Kabir

Kabir was born in the holy town of Varanasi. His biological parents are not known, but he was brought up by a Muslim couple. Kabir like his father, was a weaver.
In his youth he was impressed by Sri Ramanand. Kabir wanted to become his disciple, but Ramanand's desciples would not allow him to meet Ramanand. Knowing that Sri Ramanand went to the Ganga for bath, Kabir slept on a step on the way to Ganga. Ramanand accidentally stepped on Kabir, and exclaimed "Ram, Ram, Ram! Wake up!" Kabir’s joy knew no bounds! He had touched the feet of his Guru, who gave him the "Ram" mantra!

Kabir accepted a few ideas from Hinduism such as: rebirth, and karma, and rejected caste system. He accepted the idea of one god from Islam. He tried to bridge the gap between Hindus and Muslims and preached equality. Guru Nanak was influenced by these thoughts of Kabir. Kabir wrote numerous verses. The Adi Granth contains many verses written by Kabir. Even today, Kabir is the most quoted poet of India.

When Kabir started out, Hindus did not accept him, as he was a Muslim. Muslims did not accept him as he worshipped Sri Rama. Latter he had both Hindu and Muslim followers. After his death his Hindu followers wanted to cremate the body whereas the Muslim followers wanted to bury the body. Like his birth, his death is a mystery. Today in Maghar, his samadhi and tomb stand side by side.