


Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India