Jayadeva - Biography

Biography

See also: Jayadeva birth controversy and Kenduli Sasan

Jayadeva was born in Kenduli Sasan (formerly Kendubilva), in the Prachi valley, puri district in Orissa. Kenduli Sasan is a village near the famous temple city of Puri. At the time of Jayadeva's birth, Orissa was under the rule of the Eastern Ganga dynasty king, Chodaganga Deva. During the reign of this monarch and his son and successor, Raghava, Jayadeva composed his Sanskrit epics. Chodaganga Deva, originally a Shaiva, was strongly influenced by the devotion to Krishna in and around Puri and became a Vaishnava devotee of Krishna himself.

The poet's parents were named Bhojadeva and Ramadevi. From temple inscriptions it is now known that Jayadeva received his education in Sanskrit poetry from a place called Kurmapataka, possibly near Konark in Orissa. Later on, Jayadeva married Padmavati, who according to temple inscriptions, may have been an accomplished temple dancer in her own right.

Prachi valley has a long history of worshipping Madhava, another name for Krishna. During Jayadeva's life, it was known as a religious place dominated by Vaishnava Brahmins. Even today, the village of Kenduli Sasan is replete with images of Madhava. Undoubtedly, the great poet must have been influenced by the devotional milieu in that area when he composed his magnum opus, the Gita Govinda.