DR.

RAM MANOHAR LOHIYA NATIONAL LAW

UNIVERSITY, LUCKNOW
(SESSION 2023-2028)

HISTORY PROJECT
ON
IMPACT OF BHAKTI MOVEMENT ON INDIAN SUFIS

SUBMITTED BY- SUBMITTED TO-

Anuj Kumar Dr. Vandana Singh
230101034 FACULTY OF
BA LLB (Hons.) HISTORY
1st Semester (Sec- ‘A’) Dr. Ram Manohar
National Law University

1|Page
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I express my gratitude and deep regards to my teacher for the subject,

Dr. VANDANA SINGH, for allowing me to work on such a
challenging topic and for his exemplary guidance, monitoring, and
constant encouragement throughout this project.
I would also like to thank the librarians of Madhu Limaye Library,
who extended their assistance by helping me consult the relevant
books and providing me with research material and good books to
read, and the distinguished authors for providing such invaluable
information in the public domain. I also thank my friends and seniors
who aided me along the way.
Lastly, I thank my family and friends for their constant
encouragement, without which this assignment would not have been
possible. Despite my best efforts, some discrepancies might have
crept in, which I believe my humble Professor would forgive. Thank
you All.
-ANUJ KUMAR

2|Page
INDEX:
 INTRODUCTION …………………………………………4
 RISE OF ISLAM AND SUFI MOVEMENT…………..…..5
o POLITICAL BACKGROUND………………………….7
o CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT………………………..7
o THE BHAKTI MOVEMENT……………………….......8
o POPULARITY OF BHAKTI MOVEMENT …………..10
o DEVELOPMENT OF FOLK ART……………………..11
o PAINTING ………………………………………….....12
o MUSIC …………………………………………………13
o RISE OF MODERN INDIAN LANGUAGE ………….14
o SIKHISM ………………………………………………14
o SOUTH INDIA EFFECT ………………………………15
 CONCLUSION……………………………………………15-16
 BIBILIOGRAPHY…………………………………………17

3|Page
 INTRODUCTION:

The Bhakti movement was a religious and social campaign that originated in India during the
15th century. It emphasized personal devotion to God, rejected ritualism and caste
distinctions, and employed vernacular languages to reach a wider audience. In the Muslim
world, a comparable movement called the Sufi movement emerged around the same time.
The Sufi movement also stressed personal devotion to God, rejected ritualism and formalism,
and shared many common ideas with the Bhakti movement, such as the importance of love
for God, the need for spiritual transformation, and the oneness of all humanity. Both
movements also borrowed practices from each other, such as singing devotional songs and
dancing in ecstasy.

The Bhakti movement had a significant impact on Indian Sufis. One of the most important
consequences of the Bhakti movement was the use of vernacular languages. Prior to the
Bhakti movement, most Sufi literature in India was written in Persian. The Bhakti saints
started using local languages, like Hindi, Punjabi, and Bengali, to reach out to a wider
audience. This made Sufism more accessible to ordinary people, resulting in the flourishing
of Sufi literature in these languages.

Another significant impact of the Bhakti movement on Indian Sufis was the emphasis on
social reform. The Bhakti saints challenged the caste system and other social inequalities.
They also promoted gender equality and religious tolerance. The Sufi saints were also
interested in social reform, and they were influenced by the Bhakti movement in this regard.

The Bhakti and Sufi movements played a major role in shaping Indian society and culture.
They helped promote religious tolerance, social equality, and spiritual development and
enriched Indian literature and music. The following are some specific examples of the impact
of the Bhakti movement on Indian Sufis:

- Kabir, a Sufi saint, was heavily influenced by the Bhakti poet Ravidas. His poetry reflects
the Bhakti emphasis on personal devotion to God, rejection of ritualism, and the oneness of
all humanity.

4|Page
- Another Sufi saint, Bulleh Shah, was also influenced by the Bhakti movement. His poetry is
known for its simple and direct language, emotional intensity, and emphasis on the love of
God.
- The Bhakti movement helped popularize the use of devotional songs and dancing in Sufi
practices. This is evident in the Sufi tradition of qawwali, a form of devotional singing that is
still popular today.
- The Bhakti movement also helped promote religious tolerance and understanding between
Hindus and Muslims. This is evident in the work of the Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya, who
was known for his respect for all religions.

RISE OF ISLAM AND SUFISM

The Muslims first came to India in the eighth century AD mainly as traders. They were
fascinated by the socio-cultural scenario in this country and decided to make India their
home. The traders who came to India from Central and West Asia carried back with them
traces of Indian science and culture. As a result they became cultural ambassadors of India by
disseminating this knowledge to the Islamic world and from there to Europe. The immigrant
Muslims also entered into matrimonial alliances with the local people and learned to live
together in harmony. There was mutual exchange of ideas and customs. The Hindus and
Muslims influenced each other equally in dress, speech, manners, customs and intellectual
pursuits. The Muslims also brought with them their religion, Islam which had a deep impact
on Indian society and culture. Let us find out more about Prophet Mohammad and Islam in
this lesson.

Prophet Mohammad preached Islam in the seventh century AD in Arabia. He was born in AD
571 in the Quraysh tribe of Arabia. He migrated to Medina from Mecca in AD 622 and this
marked the beginning of the Hijira Era. According to the Muslim belief, Quran is the
message of Allah revealed to Mohammad through his archangel Gabriel. It has been
translated into several languages.

The five fundamental principles of Islam are:

(1) Tauhid (belief in Allah)
(2) Namaz (prayers, five times a day)
(3) Roza (fasting in the month of Ramzan)
(4) Zakat (giving of alms)
5|Page
(5) Haj (pilgrimage to Mecca)
Prophet Mohammad’s sayings are preserved in what is called the Hadith or Hadees. After his
death the Caliphate was established. There were four pious Caliphs.
Islam talked of equality, brotherhood, and the existence of one God. Its arrival particularly
made a profound impact on the traditional pattern of Indian society. The rise of both the
Bhakti and the Sufi movements contributed immensely in this regard. Both the Bhakti and the
Sufi movements believed that all humans are equal, God is supreme and devotion to God is
the only way to achieve salvation.

Rise of Sufism
Sufism, a term used to describe Islamic mysticism, gained popularity in India during the
Turkish rule due to its liberal religious outlook. The Sufis believed in the unity of all religions
and preached spirituality through music and doctrines that professed union with God. They
welcomed people from all walks of life, including Hindus from lower classes, to Islam
through their sense of piety, tolerance, sympathy, concept of equality, and friendly attitude.
The Sufi saints, such as Moinuddin Chisti, Nizamuddin Auliya, and Fariduddin Ganj-e-
Shakar, are still loved, respected, and honored in India today.

Christian and Buddhist monks influenced the Sufis in the establishment of their khanqahs and
dargahs. Khanqahs were institutions or abodes of Sufis set up in northern India, which helped
to spread Islam deeper into the countryside. Mazars, or tombs, and Takias, or resting places
of Muslim saints, also became centers for the propagation of Islamic ideas, patronized by
both the aristocracy and the common people. The Sufis emphasized respect for all human
beings.

The Sufis were organized into religious orders or silsilahs, named after their founders, such as
Chishti, Suhrawardi, Qadi, and Naqshbandis. According to Abul Fazl, the author of the Ain-i-
Akbari, there were as many as fourteen silsilahs in India during the sixteenth century. Each
order had its own khanqah, which served as a shelter for the Sufi saints and the destitute, and
later developed as a learning center.

Important centers of Sufism developed in Ajmer, Nagaur, and Ajodhan or Pak Pattan (now in
Pakistan). These centers also started the tradition of piri-muridi or teacher and disciple. To
attain a state of mystical ecstasy, the Sufis listened to poetry and music (sama) which were
originally in Persian but later switched to Hindawi or Hindustani. They preached the unity of
God and self-surrender unto Him in almost the same way as the votaries of the Nïrgun Bhakti
movement did. Music attracts everybody, irrespective of language. Slowly, such music
attracted Hindus, who visited the dargahs in large numbers. The Hindu impact on Sufism also
became visible through Siddhas and yogic postures.

6|Page
 POLITICAL BACKGROUND
The rulers of Delhi, who were Mamluk Turks, governed from 1206 to 1490. They were
succeeded by the Khiljis, Tughlaqs, Sayyids, and Lodis, who ruled northern India from Delhi
until 1526. All of these rulers were known as Sultans, and their responsibility was to govern a
territory on behalf of the Khalifa or Caliph, who was the Muslims' spiritual and temporal
leader. During Friday prayers, the names of both the Khalifa and the Sultan were read by the
local Imams.

