Sant JanÃÂbÃÂi was a MarÃÂthi religious Sant and poet in the Hindu tradition in India, who was born likely in the seventh or the eighth decade of the 13th century. She died in 1350.
Janabai was born in GangÃÂkhed 1258-1350, MahÃÂrÃÂshtra to a couple with first names DamÃÂ and Karund. Under the caste system the couple belonged to the matang. After her mother died, her father took her to Pandharpur. Since her childhood, Janabai worked as a maid servant in the household of DÃÂmÃÂsheti, who lived in Pandharpur and who was the father of the prominent Marathi religious Sant and poet NÃÂmdev. Janabai was likely a little older than Namdev, and attended to him for many years.
Pandharpur has high religious significance especially among Marathi-speaking Hindus. Janabai's employers, Damasheti and his wife, GonÃÂi, were very religious. Through the influence of the religious environment around her and her innate inclination, Janabai was always an ardent devotee of Lord Vitthal. She was also a talented poet. Though she never had any formal schooling, she composed many high-quality religious verses of the abhang (à ¤ à ¤Âà ¤Âà ¤Â) form. Some of her compositions were preserved along with those of Namdev. Authorship of about 300 abhang is traditionally attributed to Janabai.
Along with DnyÃÂneshwar, NÃÂmdev, EknÃÂth, and Tukaram, Janabai has a revered place in the minds of Marathi-speaking Hindus who belong especially to the wÃÂrakari (à ¤µà ¤¾à ¤°à ¤Âà ¤°à ¥Â) sect in Maharashtra. In accord with a tradition in India of assigning the epithet sant (à ¤¸à ¤Âà ¤¤) to persons regarded as thoroughly saintly, all of the above religious figures including Janabai are commonly attributed that epithet in Maharashtra. Thus, Janabai is routinely referred to as Sant Janabai (à ¤¸à ¤Âà ¤¤ à ¤Âà ¤¨à ¤¾à ¤¬à ¤¾à ¤Â). She wrote many poems.