Tukaram
Poet
Seventeenth-century Marathi poet-saint and one of the most beloved figures in the Varkari devotional tradition of Maharashtra. Born in Dehu village near Pune into a lower-caste family, his devotional songs known as abhangas challenged caste hierarchy and priestly mediation of the divine. His works were threatened with destruction by Brahmin authorities, but his legacy endures as foundational to Marathi culture and literature.