BHAKTI MOVEMENT
Bhakti Movement
BHAKTI MOVEMENT (C. 8TH TO 18TH CENTURY)
Spread of Isalam in India directly resulted in the Medieval Bhakti Movement. The Bhakti Movement in
Medieval India is of diverse way.
The thinking of Bhakti Reformers’ thinking like that of Kabir, Nana and Ramananda were shaped by
the preaching of Sufi teachers.
SUFISM
Sufism was a liberal reform movement within Islam. It spread into India in the 11 th century but had
origin in Persia.
• Shaikh Ismail
o Shaikh Ismail of Lahore was the first Sufi Saint who started preaching his ideas.
• Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti
• He was one of the most famous Sufi Saints who settled in Ajmer which became the centre of his
activities.
• He had a number of disciples who are called Sufis of the Chishti Order.
• Bahauddin Zakariya
o He is another renowned Sufi Saint who was influenced by Shihabuddin Suhrawardi another
famous mystic.
o He founded the Sufis of the Suhrawardi Order.
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BHAKTI MOVEMENT
• Nizamuddin Auliya
o He belonged to the Chishti Order who is regarded to be a mighty spiritual force.
About Sufism
• Sufism highlighted the essentials of love and devotion as the effective means of the realization of
God.
• Sufis believed service to humanity was equal to service to God. According to the Sufis, Love of God
meant Love of Humanity.
• In Sufism, self-discipline is essential to gain knowledge of God with a sense of insight.
• According to Sufis one must have the guidance of a pir or guru, without which spiritual
development is impossible and his disciple or Murid was a vital part of Sufi system.
• Every pir nominated a successor or Wali to carry out work.
Major differences between the Sufis and Orthodox Muslims:
Sufis Orthodox Muslims
The Sufis highlight on inner purity. the Orthodox Muslims stress on external
conduct
The consider love and devotion as the only They believed in blind observance of rituals.
means of attaining salvation.
Sufism also taught a spirit of tolerance among its followers.
Ideas of Sufism
• Sufism emphasized on good actions, meditation, performance of prayers and pilgrimages,
repentance for sins, fasting, charity and suppression of passions by austere practices.
• The liberal and unorthodox features of Sufism had a profound influence on Medieval Bhakti Saints.
The ChishtiSilsilah
• The Chisti Order was established in India by MuinuddinChishti who moved to India after the
invasion of Muizzuddin Muhammad Ghori and subsequently to Ajmer in 1206.
• His grave was visited by Muhammad Tughlaq after which the mosque and dome were erected by
Mahmud Khalji of Malwa in the fifteenth century.
• The patronage of this dargah peaked after the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar.
• NizamuddinAuliya, was the best known Chishti saint of the Sultanate period. He lived in the
fourteenth century, during a period of political change and turmoil. During his lifetime he was
witness to the establishment of the Khalji rule after the death of Balban and subsequently the
establishment of the Tughlaq’s.
The Suhrawardi Silsilah
• This Silsilah was founded by ShihabuddinSuhrawardi in Baghdad.
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BHAKTI MOVEMENT
• It was established in India by BahauddinZakariya who founded the Suhrawardi Order, based in
Mutan, which was under the control of Qubacha.
Naqshbandi Silsilah
• In India this order was established by Khwaja Bahauddin Naqshbandi.
• From the beginning the mystics of this Order stressed on the observance of the Shariat and
denounced all innovations or biddat.
The QadriSilsilah
• The Quadiriyyasilsilah was popular in Punjab.
• Sheikh Abdul Qadir and his sons were supporters of the Mughals under Akbar.
• The pirs of this Order supported the concept of Wahdat al Wajud.
• Among the famous Sufis of this order was Miyan Mir who had enrolled the Mughal princess
Jahanara and her brother Dara as disciples.
• The influence of the sheikh’s teachings is evident in the works of the princeDara.
Sankaracharya
• Sankaracharya was a Nambudiri Brahman born in Kaladi, Malabar.
• He was originally a worshiper of Shiva.
• He gave an entirely new turn to the Hindu revival movement by providing it with a solid
philosophical background through the reinterpretation of ancient Indian scriptures, particularly
the Upanishads.
• Sankaracharya advocated the philosophy of “Advaita” the monism of the Vedanta by giving a
brilliant exposition to the entire range of the Vedic religions and spiritual thought.
