Medieval Indian History
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| Saint | Region | Remember for |
|---|---|---|
| Alvars / Nayanars | Tamil Nadu (6th–9th c.) | Vishnu / Shiva devotion |
| Ramanuja | Tamil Nadu | Vishishtadvaita (qualified non-dualism) |
| Madhvacharya | Karnataka | Dvaita (dualism) |
| Basavanna | Karnataka (12th c.) | Virashaiva / Lingayat movement; vachanas |
| Ramananda | North India | Guru of Kabir and Ravidas |
| Kabir | Varanasi | Dohas collected in Bijak; attacked idol worship and ritual |
| Chaitanya Mahaprabhu | Bengal / Odisha (Puri) | Gaudiya Vaishnavism; sankirtan |
| Tulsidas | UP | Ramcharitmanas in Awadhi |
| Surdas | Braj | Sursagar (Krishna) in Braj Bhasha |
| Mirabai | Rajasthan (Mewar) | Krishna bhajans |
| Jnaneshwar | Maharashtra | Jnaneshwari — Marathi commentary on the Gita |
| Namdev, Tukaram | Maharashtra | Warkari tradition; Tukaram's abhangas |
| Sankardeva | Assam | Ekasarana dharma; founded sattras and namghars |
Sufi orders (silsilas)
| Order | Key saint | Centre |
|---|---|---|
| Chishti | Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (came c. 1192) | Ajmer |
| Chishti | Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki | Delhi (Qutub Minar named after him) |
| Chishti | Baba Farid (Fariduddin Ganj-i-Shakar) | Pakpattan — verses in the Adi Granth |
| Chishti | Nizamuddin Auliya | Delhi — disciple Amir Khusrau |
| Suhrawardi | Bahauddin Zakariya | Multan |
| Naqshbandi | Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi | Orthodox; opposed Akbar's liberal policies |
Amir Khusrau: called Tuti-i-Hind ("Parrot of India"); credited with shaping qawwali; wrote in Persian and Hindavi.
Two roads to the same God
The Bhakti and Sufi movements of the medieval centuries answered ritual-heavy religion with love, devotion and the people's languages — and quietly attacked caste.
Bhakti in the south first
The Alvars (devotees of Vishnu) and Nayanars (devotees of Shiva) sang between the 6th and 9th centuries; the Tevaram hymns belong to the Nayanars (Appar, Sambandar, Sundarar); Andal is the woman Alvar. Philosophically, Shankaracharya taught Advaita (non-dualism), Ramanuja Vishishtadvaita (qualified non-dualism), Madhva Dvaita (dualism), Vallabhacharya Shuddhadvaita.
The north Indian wave
Ramananda (Varanasi) opened bhakti to all castes; his disciples included Kabir and Ravidas. Kabir, the weaver of Varanasi/Benares, mocked ritual on both sides and preached nirguna bhakti — his sayings live in the Bijak. Guru Nanak founded what became Sikhism (langar, honest labour, one God). Tulsidas gave Rama-bhakti in Awadhi (Ramcharitmanas); Suras sang Krishna in Braj (Sursagar); Mirabai sang for Krishna; Tukaram's abhangas (Marathi) belong to the Varkari sect worshipping Vithoba at Pandharpur (Namdev too); Chaitanya swept Bengal-Odisha with kirtans; Shankaradeva carried Vaishnavism to Assam.
Sufism — Islamic mysticism
Sufi orders are silsilas ('chains' of master-to-disciple succession); the relationship is pir-murid; practice includes zikr (recitation) and sama (musical gatherings — the root of qawwali). The four main Indian silsilas:
- Chishti — the Indian chain began with Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (Ajmer), through Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, Baba Farid, Nizamuddin Auliya (Delhi) and Nasiruddin Chiragh; it avoided the court and served all communities.
- Suhrawardi — Bahauddin Zakariya (Multan), accepted state service.
- Naqshbandi — Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi (revivalist).
- Qadiri — Sufism's oldest order, later Dara Shikoh's inclination. Saints' tombs became dargahs — pilgrimage (ziyarat) centres.
