2022-09-13 Tue

Narasimha Mehta, also known as Narsi Mehta, was a 15th-century poet and devotee of lord Krishna. He was born in the Nagar sub-caste group of the Brahmin community. He was a poet-saint of Gujarat, India, and honored as the first poet, or Adi Kavi, of the Gujarati language.

Narasimha Mehta was born in Talaja in present-day Bhavnagar district in 1410 and died in Junagadh in the 1480s. His father died when he was five years old. His elder brother Bansidhar looked after him and arranged his marriage.

Narasimha Mehta had written more than 750 poems called 'padd' in Gujarat. His poems deal with devotion to Lord Krishna, wisdom, and detachment from worldly affairs. His composition Vaishnav Jan Tho was Mahatma Gandhi's favorite and became popular with freedom fighters across India.

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