Mirabai (मीराबाई, 1498–1546/1547) was a 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna. She is a celebrated Bhakti saint, particularly in the North Indian Hindu tradition.
Mira was born into a Rajput royal family of Kudki district of Pali, Rajasthan, India. She is mentioned in Bhaktamal, confirming that she was widely known and a cherished figure in the Bhakti movement culture by about 1600 CE. Most legends about Meera mention her fearless disregard for social and family conventions, her devotion to Lord Krishna, her treating Krishna as her husband, and she being persecuted by her in-laws for her religious devotion. She has been the subject of numerous folk tales and hagiographic legends, which are inconsistent or widely different in details, millions of devotional poems in passionate praise of Lord Krishna are attributed to Meera in the Indian tradition, The Temple in the picture where Meera used to spend most of her days & nights worshipping Krishna inside the Chittorgarh Fort. She had also built a small Samadhi in the fond memory of her Guru Ravi Das in front the of the temple. The Temple clearly speaks of the glorious past & its exquisite architecture is well preserved by the ASI. What struck me was the amazing peace & vibration that I felt moment I stepped in.
After the death of her father-in-law, Vikram Singh became the ruler of Mewar. According to a popular legend, her in-laws tried many times to execute her, such as sending Meera a glass of poison and telling her it was nectar or sending her a basket with a snake instead of flowers which converedted into a Shaligram (Narayan / Gandoki Shila) & now well preserved in Vrindavan, where Meera had spent a good 6 -8 years practicing. Her Kutiya (Hut) is now turned into a small temple where her belongings are well preserved even today including this snake headed Naranyan Shila, opposite Sri Radharaman Temple.
Other stories state that Mira Bai left the kingdom of Mewar and went on pilgrimages. In her last years, Meera lived in Dwarka or Vrindavan, where legends state she miraculously disappeared by merging into an idol of Krishna in 1547. While miracles are contested by scholars for the lack of historical evidence, it is widely acknowledged that Meera dedicated her life to Hindu deity Krishna, composing songs of devotion and was one of the most important poet-saint of the Bhakti movement period. I am also sharing a sneak peek onto Meera Bai’s palace inside Chittorgarh Fort which is now in a very dilated state.
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