Sant Ravidas

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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has paid tributes to Sant Ravidas on his Jayanti.

The day commemorates the birth of the famous Bhakti Movement saint.
- This year marks the 646th anniversary

About Sant Ravidas

He was a mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti Movement from the 15th and 16th centuries.
He was a great poet, social reformer, and spiritual figure.
He is also known as Raidas, Rohidas, and Ruhidas
Contributions
- His devotional songs and verses left an indelible mark on the Bhakti Movement.
- He was a disciple of Sant Kabir and the founder of the Ravidassia religion. Mirabai was his pupil.
- The Sikh scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, contains forty-one of his devotional songs and poems.
- The philosophy and values of Guru Ravidasji like social justice, equality, and fraternity have been imbued in our constitutional values.
  - The Chief Architect of our Constitution, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar embodied the Constitutional principles around the values expressed by Guru Ravidasji.

Who are the Ravidassias?

The Ravidassias are a Dalit community of whom the bulk — nearly 12 lakh — live in Punjab’s Doaba region comprising Jalandhar, Hoshirpur, Kapurthala, and NawanShahr.
The Dera Sachkhand Ballan, their largest dera with 20 lakh followers worldwide, was founded in the early 20th century by Baba Sant Pipal Das. Once closely connected with Sikhism, the dera severed these decades-old ties in 2010 and announced they would follow the Ravidassia religion.

Source: ET

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