In 1526, the Mughals took over from the Delhi Sultans, ruling initially from Agra and later
from Delhi until 1707. The Mughal dynasty, however, continued only nominally until 1857
when it ended. The Mughals did not ask for any investiture, but they continued to send gifts
to the Khalifas and got the khutba to read in their own names.

In the mid-16th century, Sher Shah, a local Afghan ruler, challenged Humayun, the Mughal
ruler, and kept him away from the throne of Delhi for about 15 years (1540-1555). Sher
Shah's reign is notable for many remarkable accomplishments, including the construction of
several roads, the most important of which is the Sarak-i-Azam or Grand Trunk Road, which
stretches from Sonargaon (now in Bangladesh) to Attock (now in Pakistan) and runs through
Delhi and Agra, covering a distance of 1500 kos.

Aurangzeb's shortsighted policies and endless wars in various parts of the country (especially
in South India) led to the disintegration of the Mughal Empire. The rise of the Marathas in the
south, the invasions of Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali, unrest among the nobility in the
court, and the rise of the Sikhs in northwestern India destroyed what was left of the Mughal
power. Economically, India was still the world's largest exporter and had significant wealth,
but it fell far behind in the process of modernization.

CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
It was in the field of art and architecture that the rulers of this period took a keen interest. The
composite cultural characteristic of the medieval period is amply witnessed in these fields. A
new style of architecture known as the Indo-Islamic style was born out of this fusion. The
distinctive features of Indo-Islamic architecture were the
(a) dome, (b) lofty towers or minarets, (c) arch, and (d) the vault.

7|Page
The Mughal rulers were great lovers of nature. They took pleasure in spending their time in
building beautiful forts and gardens. The famous Mughal gardens like the Shalimar Bagh
and the Nishat Bagh are important elements of our cultural heritage. Waterways and
fountains were crisscrossing these gardens, and finally, there were gardens with stages or
levels. The water, while cascading from one stage to another, was made to fall in small
streamlets with lamps lit behind them, making the water shimmer and lend a special charm to
the whole atmosphere. It could also be made to flow over a chiseled and sloping slab so that
the water flowing over it shimmered. The best example of this type of garden is the Shalimar
Gardens of Lahore (now in Pakistan). The Lahore garden has three stages. But a better
example can be seen in India at Pinjore Garden, situated on the Chandigarh-Kalka road,
where we have a seven-stage garden. This impressed the British so much that they created a
three-stage garden in the Vice-Regal Lodge (now the Rashtrapati Bhawan) in New Delhi, It
was on these very lines that the famous Vrindavan Garden in Mysore were built in the
twentieth century. The Pietra dura or colored stone inlay work on marble became very
popular in the days of Shahjahan and the finest examples of this type of work are available in
the Red Fort in Delhi and the Taj Mahal at Agra. Besides, the structures within the Fatehpur
Sikri complex, the forts at Agra and Lahore and the Shahi mosques in Delhi and Lahore are
an important part of our heritage. During this period mosques, tombs of kings and dargahs
came to dominate the landscape.
BHAKTI MOVEMENT
The Sufis were not the only popular religious teacher of the time. There were also the Bhakti
saints. Their teachings were similar to those of the Sufis but they had been teaching for a
longer time. They were popular among the artisans, craftsmen and traders in the towns. The
people in the villages also flocked to listen to them.
The Sufi and Bhakti saints had many thoughts and practices in common. Their essential
belief was in the need to unite with God. They laid stress on love or devotion as the basis of
the relationship with God. To achieve all this a Guru or a Pir was needed.
The Bhakti saints attacked the rigidity in religion and the objects of worship. They
disregarded caste and encouraged women to join in their religious gatherings. The Bhakti
saints did their entire teaching in the local vernacular language to make it comprehensible
even to simple minds.
The Bhakti saints belonged to various backgrounds but mainly from the lower castes. Many
were artisans by origin or belonged to the less prosperous class of cultivators. They stressed

