According to Banjara accounts he was born on 15 February 1739 in surgondankoppa village honnali taluk Davangere district Karnataka, to Bhima Naik and Dharmini Bai.
A cattle merchant by profession he is said to have been a man of exemplary truthfulness, a great musician, a courageous warrior, a rationalist who fought against superstition and a devotee of Goddess Jagadamba.[1]
The colonial British administrators also quote his stories but they place him in the 19th century and identify his original name as Siva Rathod.
The 280th birth anniversary of Sant Sevalal Maharaj, the revered spiritual leader of the Banjara community, will be celebrated here on February 23rd 2019 from 03:00PM onwards at Karnataka Kalamandir, Mysore.