CONTEXTUALIZING THE PAST: THE SAINT AND 'HIS' ENVIRONMENT

Saint Eknath is one of the most popular saints of the Marathi speaking people of Western India. His poetical works have been hitherto noted by many scholars of Marathi literature, as well as by historians. Based mainly on the analysis of the hagiographies, histories and the saint's own literary works this article is an attempt to contextualize Eknath's legacy with the historical environment he lived in. By doing this the author hopes to show that particular attention paid to the environment around a historical figure significantly broadens our means of understanding the past.