8|Page
the need for tolerance among humans and religions.
The Bhakti movement was long known in the South. The idea of preaching Bhakti through
hymns and stories was traditionally done by the Alvars and the Nayannars of the Tamil
devotional cult. You will read about them later in this book
Guru Nanak
Guru Nanak was born of a Khatri family in the village of Talwandi which is now called
Nankana. Though Guru Nanak was trained in accountancy, he preferred the company of
saints and sufis. Some time later, he had a mystic vision. He left home for the company of
saints and pirs. He composed hymns and sang them to the accompaniment of the ‘rabab’,
which is a musical instrument. His hymns are popular even today. He emphasised love and
devotion for the one and only God. He strongly denounsed idol worship, pilgrimages,
sacrifices and rituals as away to achieving God. He demanded purity of character and conduct
as the first condition of approaching God. He believed that anyone could achieve a spiritual
life while doing his duties as a householder.
Ramanuja
Ramanuja was from the South and he taught in the language of the common people. His
disciple was Ramananda who took his Guru’s message to the northern parts of India.
Ramananda Ramananda was born at Allahabad and educated at Varanasi. He preached at
both these places. He wanted to rid the Hindu religion of its evil customs and practices. He
wanted people to know that all men were equal in the eyes of God and there was nobody high
born or low born. His followers belonged to diferent walks of like. For example, Kabir was a
weaver, Sadhana was a butcher, Ravidasa was a cobbler and Sena was a barber.

Kabir
Kabir was Ramananda’s favourite disciple. Like Nanak, he criticised the existing social order
and called for Hindu-Muslim unity. Kabir, the son of a Muslim weaver, strongly denounced
idol worship, taking part in formal worship such as Namaz, pilgrimages or bathing in rivers.
He wanted to preach a religion which was acceptable to all and that would unite all religions.
He emphasized the unity of God. He called Him by several names such as Rama, Gobinda,
Hari and Allah. You must have read his ‘Dohas’ or ‘couplets’ in Hindi.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Chaitanya was a saint from Bengal. He was a devotee of Lord Krishna. Though he was a

9|Page
Brahman, condemned the caste system and emphasized the equality of all. He wanted the
people to know that true worship lay in love and devotion. He used to go into a trance singing
devotional songs in praise of Lord Krishna.
Mirabai
Mirabai was another Bhakti Saint who worshipped, composed and sang songs in praise of
Lord Krishna. Like Chaitanya, she too would go into a trance in her love for the God.
Namadeva
Namadeva was a tailor. He wrote in Marathi. His poetry spoke of intense love and devotion
to God.
Popularity of the Bhakti Movement
How did the Bhakti movement become so popular with the people? An important reason was
that they challenged the caste system and the superiority of the Brahmanas. They welcomed
the ideas of equality and brotherhood which the Sufi saints also preached. People were no
longer satisfied with the old religion. They wanted a religion that could satisfy both their
rationality as well as emotions. All the Bhakti saints emphasized the oneness of God. They
said that the path to God lay in devotion and Bhakti to Him and not in any rituals. They
condemned rituals and sacrifices.
In northern India, it developed into two streams, nirguna bhakti and saguna bhakti. The
nirgunabhaktas were devotees of a formless God even while calling him variously as Rama,
Govinda, Hari, or Raghunatha. The most conspicuous among them were Kabir and Nanak.
The sagunabhaktas were devotees of Rama, the son of Dasharatha, or Krishna, the son of
Devaki and Vasudeva. Some of the best examples of Sagunabhaktas were Tulsidas, who
idolized Rama in his famous RamcharitaManas, and Surdas, who sang praises of Krishna in
his famous Sursagar. Raskhan, a Muslim poet, who was a devotee of Lord Krishna, also
belonged to this tradition.
The first important feature of the bhakti movement was the concept of the oneness of God
and the brotherhood of all human beings. It did not discriminate against anyone on the basis
of caste or gender. Its second important feature was a surrender to God, who is all pervasive
and capable of solving the problems of the devotees. The third important feature of bhakti
was an intense personal devotion to God with an emphasis on a good moral life. It was felt
that chanting the name of God constantly purified the soul and prepared one for His grace. A
true devotee does not want heaven or moksha. He only wants to chant the Lord’s name and
be born again and again to sing His praise.

