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(THE GIST OF PIB) Guru Ravidas

(FEBRUARY-2024)

Guru Ravidas

To mark the 647th birth anniversary celebrations of Sant Guru Ravidas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a statue of Sant Ravidas at Varanasi.

About Guru Ravidas:

Guru Ravidas (1377-1528E.) was a renowned saint known for his contributions to the Bhakti movement.
His devotional songs and verses made a lasting impact upon the Bhakti Movement.
Guru Ravidas is also known as Raidas, Rohidas, and Ruhidas.
He was born in a small village called Seer Govardhanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
His birthplace is now known as Shri Guru Ravidas Janam Asthan, and it is a major place of pilgrimage for the followers of Guru Ravidas.
Even though he was born into a poor family, Ravidas became well-known for his teachings about human rights and equality.
He was the disciple of the revered Brahmin bhakti poet Ramananda.
He abandoned the saguna (with attributes, image) forms of supreme beings and focussed on the nirguna(without attributes, abstract) form of supreme beings.
Guru Ravidas was a social reformer, and his teachings were based on gender equality, the abolition of the caste system, social justice, and equality.
He also became a symbol of opposition to untouchability in society by the higher caste people for the lower caste people.
He emphasised the philosophy of spiritual freedom.
He was a well-known poet. 41 of his devotional songs and poems are included in the Sikh Scriptures, Guru Granth Sahib.
Meera Bai, a revered figure in Hindu spiritualism, is said to have considered Guru Ravidas as her spiritual Guru.
The Guru’s teachings now form the basis of the Ravidassia sect. Ravidassis believe that Guru Ravidas should be treated as a saint just like the other gurus, as he lived before the first Sikh Guru and his teachings were studied by the Sikh Gurus.
Guru Ravidas Jayanti is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth anniversary of Guru Ravidas