Poetry
From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia
Ancient hindu poetry was composed in metrical form. Poetry has greater beauty and power in conveying the idea. Ramayana was the first poetical work, hence it is called AdiKavya. Chandas helped in the birth of various metrical forms used in the hyms to various deities, in the Puranas and other poetical works.
Poetry was an extremely useful means to use language arts to portray principles to audiences. Basava wrote his vachanas, Dnyaneshwar his ovis, Eknath his bharuds, Kabir his dohas, Lal Ded her vakhs (vatsun), Mirabai her pads, Tukaram his abhangs, Tulsidas his chaupais, and other sants wrote in other forms of poetic metres.