Karmabai

Early life Karmabai was born on 20 August 1615, into the family of Jeevanram Dudi and Ratni Devi in Kalwa, a village in Rajasthan’s Nagaur district into a Jat family.

Karmabai is mentioned in a Sikh text, called the Prem Ambodh, which was originally written in 1693 and texts claims that Karmabai met with Mirabai in Udaipur.

A temple dedicated to her, known as Karmabai Ka Mandir, stands in Jagannath Puri, and her khichdi is still offered as bhog to Lord Jagannath. During the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra, the chariot of Lord Jagannath reportedly pauses near her samadhi, a tradition attributed to the belief that the chariot will not move without her divine presence.

Her story has been immortalised in music, with a 1989 Rajasthani album titled Karmabai by Jugalkishore Tilak Raj, featuring songs like Jimo Jimo Mhara Madan Gopal, and a Hindi album of the same name with contributions from artists like Anuradha Paudwal. A college in Jodhpur, Karma Bai Mahavidyalaya, is named in her honour.