Lal Ded

Lal Ded
Native name	लल्लेश्वरी, لل دید
Born	1320 Pandrethan, Kashmir
Died	1392
Other names	Lalla, Lal Ded, Lal Diddi
Known for	Vatsun poetry

Lalleshwari (Kashmiri: للء ایشوری‎; 1320–1392), locally known mostly as Lal Ded (لل دید), was a Kashmiri mystic of the Kashmir Shaivism school of philosophy. She was a creator of the mystic poetry called vatsun or Vakhs, literally "speech" (Voice). Known as Lal Vakhs, her verses are the earliest compositions in the Kashmiri language and are an important part in history of modern Kashmiri literature. She inspired and interacted with many Sufis of Kashmir.

She is also known by various other names, including Lal Ded, Mother Lalla, Lalla Aarifa, Lal Diddi, Laleshwari, Lalla Yogishwari and Lalishri.

Lalleshwari was born in Pandrethan (ancient Puranadhisthana) some four and a half miles to the southeast of Srinagar in a Kashmiri Pandit family in the time of Sultan Ala-ud-din. There is evidence of the fact that in those times, liberal education was imparted to women. From her vakhs, one is persuaded to believe that she was educated in the early part of the life at her father's house.She was married at age twelve, but her marriage was unhappy and she left home at twenty-four to take Sannyasa (renunciation) and become a disciple of the Shaivite guru Siddha Srikantha (Sed Bayu) whom she ultimately excelled in spiritual attainments. She continued the mystic tradition of Shaivism in Kashmir, which was known as Trika before 1900.

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