Lal Ded (b. 1355)
Lal Ded (b. 1355)
Kashmiri mystic and poet. Name variations: LalDed; Lallyogeshwari or Lalla Yogeshwari; Lalla the Mystic; Mother Lalla; Lalleshwari. Born in 1355 in Pandrenthan, near Srinagar, to a Kashmiri Pandit family in the time of Sultan Ala-ud-din; though exact date of death is unknown, died in Bijbehara; married at 12 and was given the name Padmavati by cruel in-laws who nearly starved her.
Wise woman of Kashmir, renounced her husband's family at age 26 and became a disciple of Sidh Srikanth; began to write verse in Kashmiri; preached in countryside, often dancing naked and singing; lived to an old age as a respected hermit and mystic at Bijbehara; considered by some a saint, by others a sufi or a yoga or a devotee of Shiva; her sayings, which are frequently quoted, number around 200.