[9][10] Purandara Dasa was a wealthy merchant of gold, silver and other miscellaneous jewellery from Karnataka, who gave away all his material riches to become a Haridasa (literally meaning a servant of Vishnu or Krishna), a devotional singer who made the difficult Sanskrit tenets of Bhagavata Purana available to everyone in simple and melodious songs.

[11][12][13] He formulated the basic lessons of teaching Carnatic music by structuring graded exercises known as Svaravalis and Alankaras,[11] and at the same time, he introduced the raga Mayamalavagowla as the first scale to be learnt by beginners in the field – a practice that is still followed today.

his native town was Purandaraghatta in Karnataka,[18] or Purandaragad near Pune, but the latter is considered a historical mistake – connecting his "pen name" (his ankita) with a location that mainly served as a military encampment in the 15th and 16th century.

[19] In 2018, a five-member committee set up by the Government of Karnataka to ascertain the birthplace of Purandara Dasa has submitted its report asserting Tirthahalli as the likeliest candidate.

As a consequence of the event, he is believed to have relinquished his former greedy and miserly self having realized the worthlessness of attachment to worldly possessions:[22] Per this version, the deity in a bid to cure Srinivaasa of his tenacious materialistic delusion and attachment and thereby claim his devotion to himself, approached Srinivaasa in the guise of a poor man.

In this guise the deity is said to have made a piteous plea to Srinivasa for money to perform his son's 'upanayana'(sacred-thread investiture ceremony).

Having been summarily rejected, mocked and turned out, the 'poor man' repeated his plea before Srinivaasa's wife who per the legend was a generous soul of rigorous spiritual nature.

Per legend at that very moment, Srinivaasa became convinced of the inscrutable ways of Vishnu because of having witnessed the unfailing grace that saved his pious wife.

He is said to have become bewildered at the power that could produce a gold ornament in a moment by mere will and is said to have instantly shook off the beginning-less, persistent veil in the form of 'I' and 'mine' which is believed to mask men's vision of the divine.

In the course of his wandering, he met the sage Vyasatirtha, one of the chief exponents of Madhwa philosophy and the Rajaguru of Krishnadevaraya, emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire.

Purandara Daasa travelled through the length and breadth of the Vijayanagara Empire and Pandharapur in Maharashtra composing and rendering soul-stirring songs in praise of God.

It is believed that he was reborn as the famous Vijayadasa—birthplace is Cheekalparvi village near Maanvi town, Raichur district in Karnataka State—and completed the remaining 25 thousand keerthanas as promised.

One of the Trimurtis (three icons) of Carnatic music, Saint Tyagaraja, has paid tribute to Purandara Dasa in his geya natakam (an opera) Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam.

[27] Prominent scholar Amaresh Datta, the chief editor of the Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature published by Sahitya Akademi in this book he gave Purandara Dasa dates as 1480-1564.

[28] But based on the historical event of Purandara Dasa meeting Annamacharya and the keerthanas (spiritual songs) that they have sung together on Sri Venkateshwara Swamy at Tirumala, which were recorded by Annamacharya's grandson Tallapaka Chinanna, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams gave year of birth of Purandara as 1470.

[1] Most of the authors or scholars have not taken the historical event of Purandara Dasa meeting Annamacharya and both singing sankeerthanas (devotional songs) on Sri Venkateshwara Swamy at Tirumala into consideration while decided the dates.

But based on the manuscripts found, which were written by Tallapaka Chinanna, the grandson of Annamacharya Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams gave it's analysis.

After meeting both Purandara Dasa and Annamacharya sang songs in front of Sri Venkateshwara Swamy in Tirumala temple.

[36] Purandara Dasa tried to reform existing social practices and preached through devotional songs in the local Kannada language.

The jeeva owes its existence, knowledge and bliss to the Ishvara, and any sense of independence with regards to one's actions and the results thereof is to be given up.

[41] In his song aavakulavaadarenu aavanadarenu aatma bhavavariyada mele he wonders what is the use if one does not understand the spirit of humanism whatever caste or status one might be accredited to.

[41] In the same song when relating to cows of different colours and sugarcane of different shapes he emphasizes that one's birth cannot merely decide the highness or lowness of any individual.

According to him, the neck chains, bangles and other ornaments that women wore were not important; the beauty of mind and noble conduct were her true embellishments.

[41] In the pure Carnatic tradition, Bidaram Krishnappa was one of the foremost singers of modern times to popularize the compositions of Purandara Dasa.

Hindustani music legends such as Bhimsen Joshi, Madhav Gudi and Basavaraj Rajguru have made them more popular in recent years.

Classical vocalists and musicians such as Upendra Bhat, Puttur Narasimha Nayak, Venkatesh Kumar, Nagaraja Rao Havaldar, Ganapathi Bhatt, Vidyabhushana, Pravin Godkhindi, Nachiketa Sharma, Sangeetha Katti, and the Bombay Sisters are continuing the tradition of singing and performing Purandara Dasa's compositions and other Dasa Sahitya songs in Carnatic as well as Hindustani music concerts.

Purandara Dasa is said to have composed his well-known song, ‘Aadisidaleshoda jagadoddharana’ on infant Sri Krishna, in raga Kapi, at the Aprameyaswamy temple in Doddamallur, Channapattana taluk, Karnataka.

Aradhana is a religious-devotional observation, held annually, to remember and honor saintly persons on the anniversary of the completion of their earthly lives.

Purandara Dasa's aradhana or punyadina is held on the pushya bahula amavasya[57] of the Indian Chandramana calendar (a new moon day, generally in February–March).