10 | P a g e
In addition, came the guru or spiritual teacher, whose function was to provide people with
hope, strength and inner courage. He was supposed to be a person who had marched ahead on
the path of bhakti and had probably realized God and hence was capable of leading others
into Him. This brought in a system of pahul. Pahul was the sanctified water offered by a
master to the pupil or shishya as a token of his being accepted as a trainee on his march to
godliness. The Sikhs performed the “washing of the swords” ceremony, called
khandekapahul, evolving as the pir-muridi custom (the saint-soldier concept). Have you been
able to notice here some features of the Bhakti tradition, which were similar to the practices
and ideas of the Sufis? The spirit of Bhakti pervaded the whole of India and found vivid and
beautiful expression in the religious poetry of the medieval saints and mystics, no matter
what religious faith they believed in. Their literary compositions, rendered into geet, qawali,
etc united the people, as nothing else could have done. It also stimulated the development of
regional languages.
DEVELOPMENT OF FOLK ARTS
The rural masses got opportunities to display their creative skills in many fields. Several
occasions associated with agricultural operations, for example, the tilling of soil, sowing of
saplings, picking of cotton, pulling out the weeds and many other social functions, provided
opportunities for singing and dancing. Does this sound familiar to you? Yes, the festivals and
rituals you perform today have continued from the past with necessary changes in keeping
with time.
The advent of rains became occasions for dancing and merry-making. The gods were invoked
and special pujas offered in the temples. It was also an occasion for enjoying the swings.
Similarly, ladies on their spinning wheels accompanied by other ladies would sit together and
sing till late into the night. This was a common sight in almost all the villages in India.
It is important to note that almost every region developed its own peculiar dance form with a
local flavor. Thus Garba, Kalbella, Bhangra, Gïddha, Bamboo dance, Lavani and
innumerable other dance forms, came into existence. Today, some of these are performed
during the Republic Day celebrations and other festive occasions.
Formal education was not considered very important for women but this did not prevent them
from showing their talent in various other fields. They displayed their creativity in
needlework.
In Rajasthan, girls created beautiful designs on odhani, shirts, and ghagras. The

11 | P a g e
Rajasthanis also created beautiful designs of tie and dye work in fabrics used both by women
and men. Even today, we find the people of Rajasthan as the most colourfully dressed in
India. Their lavishness could be seen in the way they decorated their animals (horses,
bullocks, camels and even elephants). In Punjab, the girls created beautiful phulkaris. In and
around Lucknow, came up the chikan work on shirts, salwars, odhanis and even sarees. It
appears that the dramatists about whom Bharata mentions in his Natyashastra (fifth century
AD) had not completely disappeared. The tamasha and the lavani forms of dance drama were
developed in Maharashtra; the Pandavanis in central India and Merasis in northern India
applied such art forms with slight modifications. So also the puppeteer, the bard and the
mime moved from place to place, entertaining people in various ways. The acrobat and the
juggler also could be seen moving from place to place. In some areas the martial arts were
developed, while wrestling has been popular all over India since time immemorial.
PAINTING
Another area which was influenced by Islamic culture was painting. Humayun had spent
more than twelve years in Persia as a refugee. He brought painters with him to India when he
became the ruler of Delhi once again in 1555. Famous among them were Mir Sayid Ali and
AbdusSamad who nurtured the tradition of painting manuscript. An example of it is Dastan-
e-Amir Hamza, which has nearly 1200 paintings. The period also witnessed the flowering of
portrait and miniature paintings. However, what is amazing is that some of these painters
tried to paint the classical ragas, thereby giving form and colour to such abstract conceptions
as music. Seasons or baramasa paintings were similarly given artistic forms. Can you ever
estimate the creativity of these artists? Nowhere else in the world except perhaps in China,
artists have tried to paint music or seasons.
Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan continued to give patronage to these artists and as a result,
the Mughal school of painting continued to flourish. Akbar as a liberal ruler extended his
patronage to painting. He also employed a large number of Hindu painters like Daswant and
BasawanLal.
Consequently, there was a fusion of Persian and Indian styles (of painting) during his period.
The European influence on Indian painting too was noticed.
The Mughal school of painting reached its zenith under Jahangir who was a famous painter.
His court was adorned with famous painters like Ustad and AbulHasan. Mansur was famous
for his miniature paintings. However, Aurangzeb due to his orthodox views and political
preoccupations, stopped patronizing music and painting. Like their masters, some princes

