Bhakta SalabegaSalabega lived in the first half of the seventeenth century. He was the son of the Mughal subedar Lalbeg who was briefly in charge of Orissa at Cuttack in the early seventeenth century. On one of his expeditions to Puri, he was overcome with passion ooking at the beauty of a Brahmin widow returning from her bath at Dandamukundapur and forcibly abducted her. Salabega was later born to this widow. It is believed that the poet suffered from some incurable ailment and through prayer to Lord Jagannatha, as advised by his mother, he was miraculously cured. Soon thereafter, he seems to have developed disinterest in worldly matters and spent his time singing praise of the Lord. Salabega, being the son of a Muslim, was denied entry into the temple but his deep devotion was answered by his dear Lord in his manifestation as Patitapabana inside the Singhadwara. The poet could see him from the Bada Danda. The poet was always eager to witness Ratha Jatra so he could get a glimpse of his Kalia Kanhu. Salabega was one of the finest composers of what has come to be known as Padyavali literature. These are essentially short lyrical compositions meant for singing. The simple language and sweet lyricism of the compositions of Salabega have made them immensely popular with singers and the lay public for ages. The spirit of unalloyed devotion for the Lord imbues each one of the hymns. His deep devotion has intensity and passion, rare even in the devotional literature of the Bhakti era and is evident in the unique and somewhat unusual metaphors and similes employed by the poet to express the same. Although the poet was denied entry into the temple, his descriptions of the inner compound and the sanctum are among the most detailed and accurate in the devotional literature of Odisha. Read More Read Less