Purandara dasa: Father of Karnataka Music – Purandara

Father of Karnataka Music – Purandara Dasa Purandara Dasa (1484-1564 CE) was a celebrated Haridasa saint-poet from Karnataka, widely recognized as the 'Father of Karnataka Music'. He was a musical prodigy born to a diamond merchant family in Araga village, Shimoga district. Young Srinivasa Nayaka received training in Carnatic music, spirituality, philosophy and local literary traditions. He displayed a knack for musical compositions from a very early age. After relinquishing worldly ... Purandara Dasa was a wealthy merchant of gold, silver and other miscellaneous jewellery from Karnataka, who gave away all his material riches to become a Haridasa, a devotional singer who made the difficult Sanskrit tenets of Bhagavata Purana available to everyone in simple and melodious songs. Sri Purandara Dasa was a renowned composer, singer, and a Haridasa philosopher from present-day Karnataka, India. A devoted follower of Madhvacharya's Dvaita philosophy, he is widely celebrated as one of the chief architects of Karnatak (Carnatic) music. Purandara Dasa was said to have been born in 1484 CE. Some legends state that he was born in Purandaragadha a small town near Pune in Maharashtra while others claim that he was actually born in Kshemapura near Tirthahalli in the Shivamogga district of Karnataka.