Bhima Bhoi

Bhima Bhoi (1850–1895) was a Khond saint, poet and philosopher from the state of Odisha in India. Bhima Bhol was a bhakta (Oriya: devotee) of Mahima Swamy (commonly referred to as Mahima Gosain and whose birth name is said to have been Mukunda Das). From Mahima Swamy, Bhima Bhoi would receive initiation into Mahima Dharma, an Indian religious tradition that challenged the authority of caste Hinduism on its own terms.

Early life

Bhima Bhoi was born in Kaliapali in 1850, though various sources have cited different years as well as different places of birth. Bhima Bhoi's family belonged to the Khond tribe, a Dravidian-language speaking people found throughout Orissa and neighboring Andhra Pradesh. Bhoi's family was not well off and by most accounts his early life was not a happy one. His father died when he was quite young. His mother remarried and had children with her new husband soon after.

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