The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period v4.c21.s1.6

v4.c21.s1.6

The period after the death of Shivāji witnessed a great outburst of Marāthī poetry, and it will here be possible only to mention a few leading names. Shridhar was the most beloved of the writers of this time, and shares with Tukārām the palm of popularity in the Deccan to-day. His mission was to make the heroic legends of Hinduism accessible to women and others who knew no Sanskrit. The titles of his works, the Triumph of Rāma (Rāma Vijaya) and the Exploits of the Pāndavas, speak for themselves. He was born at Pandharpur in 1670 and died in 1728. "In every town and village in the Deccan and Konkan, especially during the rains, the pious Marāthā will be found enjoying with his family and friends the Pothi of Shridhar." Moropant, admired by connoisseurs for his verbal ingenuity, does not appeal to western taste. Another writer of great interest is Mahīpati, whose *Bhakta Vijaya* and *Santa Vijaya*, Triumphs of the Devotees and Saints, are a mine of information about the picturesque legends which have grown up round the poet-saints of the Deccan.