In the simmering crucible of 15th-century India, where caste lines were drawn deep and faith was a privilege of the elite, a cobbler’s son in Varanasi dared to imagine a world without walls. He was Guru Ravidas, a poet-saint of the Bhakti movement.
President Droupadi Murmu today extended her greetings to the nation on the occasion of Guru Ravidas Jayanti. Taking to X, President Murmu wrote, “On the auspicious occasion of Guru Ravidas Jayanti, I extend my best wishes to all the countrymen. Saint Ravidas made service to humanity his goal. He remained dedicated to eradicating discrimination on the basis of religion and caste and bringing unity in society. Let us adopt the teachings of Guru Ravidas ji and continue to contribute towards building a prosperous and developed nation.”
गुरु रविदास जयंती के शुभ अवसर पर मैं सभी देशवासियों को शुभकामनाएं देती हूं। संत रविदास ने मानवता की सेवा को अपना ध्येय बनाया। वे धर्म तथा जाति के भेदभाव को मिटाने और समाज में एकता लाने के लिए समर्पित रहे। आइए, हम गुरु रविदास जी की शिक्षाओं को अपनाएं और समृद्ध तथा विकसित राष्ट्र…
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) February 12, 2025
Who Was Guru Ravidas?
Guru Ravidas was born in 1377 CE in Seer Govardhanpur in the state of Uttar Pradesh. He was born into a community of leather workers (a profession that placed him at the lowest rung of the rigid social hierarchy). And yet, through sheer spiritual brilliance and poetic rebellion, he gathered a following that included kings and commoners. His verses were later immortalized in the Guru Granth Sahib. They imagined an egalitarian world, a “Begumpura” (a casteless city without sorrow) where justice reigned supreme and caste dissolved into nothingness.
करम बंधन में बन्ध रहियो, फल की ना तज्जियो आस।
कर्म मानुष का धर्म है, सत् भाखै रविदास।।
(Stay bound in the bondage of karma, do not give up hope of results.
Karma is the religion of man, Sat Bhakhai Ravidas.)
How India Is Honouring Guru Ravidas Today
Several states have declared public holidays in his honour:
- Punjab, Haryana, and Uttarakhand have announced state-wide holidays, ensuring that citizens can celebrate the occasion.
- In Delhi, government offices, public sector enterprises, and autonomous bodies remain closed as the capital pays tribute to the revered saint.
- In Uttarakhand, special cleanliness drives and the decoration of statues have been planned as part of the celebrations.
He Initiated Meerabai Into Spirituality
Among his many disciples, one name stands out in history: Meerabai. She was a Rajput princess who became a mystic. Her bhajans still fill temple halls today. Despite her royal lineage, Meerabai chose to follow Ravidas, rejecting the courtly life for the ascetic path of devotion. It is said that she considered him her guru, addressing him as Satguru Ravidas Ji, and credited him with guiding her towards true spiritual enlightenment.
Meerabai wrote a bhajan in his honour:
Guru milya Ravidass ji dini gyan ki gutki.
Chot lagi nijnam hari ki mharey hivrey khatki.
(I found my Guru in Ravidas Ji, who gave me the wisdom of the divine,
The wound of the Lord's name struck my heart deeply.)
There is a small chhatri in front of Meera's temple today in Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan which bears Ravidas' engraved foot print. At a time when women were denied access to spiritual leadership, Ravidas’s acceptance of Meerabai as a disciple made him a male feminist.
Revolutionary of the Bhakti Movement
The Bhakti movement was a cultural and social revolution of sorts. Saints like Kabir, Tulsidas, and Mirabai rejected the orthodoxy of priesthood and rituals, advocating instead for direct devotion to the divine. With his radical message of equality and social justice, Ravidas became one of its most powerful voices.
He wrote of a god who recognized neither caste nor creed, of a love that knew no boundaries, and of a divine force that did not reside in temples or scriptures but in the heart of every human being. His hymns, composed in Braj and Awadhi dialects, became the songs of the people; memorized and passed down like heirlooms.
It has been over five hundred years since Guru Ravidas lived on earth, yet the world still struggles with the same demons: inequality, discrimination, and the tyranny of division. Somewhere in his verses, there is an antidote: Ekai roop, anek hi rang (one essence, many colours).
As we observe Guru Ravidas Jayanti 2025, let us build the Begumpura he dreamed of, one act of kindness at a time.
Read more:
