Bangla Baul Pala Gaan by Shah Alam Sarkar br br The Baul (Bengali) are a group of mystic minstrels from Bengal br which includes Indian State of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh. br Bauls constitute both a syncretic religious sect and a musical tradition. br Bauls are a very heterogeneous group, with many sects, but their membership br mainly consists of Vaishnava Hindus and Sufi Muslims.[1][2] They can often br be identified by their distinctive clothes and musical instruments. br Not much is known of their origin. Lalon Fokir is regarded as the br most important poet-practitioner of the Baul tradition.Baul music had a br great influence on Rabindranath Tagore's poetry and on his music. br br br Though Bauls comprise only a small fraction of the Bengali population, br their influence on the culture of Bengal is considerable.