History Atlas

How The Past Is Known
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme

Switch Atlas

Historical Figure

Kabir

Religious and Spiritual Leaders

Kabir (c. 1398-c. 1448 or c. 1440-1518, dates disputed) was a mystic poet and saint of medieval India, born in or near Varanasi, whose devotional verses blended elements of Hindu bhakti devotion and Sufi Islamic mysticism while rejecting the formal ritualism, caste distinctions and religious orthodoxy of both traditions. His couplets and hymns, transmitted orally and later written down, emphasize a direct, personal relationship with a formless divine and were later incorporated into Sikh scripture as well as into Hindu and Muslim devotional traditions. He remains one of the most widely quoted poets in North Indian languages and a central figure in India's syncretic religious history.

Facts
Birth Year
1398 1
Role
Devotional mystic poet and saint 1
Birthplace
Varanasi 1
Classification
Gender
Male 1
Role
Role (category)
Writer / Scholar 1
Connections

In Era

The Post-Classical and Medieval Period, Eras
Source Wikipedia: Kabir

Open Questions

When was Kabir born and when did he die?, Open Questions
In the Other Atlases

Originated In

India

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Source Wikidata: Kabir
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Kabir
Wikipedia
  • Lead paragraph, opening sentence
    Kabir (fl. 15th century) was a famous Indian devotional mystic poet and saint
  • Lead paragraph, second sentence
    He was born in the city of Varanasi in what is now Uttar Pradesh
  • Kabir: Gender
    His couplets and hymns, transmitted orally and later written down, emphasize a direct, personal relationship with a formless divine and were later incorporated into Sikh scripture as well as into Hindu and Muslim devotional traditions.
  • Infobox: birth_date
    1398
  • In Era: The Post-Classical and Medieval Period, lead paragraph, lifespan
    Some historians favour 1398-1448 as the period Kabir lived, while others favour 1440-1518.
View the Source
Wikidata: Kabir
Wikidata Q312551, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Open Questions (1 open question)
When was Kabir born and when did he die?

Scholars favour two non-overlapping lifespans for Kabir, roughly a century apart, with no consensus resolution.

What would resolve this A securely dated primary source (an inscription, a dated manuscript colophon, or a contemporary chronicle reference) fixing Kabir' s birth or death within one of the two proposed ranges.
Medieval South Asian religious history and hagiography studiesWikipedia: Kabir

Take a Related Quiz

Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.