Pandharpur Kirtan - In the Bhagavad-gita (9.13-9.14) Krishna states that great souls worship and glorify him single mindedly. In Maharashtra state of India Kirtan is a unique devotional solo performance and theatrical folk art which accompanies spiritual story telling along with call-and-response chanting or "responsory" that most of the times includes combinations of multiple element of Performing arts. Narada is considered originator of this tradition. The practice of kirtan was popularized as a means to this end in the Hindu devotional revival of the Moghul era.
The Varkari saint Namdev (c. 1270–1350), a Shudra tailor, used the kirtan form of singing to praise the glory of god Vithoba.
In the early 16th century CE Chaitanya Mahaprabhu traveled throughout India, popularizing Krishna sankirtan.
