| Introduction Part I of IV - By Dilip Chitre |
| Tukaram was born in 1608 and vanished without a trace in 1650.What little we know of his life is a reconstruction from his own autobiographical poems, the contemporary poetess Bahinabai's memoirs in verse, and the latest biographer of Marathi poet-saints, Mahipati's account.
The rest is all folklore , though it cannot be dismissed on those grounds alone. Modern scholars such as the late V.S.Bendre have made arduous efforts to collate evidence from disparate contemporary sources to establish a well-researched biography of Tukaram. When was sant tukaram born 10 lines on sant tukaram in englishTukaram maharaj son nameSant tukaram information in englishTukaram maharaj 2nd wife nameBut even this is largely conjectural. |
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| There is a similar mystery about Tukaram's manuscripts. The Vithoba temple in Tukaram's native village, Dehu, has a manuscript on display that is claimed to be in Tukaram's own handwriting.
What is more important is the claim that this manuscript is part of the collection Tukaram was forced to sink in the local river Indrayani and which was miraculous
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