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Kabir

Religious and Spiritual Leaders

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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.

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