CH18. Bhakti Movement in Medieval India

• The Bhakti cult first rose in Tamil Nadu during the 7th and 8th centuries.

• The Saivaite Nayanmars and Vaishnavite Alwars preached the Bhakti cult under the Pallavas, Pandyas, and Cholas.

• The spread of the Bhakti movement in medieval India was different from the earlier period.

• The medieval Bhakti movement was a direct result of the influence of the spread of Islam in India.

• Monotheism (belief in one God), equality, brotherhood of man, and rejection of rituals and class divisions are key characteristics of Islam.

• These Islamic ideas had a profound impact on the religious leaders of the Bhakti period.

• The preaching of Sufi teachers shaped the thinking of Bhakti reformers like Ramananda, Kabir, and Nanak.

Sufism

• Sufism was a liberal reform movement within Islam.

• It originated in Persia and spread into India in the 11th century.

• The first Sufi saint in India was Shaikh Ismail of Lahore, who started preaching Sufi ideas.

• The most famous Sufi saint of India was Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti, who settled in Ajmer, which became the center of his activities.

• His disciples are known as the Sufis of the Chishti order.

• Another famous Sufi saint was Bahauddin Zakariya, influenced by the mystic Shihabuddin Suhrawardi, forming the Suhrawardi order.

• Nizamuddin Auliya, belonging to the Chishti order, was a powerful spiritual figure.

• These Sufi saints are revered by both Muslims and many Hindus; their tombs are popular pilgrimage sites for both communities.

• Sufism emphasized love and devotion as effective means for the realization of God.

• Love of God meant love of humanity, and service to humanity was considered service to God.

• Self-discipline was essential to gain knowledge of God through sense perception.

• Orthodox Muslims focus on external conduct, while Sufis stress inner purity.

• Orthodox Muslims emphasize blind ritual observance, but Sufis believe love and devotion are the only paths to salvation.

• Spiritual development requires the guidance of a pir or guru according to Sufism.

• Sufism promoted a spirit of tolerance among its followers.

• Other emphasized practices include meditation, good actions, repentance, prayers, pilgrimages, fasting, charity, and asceticism to suppress passions.

• These liberal and unorthodox features of Sufism profoundly influenced medieval Bhakti saints.

• The Mughal emperor Akbar appreciated Sufi doctrines, which shaped his religious outlook and policies.

• As Sufism became popular in India, the Bhakti cult also gained strength among Hindus.

• Both movements, based on love and selfless devotion, helped bring Muslims and Hindus closer.

• However, this trend of communal harmony did not last long.