Haridasa Thakur

Background

Haridasa Thakur was a Vaishnava convert from Islam and is now venerated as a Hindu saint. From the beginning of Chaitanya's 16th-century bhakti movement in Bengal, Haridasa and other born Muslims, as well as those of various other faiths, joined to spread love of God. This openness received a boost from Bhaktivinoda Thakur's vision in the late 19th century and was institutionalized by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati in his Gaudiya Math in the 20th century. A disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta, Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, is the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, that celebrates festivals memory of Haridasa Thakura in India and worldwide.