Why in news?

Amid the forested lanes of Gokul in Mathura are the once forgotten tombs of Raskhan and Taj Bibi, arguably the two most famous devotees of Lord Krishna

Highlights

• Uttar Pradesh government focussed on creating them as a major pilgrim tourist destination in the State, the redevelopment of these burial sites has been prioritised

Syed Ibrahim Khan

• He was an Indian Sufi Muslim poet who became a devotee of the Hindu deity Krishna.
• He was either born in Pihani (Hardoi) or Amroha, in modern-day Uttar Pradesh, India.
• His original name was Saiyad Ibrahim and Raskhan was his takhallus (pen name) in Hindi.
• In his early years, he became a follower of Krishna, learned the bhakti marga from Vitthalanatha and began living in Vrindavan, where he spent the rest of his life. He accepted Krishna as the supreme god (Svayam Bhagavan) and became a Vaishnava.
• Poems : The poetry of Raskhan focuses on Lord Krishna. “Lilas” of Lord Krishna, such as Bal Lila, Chir Haran Lila, Kunj Lila, Ras Lila, Panghat Lila, and Dan Lila, were his favourite subjects.

Taj Bibi

• She was an ardent devotee of Shri Krishna and was born in the 17th century.
• Taj Bibi was married to Emperor Akbar.
• She was also known as the ‘Mughal Mirabai’