Lal Ded (Lalleśvarī)
14th century · Kashmir · Śaiva yoginī
Lal Ded, “Granny Lal”, also called Lallā and Lalleśvarī, was a Kashmiri mystic of the Śaiva tradition. Tradition says she left an unhappy marriage and wandered as a yoginī, singing her experience of Śiva within.
Her vākhs — short, powerful verses in old Kashmiri — are among the earliest poetry in the language and are still quoted in everyday speech in Kashmir. She is loved by Hindus and Muslims alike; Muslims call her Lallā Ārifā, and she is linked in tradition with the Sufi saint Nund Ṛṣi (Sheikh Nūruddīn).
14th century · Kashmir · Vākhs · Kashmir Śaivism