Vidyapati (Makers of Indian Literature)

Vidyapati (1352 - 1448) was a Maithili poet and a Sanskrit writer. The name Vidyipati is derived from two Sanskrit words, Vidya if (knowledge) and Pali (master), connoting thereby, a man of knowledge. He wrotein Maithili, a language spoken by over five million people residing in the eastern part of Bihar bordering West Bengal. Vidyipati is noted for his 800 Vaishnava and Saivite padas or songs, which were rescued from various palm-leaf manuscripts. He was a scholar of Sanskrit, Abahattha (Apabhramsa) and Maithili