Dnyaneshwar was a Hindu saint and poet who lived in Maharashtra, India at the end of the thirteenth century. His major works are the Bhavarth Deepika/dnyanadevi, (popularly known as the Dnyaneshwari), a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita and the Anubhavamrita / Amritanubhava,is the work in which he has stated his own philosophy, sometimes called as Chitvilaasavaada.

His writing is a combination of scholarly Intelligence and poetic beauty. He is called the founder of Bakti cult in Maharashtra known as Bhagavata Dharma. His Dnyaneshwari is one of the three sacred books or Prasthanatrayi of Bhagavata Dharma.

At the age of 21, he took samadhi, having himself buried in a cave, as he considered his work on Earth completed. It is contentious if he took the samadhi at the age of 16 or 21 though. The samadhi is located at a temple in Alandi which is about 50 miles from the city of Pune, and is thronged by devotees which are called "Varkaris". His siblings - Nivruttinath , Sopandeo and Muktabai were also saints.