Bhaktamal: Swami Haridas
Real Name: Haridas
Other Names - Kunj Bihari Sri Haridas, Sri Haridas
Guru - Shri Radha Charan Das
Disciple - Mian Tansen, Baiju Bawra, Gopal Nayak
Aradhya - Shri Krishna
Birth - Radha Ashtami i.e. eighth day of second (bright) fortnight of Bhadrapad month of the year 1535 Vikrami (1478 A.D.)
Place of Birth - Haridaspur, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh
Marital Status - Unmarried
Language - Braj Bhasha
Father - Shri Ashudhir
Mother - Smt Gangadevi
Famous - Indian spiritual poet, Philosopher
Founder - Haridasi school of mysticism
Swami Haridas was a revered Indian spiritual poet, composer, and classical musician who flourished in the 15th century. He is known for his deep devotion to Bhagwan Krishna and his contributions to bhakti (devotional) music, especially in the tradition of classical Hindustani music. He was a contemporary of
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, Rupa Goswami, Sanatan Goswami, and other prominent saints of the time who helped spread the Gaudiya Vaishnavism tradition.
Swami Haridas is considered an incarnation of Lalita Sakhi, one of the eight intimate confidantes (ashta-sakhis) of Srimati Radharani in the spiritual realm of Goloka Vrindavan. Lalita is known for her close association with Radharani and Lord Krishna, and Swami Haridas’s spiritual connection with them is deeply revered in the Vaishnavite tradition.
Swami Haridas spent a significant part of his life performing devotional music and singing bhajans (devotional songs) at Nidhivan, a sacred grove in Vrindavan, a place closely associated with Lord Krishna and the divine pastimes of Radha and Krishna.
Nidhivan is also revered as the place of the divine form of Banke Bihari ji, which further enhances its spiritual importance. The temple and samadhi of Swami Haridas at Nidhivan are places of intense reverence, where many people seek the blessings of both saints and deities.