Janabai

(d. c.1350) Female poet and saint in the
Varkari Panth, a religious community
centered around the worship of the
Hindu god Vithoba at his temple at
Pandharpur in the modern state of
Maharashtra. According to tradition,
Janabai came to Pandharpur with her
parents when she was seven but refused
to go home with them, saying that she
wanted to remain close to the Lord. She
became the servant of another Varkari
saint, Namdev, who made her a member of his circle of devotees (bhakta).
Janabai is famous for her devotional
songs, which remain popular today. For
further information see Justin E. Abbott
and Narhar R. Godbole (trans.), Stories
of Indian Saints, 1982; and G. A. Deleury,
The Cult of Vithoba, 1960.