60-second revision
- Alvars (12) worshipped Vishnu; Nayanars (63) worshipped Shiva — both in Tamil country, c. 6th–9th century.
- Shankara: Advaita; Ramanuja: Vishishtadvaita; Madhva: Dvaita; Vallabha: Shuddhadvaita (Pushtimarg).
- Basavanna led the Virashaiva (Lingayat) movement in 12th-century Karnataka.
- Varkari saints (Jnaneshwar, Namdev, Eknath, Tukaram) worshipped Vitthala of Pandharpur.
- Sankaradeva preached Ekasarana dharma in Assam (namghars and sattras).
- Kabir (Bijak) and Guru Nanak taught nirguna bhakti; Tulsidas wrote the Ramcharitmanas in Awadhi.
- Chishti order: Moinuddin Chishti (Ajmer), Nizamuddin Auliya (Delhi); Suhrawardi: Bahauddin Zakariya (Multan).
- Baba Farid's verses are included in the Guru Granth Sahib.
What Bhakti means
Bhakti is personal, loving devotion to a god, open to anyone regardless of caste or gender. It grew first in the Tamil region between the 6th and 9th centuries and spread north over the next few centuries. Saints wrote in regional languages, not Sanskrit, which helped those languages flourish. Two strands are tested: saguna bhakti (God with form, such as Rama or Krishna) and nirguna bhakti (a formless God, as with Kabir and Guru Nanak).
Alvars and Nayanars
| Group | Deity | Number | Texts and names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alvars | Vishnu | 12 | Nalayira Divya Prabandham; Andal was a woman Alvar |
| Nayanars | Shiva | 63 | Tevaram; Karaikkal Ammaiyar was a woman Nayanar |
Philosophers (acharyas)
| Thinker | School | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| Shankaracharya (8th century, from Kerala) | Advaita (non-dualism) | Brahman alone is real; set up mathas at Sringeri, Dwarka, Puri and Jyotirmath |
| Ramanuja (11th–12th century) | Vishishtadvaita (qualified non-dualism) | Influenced by the Alvars; bhakti as the path |
| Madhvacharya (13th century, Udupi) | Dvaita (dualism) | God and soul are eternally distinct |
| Nimbarka | Dvaitadvaita | Devotion to Radha and Krishna |
| Vallabhacharya (15th–16th century) | Shuddhadvaita | Pushtimarg; Krishna as Shrinathji |
Regional Bhakti saints
| Saint | Region | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| Basavanna | Karnataka | Virashaiva/Lingayat; vachanas; rejected caste |
| Jnaneshwar, Namdev, Eknath, Tukaram | Maharashtra | Varkari tradition; Vitthala of Pandharpur; Jnaneshwari (Marathi commentary on the Gita); Tukaram's abhangas |
| Ramananda | North India | Rama bhakti; Kabir and Ravidas are traditionally called his disciples |
| Kabir | Banaras | Weaver; nirguna; dohas collected in the Bijak |
| Ravidas (Raidas) | Banaras | Leatherworker saint; verses in the Guru Granth Sahib |
| Guru Nanak | Punjab | Born at Talwandi (Nankana Sahib); settled at Kartarpur; langar; founder of Sikhism |
| Mirabai | Rajasthan | Rajput princess devoted to Krishna; Ravidas traditionally regarded as her guru |
| Surdas | Braj region | Sursagar, in Braj; devotee of Krishna |
| Tulsidas | North India | Ramcharitmanas, in Awadhi |
| Chaitanya Mahaprabhu | Bengal and Odisha | Gaudiya Vaishnavism; sankirtan (group singing) |
| Sankaradeva | Assam | Ekasarana dharma; namghars and sattras |
| Lal Ded (Lalleshwari) | Kashmir | Shaiva mystic poet |
| Purandara Dasa | Karnataka | Called the father (pitamaha) of Carnatic music |
Sufism
Sufis were Muslim mystics who stressed love of God, a simple life and service to people. Sufi orders are called silsilas; a master (pir or shaikh) guided disciples (murids) in a hospice called a khanqah. Many Sufis used music and dance (sama) to reach spiritual ecstasy. A saint's tomb became a dargah, and the anniversary of his death is celebrated as urs. The Chishtis kept away from the court and refused state grants.
| Order | Key saints | Centre |
|---|---|---|
| Chishti | Moinuddin Chishti; Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki; Baba Farid; Nizamuddin Auliya; Nasiruddin Chiragh-i-Dehli; Salim Chishti; Gesu Daraz | Ajmer, Delhi, Pakpattan, Fatehpur Sikri, Gulbarga |
| Suhrawardi | Bahauddin Zakariya | Multan; close to rulers |
| Naqshbandi | Khwaja Baqi Billah; Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi | Orthodox; opposed Akbar's religious ideas |
| Qadiri | Mian Mir | Lahore; Dara Shikoh was a follower |
| Firdausi | Sharafuddin Yahya Maneri | Bihar |
Amir Khusrau was a disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya and is linked with the growth of qawwali. Malik Muhammad Jayasi wrote the Padmavat in Awadhi in the Sufi tradition.
Why these movements mattered
Bhakti and Sufi saints shared much: a personal relationship with God, a teacher-disciple bond, criticism of empty ritual and caste pride, and use of the people's languages. Their songs gave a big push to Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Punjabi, Bengali and Assamese literature, and their shrines drew followers from every community. Guru Nanak's teachings — one God, honest work, sharing and the community kitchen (langar) — grew into Sikhism under the later Gurus.
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