 This body of writings is known as "haridasa sahitya" (haridasa literature).Born as Vasudeva in Pajaka village near Udupi in 1238, he learnt the Vedas and Upanishads under his guru Achyutapreksha.He was initiated into "sanyasa" (asceticism) after which he earned the name Madhvacharya (or Anandatirtha).