ठुमक चलत रामचन्द्र

Goswami Tulsidas was a North Indian poet-saint who wrote in Awadhi and Braj, and is revered above all as the author of the Ramcharitmanas — a retelling of the Ramayana in the language of the common people. By placing the story of Rama in the vernacular rather than Sanskrit, he made the epic singable in homes, fields and temple courtyards across the Hindi-speaking world.

Tradition holds that he was a devotee of Hanuman, and several short works of praise to Hanuman are attributed to his tradition. His poetry binds together intense personal devotion (bhakti), ethical conduct, and the ideal of Rama-rajya — a just and compassionate order. To this day his verses are recited at dawn, during Ramnavami, and in the daily worship of millions.

Precise dates and biographical details are debated by scholars; the year 1497 and a long life reaching 1623 are the traditional account rather than firmly documented fact.