A great composer, poet & musician, (middle or end of the twelfth century A.D), he was a native of Kendubilva in the Birbhum district of West Bengal. 

He was greatly influenced by the Vaishnava religion. He composed the Gita Govinda in Sanskrit, describing the love between Krishna & Radha. The songs in Gita Govinda, known as Ashtapadis are based on Sringara rasam. The raga forms used in the Gita Govinda are somewhat different from those of the present time. 

There is no single or perfect form of rendering the Gita Govinda at present. It is divided into twelve cantos (sargas). There are twenty-four songs set to twelve classical ragas & five talas. The ragas are malava-gauda, gurjari, vasanta, ramakiri, kanada, devasakha, desa-varadi, vibhasa, gondakiri, malava, bhairava & bhairavi. The talas are yati, ekatali, rupaka, nihsara & astatala.