12 | P a g e
also extended patronage to painters. Thus, besides the Mughal school, the Rajput and the
Pahari schools of painting also received encouragement. Even the upper classes in society
started patronizing painters. As a result, the havelis (big mansions) of the rich and temples
were profusely embellished. These havelis in Rajasthan attract a large number of tourists
even today. You can visit these havelis if you find an opportunity to visit Rajasthan.
The Mughal school of painting from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century gave rise to the
Indo-Persian school of miniature art. The Mughal court painters introduced landscapes
together with human figures and costumes. When they came in touch with the traditional
Indian styles, they became more natural. Signing on the miniatures as a tradition also started.
Artists were now employed on monthly salaries. They illustrated such important works as the
Changeznama, Zafarnama, and the Ramayana.
MUSIC

The Mughal emperors Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan, patronized several musicians.
Tansen, who adorned the court of Akbar, not only sang the classical ragas but also composed
new ones. It is said that Shah Jahan himself was quite a good singer. These musicians
entertained the emperors at different times of the day and in different seasons with
appropriate ragas. During the Turko-Afghan rule in India, a synthesis of Indo-Iranian music
had started. During the Mughal rule, it developed further. It is interesting to note that
Aurangzeb was against music, but the largest number of books on classical Indian music in
Persian were written during his time. In the North, a distinct school known as the Hindustani
school of music came into being and its specialty lay in producing sweet and rapturous
melodies to suit different moods of life. The ragas and the raginis were personified
accordingly. Khayal, Thumri, and Ghazal were also elaborated during this period. Tansen,
was in a sense the pioneer of this school. Similarly, in the south, the Carnatic school of music
developed. However, ordinary people retained the flair for folk music and folk songs to
commemorate their local chiefs like Alha-Udal, Dulla-Bhatti, Jaimal-Phatta, etc.
INDO-MUGHAL CULTURE
The Mughal rulers discarded the Afghan titles of the Sultan and styled themselves as Badshah
(emperor) and Din-e-Panah (protector of faith). Further, to evoke reverence among the
subject for the emperor, they started the practice of jharokha-darshan, or making public
appearances through specially built windows. They also encouraged the court practice of

13 | P a g e
sijda (low prostration before the kings) and concentrated religious and political power more
firmly in their hands.
RISE OF MODERN INDIAN LANGUAGES
Another important development during this period was the emergence of several modern
Indian languages. Urdu perhaps originated around Delhi. It developed as a camp language in
the army of AllauddinKhilji when they were stationed in the Deccan around fourteenth
century AD. In fact, the states of Bijapur and the Golconda in the Deccan became the cradles
of Urdu literature. The language soon developed its own grammar and became a distinct
language As time passed, it came to be used by the elite as well. The famous poet Amir
Khusrau, who composed poetry in this language, also played some part in making it popular.
Besides poetry, beautiful prose, short stories, novels, and drama were written in Urdu during
the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In the first half of the nineteenth century, Urdu
journalism played a very important role during the struggle for independence.
Along with Urdu, nearly all other modern Indian languages like Bengali, Assamese, Oriya,
Khariboli, Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi, Sindhi, Kashmiri as well as the four South Indian
languages -Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam – came to acquire their present form and
developed during this period.
Sikhism
The Sikh community is a significant part of our population, mainly originating from Punjab.
Orthodox Sikhs believe that their religion was revealed to Guru Nanak by God, and that his
spirit entered the following gurus until the tenth Guru. Guru Gobind Singh ordained the
AdiGranth, also known as the Guru Granth Sahib, as the Sikhs' guru. However, historians and
religion scholars believe that the seeds for the birth and development of this religion were
present in the nirguna branch of the Bhakti movement. The Sikh faith is based on the belief in
a formless God, equality of all mankind, the need for a guru, and the pahul tradition.

The gurudom, the position of the guru, was sometimes conferred upon the son and sometimes
upon the best disciple. Guru Arjun Dev, the fifth guru, gave the Sikhs three important things.
The first was the AdiGranth, which contains the teachings of five gurus and other allied
saints. The second was the standardized script for Gurmukhi in which the AdiGranth was first
written. Finally, he laid the foundation of the HarMandir Sahib or the Golden Temple and the
Akal Takht at Amritsar, the highest seat from where the dictats for the entire Sikh community
are issued. In 1699, the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh, created the Khalsa, which means "the

14 | P a g e
pure". He also ordained the Sikhs to take five vows, including the keeping of kesh (long hair
and a beard), kanga (comb), kada (a metallic bangle), kirpan (a sword), and kaccha
(underwear extending to a little above the knees). Consequently, these symbols became the
distinguishing marks of a Sikh. He further added that after his death, the Adi Granth would be
the guru of the Sikhs, and they would have to pay obeisance to this holy book.
Music has always been an essential feature of Sikhism, and they believe that through music,
one can attain ecstasy or samadhi.
SOUTH INDIA

Between the 9th and 11th centuries AD, the Cholas dynasty ruled the Cholamandalam region
of Southern India. They were known for their strong army and powerful navy. Rajendra
Chola, one of the rulers, is said to have conquered some Indonesian islands. The Cholas also
established democratic institutions at the village level, and Buddhism and Jainism flourished
in the region. The Cholas also patronized literature, fine arts, sculpture, and metal castings of
the highest order.

