Bhima Bhoi, Verses from the Void

Book excerpt: Mahima Dharma (`the Dharma of Glory`) is one of the most fascinating living religious traditions of Orissa. It originated during the nineteenth century as an autochthonous reform movement, emerging out of the nirguna bhakti tradition of India. The earliest authentic testimonies of this movement are the impressive compositions of Bhima Bhoi, a lay guru, who fought against social evils such as caste and ritualized piety and initiated women into his community. The present volume is the first representative and comprehensive anthology of Bhima Bhoi`s religious poetry, it offers a detailed introduction, which discusses the poet and his work in its social, religious, and philosophical contexts. All poems, originally in Oriva.