BHAKTI MOVEMENT IN SOUTH
The Bhakti Movement originated in the seventh-century in Tamil, South India (now parts of Tamil
Nadu and Kerala), and spread northwards. It swept over east and north India from the 15th century
onwards, reached its peak between the 15th and 17th century CE.
THE ALVARS AND NAYANARS OF TAMIL NADU
• The Alvars and Nayanars led some of the earliest bhakti movements (c. sixth century).
• Alvars – those who are “immersed” in devotion to Vishnu
• Nayanars – leaders who were devotees of Shiva
• They travelled from place to place singing hymns in Tamil praising their gods.
• The Alvars and Nayanars initiated a movement of protest against the caste system and the
dominance of Brahmanas or at least attempted to reform the system. This is supported by the fact
that bhaktas or disciples hailed from diverse social backgrounds ranging from Brahmanas to
artisans and cultivators and even from castes considered “untouchable”
• The Nalayira Divyaprabandham (“Four Thousand Sacred Compositions”) – one of the major
anthologies of compositions of the 12 Alvars compiled by the 10th Century
• It was frequently described as the Tamil Veda, thus claiming that the text was as significant as the
four Vedas in Sanskrit that were cherished by the Brahmanas.
• From a composition of an Alvar named Tondaradippodi a Brahmana mentions Chaturvedins – Are
strangers and without faithfulness to your service.
• Tevaram – a collection of compiled and classified in the 10th century on the basis of the music of
the songs of Appar, Sambandar, and Sundarar.
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BHAKTI MOVEMENT
WOMEN DEVOTEES
Andal
• A woman Alvar the compositions of Andal were widely sung (and continue to be sung to date).
• Andal saw herself as the beloved of Vishnu; her verses express her love for the deity.
Karaikkal Ammaiyar
• Another woman, Karaikkal Ammaiyar, a devotee of Shiva, adopted the path of extreme asceticism
in order to attain her goal.
SANKARA
• A Hindu revivalist movement giving a new placement to Hinduism was started by Sankara.
• Kaladi in Kerala is his birthplace.
• His doctrine of Monoism or Advaita was too abstract to appeal to the common people.
• The Advaita Concept of Nirgunabrahman (God without attributes) received contradictory reaction
with the emergence of the idea of Sagunabrahman (God with attributes).
RAMANUJA
• He was born at Sriperumbudur near modern Chennai.
• He preached Visishtadvaita in the12th century.
• According to him, God is Sagunabrahman.
• He encouraged Prabattimarga or path of self-surrender to God.
• He invited the downtrodden to Vaishnavism.
MADHAVA
• Madhava is from Kannada region whose preaching prevailed in the 13th
• He spread Deviator dualism of Jivatma and Paramatma.
• His philosophy was that the world is not an illusion but a reality. God, soul, matter is unique in
nature.
NIMBARKA AND VALLABHACHARYA
• Nimbarka and Vallabhacharya were also other preachers of Vaishnavite Bhakti in the Telangana
region
• Nimbkara gave the concept of Dwaitadwaitwad.
• Vallabacharya gave the concept of Shudh Adwaitwad.
SURDAS
• He was the disciple of Vallabhacharya
• He popularized Krishna cult in the Northern part of India
• He wrote Sur-Sarawali, Sahitya Lahiri and Sur Sagar.
MIRABAI
• She was a great devotee of Krishna.
• She became popular in Rajasthan for her bhajans.
• She married to Rana Sanga’s eldest son Bhojraj.
TULSIDAS
• He was a worshipper of Rama.
• He composed the famous Ramcharitmanas, the Hindi version of Ramayana.
• He also wrote Gitawali, Hanuman Chalisa, Vinay Patrika.
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BHAKTI MOVEMENT
RAMANANDA
• He was born at Allahabad.
• Initially he was a follower of Ramanuja.
• Later he founded his own sect and preached his principles in Hindi at Banaras and Agra.
• Ramananda was the first to employ the vernacular medium to spread his ideas.
• He opposed the caste system and chose his disciples from all sections of society irrespective of
caste.
Ramananda’s disciples were:
• Kabir
• Raidasa, he was a cobbler
• Sena, he was a barber
• Sadhana
• Dhanna, he was from a Jat farmer
• Naraharai, he was a goldsmith
• Pipa, he was a Rajput prince
KABIR
• Kabir was the most famous disciple of Ramananda.
