Lal Ded

Lalleśwarī, affectionately called Lal Ded ("Mother Lal") or Lalla, was a 14th-century mystic and poet of Kashmir and one of the most beloved figures in Kashmiri spiritual and literary history. Rooted in the tradition of Kashmir Śaivism and in yogic practice, she abandoned conventional married life to become a wandering ascetic and composed terse, vivid mystical sayings known as vākhs, which speak of the search for the divine within, the dissolution of the ego, and direct experience over outward ritual. Her verses are among the earliest surviving compositions in the Kashmiri language and are revered by Kashmiris of different faiths; she is honored in Hindu tradition and is also remembered with affection within Kashmiri Muslim culture. Her dates are uncertain, conventionally given as roughly 1320–1392, and her biography survives mainly through tradition and her own poetry.