Ravidas

Ravidas or Raidas was an Indian mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti movement during the 15th to 16th century CE. Venerated as a guru (spiritual teacher) in the modern regions of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana, he was a poet, social reformer and spiritual figure. The life details of Ravidas are uncertain and contested. Some scholars believe he was born in 1433¹ CE. He taught removal of social divisions of caste and gender, and promoted unity in the pursuit of personal spiritual freedom. Ravidas's devotional verses were included in the Sikh scriptures known as Guru Granth Sahib. The Panch Vani text of the Dadu Panthi tradition within Hinduism also includes numerous poems of Ravidas. He is also the central figure within the Ravidassia religious movement. Mainstream Sikhs consider him to be a bhagat whilst break-away Ravidassias consider him to be a guru.

Ravidas or Raidas was an Indian mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti movement during the 15th to 16th century CE. Venerated as a guru (spiritual teacher) in the modern regions of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana, he was a poet, social reformer and spiritual figure. The life details of Ravidas are uncertain and contested. Some scholars believe he was born in 1433 CE. He taught removal of social divisions of caste and gender, and promoted unity in the pursuit of personal spiritual freedom. Ravidas's devotional verses were included in the Sikh scriptures known as Guru Granth Sahib. The Panch Vani text of the Dadu Panthi tradition within Hinduism also includes numerous poems of Ravidas. He is also the central figure within the Ravidassia religious movement. Mainstream Sikhs consider him to be a bhagat whilst break-away Ravidassias consider him to be a guru.

Regional variation in names

He is remembered by many names across regions, traditions, and languages. These variations reflect affection, honorifics, and local pronunciations. Ravidas is the most common form, especially in Hindi-speaking regions, Ramdas has been used by followers who migrated from West Pakistan., Raidas is widely used in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar, Ruhidas/Ruidas is the common pronunciation in Bengal and Eastern India and Rohidas is used in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat. The term Ramdasia is merely a corruption of the word Ravidasia. In Punjab, both the words Ramdasia and Ravidasia are also used interchangeably, although these also have regional context. The word Ramdasia is largely used in Puadh and Malwa, while Ravidasia is predominantly used in Doaba. Followers of Ravidas are known by different names in different regions, depending on history, migration, and local linguistic or social contexts. Ravidassias is the most common and widely accepted name today, especially after the Vienna incident when many followers began identifying as a distinct religious community, Ramdasia is for Sikh Chamar followers, Rohidasi is for those in regions like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, and Rajasthan, who revere Ravidas as their spiritual guide, and Ravived is mainly for those in Mauritius.

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1370241341 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.