Born at Pandharpur in 1484, he was a prosperous but tight fisted businessman. At a turning point in his life, he renounced his riches and proceeded to Hampi with only a tampura in his hand, and became the disciple of the great Vyasa Raya of Vijayanagar Empire. He was the Crest Jewel of the Haridasas of Karnataka. Known as the 'Sangita Pitamaha' of Karnatic music, Purandaradasa formulated the basic lessons like the Varisais, Alankaras and the Geethams. He introduced the Mayamalavagowla raga as the first scale to be learnt by a beginner. The magnificent system of Karnatic music has been built on the sound foundations laid by him. He was a prolific composer and a theorist, whose simple and epigrammatically style have served as model to others. He was one of the foremost thinker, poet and philosophers and was a staunch exponent of Madhavacharya's Dvaita philosophy. He is stated to have composed an astounding 4,25,000 songs which include the Gajendramoksham, Draupadi Vastrabharanam, Sudama Charitram and Paratatvasara. His compositions contained varieties like Gita, Thaya, Suladi, Ugabhoga, Devaranamas and Prabhandas. His mudra was 'purandara vittala'.