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IGNOU HISTORY NOTES : India History From 8th to 15th Century - Socio-Religious Movemnet:Bhakti Movement

IGNOU HISTORY Study Notes for IAS, UPSC Exams

History India From 8th to 15th Century

Socio-Religious Movemnet:Bhakti Movement

Structure

29.0 Objectives
29.1 Introduction
29.2 Background : Bhakti Movement in South India
29.3 Bhakti Movement in North India
29.4 Emergence of Bhakti' Movement
29.4.1 Political Factors for the Rise ofthe Bhaktt Movement
29.4.2 Socio-Economic Factors
29.5 Main Popular Movements and their Characteristics
29.5.1 Monotheistic Movements of North lndia
29.5.2 Common Characteristic Features
29.5.3 Vnbhmva BhakU Movement 'in North lndia
29.5.4 Vaishmva BhakU Movement in Bengal
29.5.5 BhakU Movement in Maharashtra
29.5.6 BhakU Movement in Other Regions
29.6 Influence of Other Traditions and Movemerits
29.6.1 Popular Monotheistic Saints and Mmananda
29.6.2 Influence of the N.tbpntM Movement on Monotheistic Saints
29.6.3 Influence of Islamic Ideas and the Role of Sufism
29.6.4 'Ibeory of Islamic Challenge to Hinduism
29.7 Let Us Sum Up
29.8 Key Words
29.9 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises.

29.0 OBJECTIVES

After reading this Unit, you would be able to :
understand the background of thebhakti movement,
identify the main political and socio-economic factors for the rise of bhakti . . .movement in North India,
list the main popular branches and the saints of this movement,
know the main characteristic features of the bhrrkti movement, and
learn about the influence of other traditions and Islam on this'movement.

29.1 INTRODUCTION

Bhakti as a religious concept means devotional surrenaer to a personally conceived
Supreme God for attaining salvation. The origin of this dogrine has been traced to
both the Brahmanical and Buddhist traditions of ancient India and to variolis
scriptures such as the Gita. But it was for the first time in South India between the
seventh and tenth century that bbakti grew from a mere religious doctrine into a
popular movement based on religious equality and broad-based social participation.
The movement which was led by popular saint-poets reached its climax in the tenth
century after which it began to decline. But it was revived as a philosophical and
ideological movement by a series of wandering scholars or acharyas, beginning with
Ramanuja in the eleventh century. The establishment of the Delhi Sultanate in early
thirteenth century witnessed great outburst of inany diverse and widespread
socio-religious movements in various parts of the country drawing upon fhe'concepts
of bhaktiieThese movements have been seen as continuation or revival of the oiber
South Indian bhakti movement. But each one oi the later movements which grew in
the Sultanate period had a.historica1 context of its own and its own peculiarities.
Moreover, one of them, namely, the non-conformist monotheistic movement which
is associated with Kabir and other "low-caste" saints bears onlv suverficial