Thumri is the most poetic form of Indian classical music. Deriving its content from the Krishna cult, it expresses the emotions of devotion, mystical love and viraha, the pain of separation. Thumri is believed to have originated in the nineteenth century court of Wajid Ali Shah of Lucknow, himself a poet and a great patron of music and dance. In his court thumri flourished alongside kathak dance, the association between the two is still strong today. Changes in the political situation led to the development of two strains of thumri; one under the patronage of the landlords of Lucknow, and the other in Benares.