Samarth Ramdas was a Hindu saint born in 1608 at Jamb in Marathwada on the auspicious day of Ram Navami. His real name was Narayan Suryaji Thosar and Ranubai was his mother. In 1620 he ran away from his marriage ceremony and reached a village named
Takli near
Nasik. There he practiced intense meditation with
Lord Ram as his ideal. After twelve gruelling years, he received sacred blessings and was thereafter called Samarth Ramdas.
Ramdas started on his pilgrimage at the age of twenty four and he worked for the welfare of the people on the banks of river Krishna. He motivated the people of Maharashtra who had lost their confidence and self-respect, suffering under the tyranny of foreign rulers. His teachings in pragmatic wisdom compiled in the treatise Dasbodh was written at Shivthar, a place of heavenly charm. Hanuman temples were built all around the region on his initiative. Renowned as the spiritual guide and advisor of Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj, Ramdas stayed at Fort Sajjangad near Satara.
In 1681, on the Navami day in Magh month, the Ramdas’ physical body is believed to have merged with the almighty. His samadhi (memorial) is located at Sajjangad and his teachings are still available in his writings, mainly, Manache Sloka, Dasbodh and Atma Ram.