• He was brought up by a Muslim couple who were weavers by profession.
• He had a curious mind in learning new things and he learnt much about Hinduism in Benares.
• Kabir’s aim was to reunite Hindus and Muslims and form harmony between them.
• He is regarded as the greatest of the mystic saints.
• His followers are called Kabirpanthis and named his orally composed poems of wisdom as Banis.
These songs and couplet called Dohe.
• Literary works are Kabir Bijek, Kabir Parachai, Sakhi, Granth etc.
In the 14th and 15th centuries, Ramananda, Kabir and Nanak remained the great apostles of the Bhakti
cult.
They aided the common people to shed age-old superstitions and attain salvation through Bhakti or
pure devotion.
Criticized all forms of worship of idols.
GURU NANAK
• Guru Nanak was born in Talwandi near Lahore.
• He was a disciple of Kabir.
• He was founder of the Sikh Religion.
• He condemned caste difference and rituals like bathing in holy rivers.
• He established a centre at Kartarpur named Dera Baba Nanak on the river Ravi. His idea of religion
was highly practical and strictly moral.
• His one of the famous sayings was “Abide pure amidst the impurities of the world”.
GURU ANGAD
• Guru Angad also known as Lehna was appointed by Guru before his death.
• Guru Angad compiled the compositions of Guru Nanak in a new script known as Gurmukhi and
added his own compositions as well.
GURU ARJAN
• He was the 5th Guru.
• He compiled the writings of the three successors of Guru Angad who wrote under the name of
“Nana”.
• He was executed by Jehangir in 1604.
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BHAKTI MOVEMENT
GURU GOBIND SINGH
• He was the 9th Guru.
• In 1706, he authenticated the compilation which was added with the writings of other figures like
Shaikh Farid, Sant Kabir, Bhagat Namdev and Guru Tegh Bahadur, which is now known as Guru
Granth Sahib.
The town of Ramdaspur (Amritsar) had developed around the central Gurdwara called Harmandar
Sahib (Golden Temple) by the beginning of the 17th century. It was almost self-governing and also
referred as ‘a state within the state’ community.
CHAITANYA
• Chaitanya was another renowned saint and reformer of Bengal who popularised the Krishna cult.
• He believed that a devotee can feel the presence of God through song and dance and love and
devotion.
• Kirtan system was given by Chaitanya only.
GNANADEVA
• He was the founder of the Bhakti Movement in Maharashtra in the 13th
• It was called as Maharashtra dharma.
• He wrote Gnaneswari a commentary of Bhagavad Gita.
NAMADEVA
• In the 16th Century, Namadeva preached the gospel of love.
• He opposed idol worship and the dominance of priests.
• He criticized the Caste System.
EKANATHA
• He was a prominent Marathi Sant, a scholar and religious poet of the Varkari Sampradaya.
• He opposed caste differences and was kind towards the lower castes.
• He is known as a bridge between his predecessors Dnyaneshwarand Namdev and the
later Tukaram and Ramdas.
TUKARAM
• Tukaram was another Bhakti saint of Maharashtra and was a contemporary of Sivaji.
• Tukaram also referred to as Sant Tukaram, Bhakta Tukaram, Tukaram
Maharaj, Tukobaand Tukobaraya.
• He was a 17th-century poet-saint of the Bhakti movement in
• Tukaram is best known for his Abhanga- devotional poetry and kirtans – community-oriented
worship with spiritual songs.
• His poetry was devoted to Vitthala or Vithoba, an avatar of Hindu god Vishnu.
• Responsible for creating a background for Maratha nationalism
NATHPANTHIS, SIDDHAS, AND YOGIS
• They condemned the ritual and other aspects of orthodox religion and the social order, using
simple, logical arguments.
• They encouraged the renunciation of the world.
• To them, the path to salvation lay in meditation and to achieve this they advocated intense
training of the mind and body through practices like yogasanas, breathing exercises and
meditation.
• These groups became particularly popular among “low” castes.
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BHAKTI MOVEMENT
IMPORTANCE OF THE BHAKTI MOVEMENT
• Bhakti movement provided a spur for the development of regional languages such as Hindi,
Marathi, Bengali, Kannada, etc.
• The lower classes rose to a position of great importance.
• The Bhakti movement gave equal importance to men and women which gave way to the
importance of women in society.
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