A song about the names , attributes or legends of a deity . Gitagavindam , composed by renowned Sanskrit scholar Joydev, is the real source of kirtan songs. Poets like Baru Chandidas , Srikrishna Kirtan , Vidyapati etc. also composed a lot of kirtan songs. In the 1500's, Sri Chaitanya made great strides in this genre of devotional music. His songs are popular among men and women, educated and uneducated . He believed that songs were an easier way to worship God than to read scriptures.