Sant Tulsidas, 1952 - Stamp

Sant Tulsīdas was the composer of the Sri-Rām-carit-mānas, the Ramāyana in Sanskrit retold in Hindi in seven Kāṇḍas. Though he has not written any independent Sanskrit works, Vālmīki’s Rāmāyaṇa inspired him to create a new version in Awadhī dialect of Hindi. Unless he has excellent scholastic achievements in Saṃskṛta, he could not have delivered the masterpiece Rāmacaritamānas in such a mellifluous language. Tradition holds that he started composing a Sanskrit version based on Ramāyaṇa of Vālmīki, but decided to retell the story to be accessible to the masses. Every Hindu family in Northern India thus reads it, learns it, studies it and worships it with great reverence; Tulsi’s dream thus got fulfilled.

Tulsidas was born in the year 1533 at Rajpur (Citrakūta) at the banks of the Yamunā river, (UP) in a Sarayūpāriṇa Brāhmaṇa family. His parents were Hulsī and Atmarām Śukla Dube. 

After fulfilling his mission, he passed away on the river bank of Gaṅgā at the Assī-Ghāt in the month of Śrāvaṇa (July or August) in 1624.

Indian Posts and Telegraphs issued a stamp in honour of Sant Tulsidas in the Saints and Poets of India series, on 1.10.1952 in the denomination of 1 anna.  A common FDC and brochure too were released.