Biographical Sketches of Dekkan Poets/Damagi Pant
DAMAGI PANT.
This poet was a native of Mangalavada, a village in the district of Pandarapura: he flourished in the fifteenth century of Salivahana, and was contemporary with the celebrated Sevaji. Damagi had finished his education when he was sixteen years old, at which time he obtained some employment at the court of Hyderabad. When he was thirty years of age, he was appointed as subedar of the Mangalavada Purgunnah, and continued in this situation till he was fifty: during his administration, he lavished a great deal of government prosperity in benevolent purposes. Which intelligence coming to the Nawaub's ears, he despatched a company of troopers to bring Damagi Pant to his presence. When the poet reached Hyderabad, it is said, that the god Vithoba in a human shape came to the Nawaub and paid him the whole sum deficient, on account of Damagi's liberality, and took a receipt for the same, and an order for the re-appointment of the poet to the post he held, The god placed these documents in a book which Damagi constantly read. The poet saw these papers, and immediately returned to Pandrapore, and wrote to his master tendering in his resignation; the Nawauab was pleased to accept of it, and appointed Damagi's son to Succeed him. Damagi after this composed a Sasona, or poem, containing 100 verses, in which all the circumstances mentioned above, was fully detailed. He spent about ten years in religious