Goswami Tulsidas was one of the greatest bhakti poets of all time. Born in the early sixteenth century, the exact place and time of his birth is unknown. A lot of conjecture has been made about his early life—he had a full set of teeth when he was born, his mother died a day after his birth so his father abandoned him, and he even met the god Hanuman. Tulsidas is also believed to be the avatar of Maharishi Valmiki, the writer of the epic, Ramayana. Allegedly, after a fight with his wife, Tulsidas decided to embark on a pilgrimage and began immersing himself in his devotion to god. His epic, Ramcharitamanas, is a work that has had an immense influence on Indian culture and society.