Tukaram

Tukaram, also known as Tuka, Tukobaraya and Tukoba, was a Hindu Marathi saint of the Varkari Sampradaya who lived in the 17th century and is widely accepted by historians to have died in 1650. Born in what is now the state of Maharashtra with the name Tukaram Bolhoba Ambile, he was a devotee of the god Vithoba, a form of Vishnu. He is best known for his devotional poetry called abhanga, which remains popular in Maharashtra, and many of his poems deal with social reform. Through his kirtans and abhangas he pointed to social injustice, caste hierarchy and the misconduct of certain religious leaders, and faced opposition for it, notably from Mambaji Gosavi. In his abhangas he names the sants Namdev, Dnyaneshwar, Kabir and Eknath as the people who most influenced his spiritual development.