History & Culture
Bhakti and Sufi Movements
GS Paper I
Bhakti and Sufi Movements — Quick Revision
One-page UPSC revision of the Bhakti and Sufi movements: saints by region, deity and text, Vedanta schools, Sufi silsilas, key terms and common traps.
SyllabusGS I · Indian culture — salient aspects of art forms, literature and architecture from ancient to modern times (medieval religious and devotional traditions)
A last-week sheet for medieval devotional traditions. Prelims tests these as pairs — learn every saint as region + deity + language + text.
South Indian Beginnings
| Group | Deity | Count (tradition) | Compilation | Women saints |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alvars | Vishnu | 12 | Nalayira Divya Prabandham | Andal |
| Nayanars | Shiva | 63 | Tirumurai (incl. Tevaram) | Karaikkal Ammaiyar |
Schools of Vedanta
| Acharya | Century | School |
|---|---|---|
| Shankaracharya | 8th | Advaita |
| Ramanuja | 11th–12th | Vishishtadvaita |
| Nimbarka | c. 12th–13th | Dvaitadvaita |
| Madhva | 13th | Dvaita |
| Vallabha | 15th–16th | Shuddhadvaita (Pushtimarg) |
Saints by Region
| Saint | Region | Remember for |
|---|---|---|
| Basavanna | Karnataka | Virashaiva / Lingayat; vachanas |
| Purandara Dasa | Karnataka | Haridasa; Carnatic music pedagogy |
| Jnaneshwar | Maharashtra | Jnaneshwari (Marathi Gita commentary) |
| Namdev | Maharashtra | Varkari; verses in the Adi Granth |
| Eknath | Maharashtra | Varkari saint, 16th century |
| Tukaram | Maharashtra | Abhangas; 17th century |
| Lal Ded | Kashmir | Shaiva mystic; vakhs |
| Chaitanya | Bengal / Puri | Gaudiya Vaishnavism; sankirtan |
| Sankaradeva | Assam | Ekasarana Dharma; namghar, sattra; Borgeet, Ankiya Naat |
| Kabir | Banaras | Nirguna; Bijak; weaver |
| Guru Nanak | Punjab | Nirguna; nam, langar, sangat; Kartarpur |
| Ravidas | Banaras | Nirguna; verses in the Adi Granth |
| Tulsidas | North India | Saguna (Rama); Ramcharitmanas in Awadhi |
| Surdas | Braj | Saguna (Krishna); Sursagar in Braj |
| Mirabai | Rajasthan | Saguna (Krishna); padas |
Sufi Silsilas
| Order | In India | Remember for |
|---|---|---|
| Chishti | Moinuddin Chishti (Ajmer); Kaki, Baba Farid, Nizamuddin Auliya, Chiragh-i-Dehli; Gesu Daraz (Gulbarga); Salim Chishti (Fatehpur Sikri) | Distance from State; sama; langar |
| Suhrawardi | Bahauddin Zakariya (Multan) | Accepted state patronage |
| Naqshbandi | Baqi Billah; Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi | Orthodox; opposed sama; wahdat-ul-shuhud |
| Qadiri | Mian Mir (Lahore) | Dara Shikoh’s connection |
| Firdausi | Sharafuddin Yahya Maneri (Bihar) | Regional order |
| Rishi | Nund Rishi (Kashmir) | Indigenous Kashmiri order |
Key Terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Silsila | Chain of spiritual descent; a Sufi order |
| Pir / Shaikh; Murid | Master; disciple |
| Khanqah | Sufi hospice |
| Dargah | Shrine at a saint’s tomb |
| Sama | Musical gathering to induce mystical ecstasy |
| Urs | Death anniversary of a saint (“union” with God) |
| Wahdat-ul-Wujud | Unity of being — Ibn Arabi |
| Wahdat-ul-Shuhud | Unity of appearance — Sirhindi |
| Ba-shara / Be-shara | Sufis who follow / do not bind themselves to the sharia |
| Nirguna / Saguna | God without / with attributes and form |
High-yield facts
- Andal — the woman Alvar; Karaikkal Ammaiyar — woman Nayanar.
- The Adi Granth was compiled by Guru Arjan in 1604 and includes Kabir, Namdev, Ravidas and Baba Farid.
- Amir Khusrau — disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya.
- Kashf-ul-Mahjub — early Persian treatise on Sufism by Ali Hujwiri (Lahore).
- Sattriya dance originated in the sattras founded in Sankaradeva’s tradition.
Traps
- Chishti = away from the court; Suhrawardi = close to it.
- Wahdat-ul-Wujud belongs to Ibn Arabi, not Sirhindi.
- Not every Bhakti saint rejected idol worship — that is the nirguna stream.
- Shankara taught the path of knowledge; he is listed here as the starting point of the Vedanta debate, not as a bhakti poet.
Related Topics
- Bhakti and Sufi Traditions — main notes
- Bhakti and Sufi Movements — practice questions
- The Mughal Empire
- All quick revision sheets
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