In the 14th century, Vijayanagara, now known as Karnataka, rose as a new state. To the north
of this state, across the Tungabhadra river, the Bahamani, now known as Andhra Pradesh,
emerged as a new Islamic state. The Bahamani and Vijayanagara kingdoms were in conflict
over the rich Raichur Doab.

In the Cholamandalam region, Tamil was the popular language, while in Karnataka,
Kannada, in Andhra, Telegu, and in Kerala, Malayalam were spoken, all using different
scripts. Originally, the entire region might have spoken Tamil as it is a very old language, but
by the Middle Ages, the four languages had distinct identities.

Between the 14th and 16th centuries, Vijayanagara reached great heights and became a great
patron of art and learning. Visitors who came to the area in the 15th and 16th centuries
praised the kings, the towns, and the people. The remains of Vijayanagara found in Hampi
continue to dazzle the world today. During the Chola period, Kanchi became a great seat of
learning.

CONCLUSION

The Bhakti Movement was a significant cultural revolution in medieval India, led by a group
of reformers who emphasized the importance of faith and devotional love over other forms of
worship. The movement was not spearheaded by a single individual or class, but by saints

15 | P a g e
who mainly came from the lower orders of society such as tailors, gardeners, potters,
goldsmiths, and shopkeepers, and even mahars, rather than from Brahmins. These saints
advocated against the exclusive spirit of caste denomination and asserted the dignity of the
human soul, independent of the accidents of birth and social rank. They upheld the sanctity of
family life against the traditions of celibacy and asceticism. The movement gained
momentum as a resistance to the Muslim conquest.
The Bhakti Movement was led by individuals who came from all castes and classes, and
promoted tolerance and unity among different religious groups. They went from place to
place, singing devotional songs and preaching the Unity of God and brotherhood of man.
Their simple preaching and emphasis on charity and devotion encouraged the spirit of
toleration among the people.

The religious upheaval caused by the Bhakti Movement led to the initiation of a parallel
campaign by Muslims, which gave birth to the Sufi Movement in India. Sufi, Wali, Darvesh,
and Faqir are terms used for Muslim saints who aimed at the development of their intuitive
faculties through ascetic exercises, contemplation, renunciation, and self-denial. By the 12th
century A.D., Sufism had become a universal aspect of Islamic social life and its influence
extended over almost the entire Muslim community. Like Bhakti, Sufism took roots in both
rural and urban areas and exercised a deep social, political, and cultural influence on the
masses. It rejected all forms of religious formalism, orthodoxy, falsehood, and hypocrisy, and
aimed at creating a new world order in which spiritual bliss was the ultimate goal. At a time
when the struggle for political power was the prevailing madness, the Sufi saints reminded
men of their moral obligations. They tried to bring peace and harmony to a world torn by
strife and conflict.

The most important contribution of Sufism is that it helped to reduce the gap between the
Hindus and the Muslims and bring them closer to each other. Sufi saints aimed to eradicate
the evils that had crept into their religions and brought feelings of solidarity and brotherhood
between these two religious communities. The Bhakti and Sufi movements emphasized the
value of a pure life of charity and devotion, reduced the rigidity of the caste system to a
certain extent, and encouraged the spirit of tolerance. Ultimately, these movements improved
the moral fabric and spiritual ways of life of medieval Indian society by exhorting the coming
generations to live in peace and harmony with the spirit of tolerance.

16 | P a g e
 Bibliography
Books
 THE MEDIEVAL INDIA BYD.N.JHA
 History of Medieval India, N.C.E.R.T.
 History of Medieval India, Satish Chandra

Online Sources

 en.wikipedia.com
 http://swapsushias.blogspot.in/2013/07/bhakti-sufi-divine-madness-facet-
from.html
 www.youtube.com

17 | P a g e