What they changed
Vernacular languages flowered (Bijak, Manas, abhangas), caste distinctions weakened at the level of devotional community, and bhakti-sufi shrines (Ajmer, Pandharpur, dargahs of Delhi) became shared spaces.
Question types you will see
Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.
Alvars, Nayanars and the Acharyas
'Alvars were devotees of', Nayanar hymn collections, Advaita-Vishishtadvaita-Dvaita founders.
Alvars = Vishnu, Nayanars = Shiva; Tevaram = Nayanar hymns (Appar, Sambandar, Sundarar); Andal = woman Alvar.
Schools: Advaita-Shankaracharya, Vishishtadvaita-Ramanuja, Dvaita-Madhva, Shuddhadvaita-Vallabhacharya.
Ramanuja's school influenced South Indian Vaishnavism directly.
The Alvars of south India were devotees of —
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Vishnu — the Nayanars were the Shiva-devotee counterparts.
North Indian Bhakti saints ↔ sect, language, work
Kabir-Bijak, Tulsidas-Awadhi, Tukaram-Marathi, Chaitanya-Bengal, Varkari-Vithoba, nirguna vs saguna.
Language anchors: Tulsidas-Awadhi, Sur-Braj, Tukaram & Namdev-Marathi, Chaitanya-Bengal, Kabir-sadhan mix.
Works: Kabir-Bijak; Tulsidas-Ramcharitmanas; Sur-Sursagar.
Sects: Varkari = Vithoba of Pandharpur; nirguna (Kabir, Nanak) vs saguna (Tulsidas, Sur, Mira).
Tukaram's abhangas are composed in which language?
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Marathi — he belongs to the Varkari sect of Pandharpur.
Sufi silsilas ↔ founders and saints
'Which silsila did X belong to', Ajmer dargah, Multan saint, meaning of silsila and sama.
Chishti: Moinuddin (Ajmer) → Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki → Baba Farid → Nizamuddin Auliya → Nasiruddin Chiragh.
Suhrawardi-Bahauddin Zakariya (Multan); Naqshbandi-Ahmad Sirhindi; Qadiri = oldest.
Terms: silsila = chain/order, pir-murid, sama = musical recital, dargah = tomb-shrine.
The Suhrawardi silsila in India is associated with which saint?
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Bahauddin Zakariya of Multan — unlike the Chishtis, his order accepted state service.
Shared features of Bhakti and Sufi movements
Statement questions: caste criticism, vernacular use, guru-disciple bond, devotional equality — which statements are true.
Common ground: devotion above ritual, use of people's languages, criticism of caste, the guru's centrality, devotional equality.
Neither movement was 'anti-temple' as a whole — judge each statement, not the cliché.
Shared spaces: dargahs and temple towns; qawwali grew from sama.
Which was a common feature of both the Bhakti and Sufi movements?
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Use of vernacular languages and a devotional path open to all castes and communities.
Shortcuts that save time
Ramanuja → Vishishtadvaita · Madhva → Dvaita · (Shankara → Advaita).
Dvaita philosophy was propounded by —
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MaDhva → Dvaita.
Tulsidas = Awadhi (A for Ayodhya's Ram) · Surdas = Braj (Bal-Krishna).
Mistakes to avoid
Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.
Ramcharitmanas is in Awadhi, not Sanskrit or Braj.
Moinuddin Chishti = Ajmer; Nizamuddin Auliya = Delhi.
Sankardeva is from Assam; Chaitanya from Bengal.
Quick revision
Read this the night before the exam.
Alvars-Vishnu, Nayanars-Shiva; Tevaram = Nayanar hymns; Andal = woman Alvar.
Advaita-Shankara, Vishishtadvaita-Ramanuja, Dvaita-Madhva.
Kabir-Bijak; Tulsidas-Awadhi; Sur-Braj; Tukaram-Marathi abhangas (Varkari, Vithoba-Pandharpur); Chaitanya-Bengal.
Silsilas: Chishti (Moinuddin → Nizamuddin), Suhrawardi (Bahauddin Zakariya), Naqshbandi (Sirhindi), Qadiri.
Sama = music; pir-murid; dargah = tomb-shrine.
Practice: 12 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 12 questions
Suggested time 5 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.