15th century saint poet sect little known according traditional accounts dancing girl accounts typically concentrate death chose surrender hindu god patron god king died central shrine person temple wrote poetry telling devotion struggle balance profession poetry release profession thirty survived continue sung today female saint attained based solely devotion support guru male saint tradition lineage life history known stories passed centuries making hard separate fact fiction accounts agree birth death temple sought characters alleged father maid appear accounts early life daughter rich prostitute named lived town near site chief temple apart birthplace saints uncertain identity father suspected town head man spent childhood house mother served mother profession social status low trained dance song early childhood join mother profession talented dancer singer beauty compared heavenly suggested visit muslim king beauty gift money jewelry refused traditional tales wanted marry marry man beautiful scholar states marriage forbidden socially acceptable daughter marry accounts declare forced life firmly declined authors believe worked prostitute path devotion supposed father heard beauty wished dance refused started harass tried convince father spare believe continued harassment wealth slowly depleted eventually apologised offered present fled disguised maid help aged maid legends described credited journey devotion accounts credit pilgrims passed house way temple according story example asked passing said generous wise beautiful perfect glory description beauty goddess beauty asked accept assured accept accepted maid king called saint assurance strengthened resolve versions legend appear immediately leaves singing praises pilgrims mother accompany saw image sang spiritual merit fulfilled blessed seen feet found beauty sought groom god settled withdrew society moved lived life sang danced temple cleaned twice day gained respect people believed poor farmer daughter love period composed poems dedicated death time felt insulted refusal sought help king hearing tales beauty ordered refused king sent men force took refuge temple soldiers king besieged temple threatened destroy handed requested meeting taken accounts died feet image circumstances unclear according popular tradition merged image form marriage theories suggest killed killed accounts body laid feet buried near southern temple accordance wishes accounts nearby river flooded temple killing army sought day body found near rock according versions legend tree pilgrims remembrance arose spot buried person temple dating historians attempted establish dates life death estimate places life circa relating king associated story accounts king explicitly named estimates died suggest dates simply lived 15th century rare instances 13th 16th century according contemporary saint poets 14th century literary works teachings believed composed written form thirty survive today verses poems included anthology saints called verses autobiographical element style described poetic devices easy understand simplicity expression according poetry reflects awakening rise female creative expression ignited sense gender equality enforced tradition frequently portray struggle profession devotion patron deity presents woman deeply devoted pleads save profession speaks humiliation society owing profession social stature expresses disgust society object beauty human profession describes object thoughts worries scope god love believed life unable bear thought separation lord begs end misery acknowledges lord fallen asks save refers names identified krishna incarnation identified husband goddess epithet god love saints describe refers champion low mother asserts importance repeating names god reveals chanting names helped says death fear god king ascended heaven called god death bed transformed great sage god prostitute says wears names hoped chanting ultimately lead salvation deeds great saint siblings concern body sense vulnerability remain untouched midst compares food wild animals expression male saints according composed invited king advises seeking mere sexual pleasure speaks sexual attraction citing mythological characters suffered consequences sexual demon king demon god king heaven moon god legacy remembrance formally included list meaning saints text traditional biographer saints entire chapter devotion refers saints sit surrounding krishna identified cited saint poets example real people persons saved god saint poet uses example famous saints low social hierarchy illustrate irrelevant compared devotion merit death surrender regarded great legacy self respect combined considered unique prominent woman rose fame traditional family backing born household devotion woman saint associated male saint guru tradition lineage credited attained exclusively basis intense devotion devotion reflected life recounted film written directed subject popular drama named played lead drama film respectively short film video featured sung concerts radio annual pilgrimage tree rose burial spot temple today small shrine dedicated home town
Kanhopatra