Karma Bai (20 August 1615 - 30 November 1702), also known as Bhakt Shiromani Karma Bai, was a devotee of

Lord Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is wi ...

, an incarnation of

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

, from the village of Kalwa in Nagaur district, Rajasthan in 17th century. Karmabai is celebrated in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

for her piety and the miraculous events associated with her offerings to

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

. Her legacy is commemorated in

Puri, Odisha Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state ca ...

, where she is said to have spent her later years and where her

samadhi Statue of a meditating Rishikesh.html" ;"title="Shiva, Rishikesh">Shiva, Rishikesh ''Samādhi'' (Pali and ), in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, is a state of meditative consciousness. In many Indian religious traditions, the cultivati ...

(memorial shrine) is revered during the Jagannath Rath Yatra.

Early life

Karmabai was born on 20 August 1615, into the family of Jeevanram Dudi and Ratni Devi in Kalwa, a village in Rajasthan’s

Nagaur district Nagaur District is one of the 41 districts of the state of Rajasthan in western India. Panchayati Raj was introduced here. It is the fifth largest district in Rajasthan and the area of the district is . The city of Nagaur is the district head ...

into a

Jat The Jat people (, ), also spelt Jaat and Jatt, are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, many Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in l ...

family. She was raised in a devout

Vaishnava Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, '' Mahavishnu''. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along wit ...

household, Karmabai grew up observing her father’s deep devotion to

. Her early life was marked by simplicity and piety, shaped by the rural Jat community’s values and traditions.

Legend of Karma Bai Khichdi

Karmabai’s popular story centers on her literal interpretation of her father’s instructions, showcasing her innocent yet steadfast faith. When Jeevanram Dudi left for an outstation trip, he entrusted the young Karmabai—believed to be around 13 years old—with the responsibility of offering bhog (food) to

before eating herself. Taking his words to heart, Karmabai prepared

khichdi ''Khichdi'' or ''khichri'' (, , , , Odia: ଖେଚୁଡି) is a dish in South Asian cuisine made of rice and lentils (''dal'') with numerous variations. Variations include ''bajra'' and mung ''dal'' ''khichri''. In Indian culture, in ...

, a simple dish of

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

and

lentils The lentil (''Vicia lens'' or ''Lens culinaris'') is an annual plant, annual legume grown for its Lens (geometry), lens-shaped edible seeds or ''pulses'', also called ''lentils''. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in Legume, pods, usually w ...

, and placed it before Krishna’s idol. When the idol did not “eat,” she refused to eat herself, waiting faithfully for the Lord to accept her offering. Moved by her sincerity,

is said to have appeared before her and consumed the

. This divine interaction continued daily until her father’s return. When Karmabai recounted the events, her father, initially skeptical, asked her to prove it. In response, she pleaded with

, who appeared again to affirm her devotion. This miracle solidified her reputation as a true devotee. The story spread to the saints of

Puri Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state ca ...

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

, who invited Karmabai to offer her

to Lord Jagannath, a form of

. According to tradition,

appeared in

as well, accepting her offering. Karmabai eventually settled in

, where her devotion became intertwined with the

Jagannath Jagannath (; formerly ) is a Hindu deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India as part of a triad along with (Krishna's) brother Balabhadra, and sister, Subhadra. Jagannath, within Odia Hinduism, is the supreme god, '' Purushot ...

tradition. A folk song commemorates her act:

Later years and legacy

Some narratives, such as one from the 18th-century text Bhaktavijaya, depict Karmabai’s life in

as one marked by both devotion and profound personal loss. After moving to

, she faced immense trials: the death of her husband Dhunu, her son Raghu, her daughter-in-law Lakshmi, and her grandson Vishnu. Despite these tragedies, Karmabai’s faith in Lord

remained unshaken. A

saint, seeing her grief, gave her a small image of

as a baby butter-thief and advised her to treat it as her own child. Karmabai embraced this practice, caring for the idol with maternal love, bathing it, dressing it, and offering it mashed rice and buttermilk. This act of devotion transformed her grief into divine service, earning her the title of a “divinely crazy” devotee. Karmabai is mentioned in a Sikh text, called the ''Prem Ambodh'', which was originally written in 1693 and texts claims that Karmabai met with

Mirabai Meera, better known as Mirabai, and venerated as Sant Meerabai, was a 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna. She is a celebrated Bhakti saint, particularly in the North Indian Hindu tradition. She is mentioned in '' Bhaktama ...

Udaipur Udaipur (Hindi: , ) (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura'') is a city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, about south of the state capital Jaipur. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Udaipur district. It is the historic capital of t ...

. A temple dedicated to her, known as ''Karmabai Ka Mandir'', stands in

Jagannath Puri Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state ca ...

, and her khichdi is still offered as bhog to Lord

. During the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra, the chariot of Lord

reportedly pauses near her samadhi, a tradition attributed to the belief that the chariot will not move without her divine presence. Her story has been immortalised in music, with a 1989 Rajasthani album titled Karmabai by Jugalkishore Tilak Raj, featuring songs like Jimo Jimo Mhara Madan Gopal, and a Hindi album of the same name with contributions from artists like

Anuradha Paudwal Anuradha Paudwal (born 27 October 1954) is an Indian playback singer and politician who works predominantly in Hindi cinema and Odia cinema. She has been described in media as one of the most prominent Bhajan singers and also as one of the m ...

. A college in Jodhpur, Karma Bai Mahavidyalaya, is named in her honour.

References

{{reflist 1615 births 1702 deaths 17th-century Indian people People from Nagaur district Hindu saints Vaishnavism People from Puri