UPSC Prelims PYQs: The Religious Movements in The Fifteenth & Sixteenth Centuries | History for UPSC CSE PDF Download

Q.1. Consider the following statements:        (2019-I) 

1. Saint Nimbarka was a contemporary of Akbar. 
2. Saint Kabir was greatly influenced by Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi. 

Which of the statements given above is/ are correct? 
(a) 1 only 
(b) 2 only 
(c) Both 1 and 2 
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Answer is Option (d)

• In the 13th century, Nimbarka and Vallabhacharya were also other preachers of Vaishnavite Bhakti in the Telangana region. Akbar was 15th Century, so unlikely to be contemporaries. #1 is wrong. 
• "Naqshbandi school degraded Sufism to the status of a handmaid of orthodox Islam. Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi (1563- 1624) became the leading spokesman of this school after Akbar's death. His teachings were not confined to the reform of Islam; he advocated a crusade against the Hindus." So, it's unlikely that Kabir would be 'greatly influenced' by such hardcore radical elements. #2 is wrong. Besides, Kabir Das timeline is (1398 or 1440-1518) so he was long dead before Sirhindi was even born.

Q.2. The well-known painting "Bani Thani" belongs to the         (2018-I) 
(a) Bundi school 
(b) Jaipur school 
(c) Kangra school 
(d) Kishangarh school

Correct Answer is Option (d)
Paintings at Kishangarh are associated with the most romantic legends - Sawant Singh and his beloved Bani Thani. and of the intertwining of lives and myths, romance and bhakti. It is sometimes argued that the women in 'bani are said to resemble the character of Radha.

Q.3. Consider the following Bhakti Saints:        (2013 - I) 

1. Dadu Dayal 
2. Guru Nanak 
3. Tyagaraja 

Who among the above was/were preaching when the Lodi dynasty fell and Babur took over? 
(a) 1 and 3 
(b) 2 only 
(c) 2 and 3
(d) 1 and 2

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Guru Nanak Dev was born in 1469. Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi in 1526. When Babur took over and established the Mughal dynasty, Nanak was traveling to different parts of India and preaching Sikhism. Babur once met Guru Nanak during one of his travel.

Q.4. With reference to the religious history of medieval India, the Sufi mystics were known to pursue which of the following practices?        (2012 - I) 

1. Meditation and control of breath 
2. Severe ascetic exercises in a lonely place 
3. Recitation of holy songs to arouse a state of ecstasy in their audience 

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only 
(b) 2 and 3 only 
(c) 3 only 
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer is Option (d)
All statements are correct, hence option (d) is correct.

Q.5. Among the following, who was not a proponent of the Bhakti cult?         (2010) 
(a) Nagarjuna
(b) Tukaram 
(c) Tyagaraja
(d) Vallabhacharya

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Nagarjuna was an early philosopher and was the founder of the Madhyamika philosophy.

Q.6. Bhakta Tukaram was a contemporary of which Mughal emperor?         (2006)
(a) Babar
(b) Akbar 
(c) Jahangir 
(d) Aurangzeb

Correct Answer is Option (c)
The best answer is c as Tukaram (1608–1650) was a Marathi Bhakti poet and a devotee of Lord Krishna. The time period of Jahangir was 1605-1627.

Q.7. Which one of the following sequences indicates the correct chronological order?         (2004)
(a) Shankaracharya–Ramanuja–Chaitanya 
(b) Ramanuja–Shankaracharya–Chaitanya 
(c) Ramanuja–Chaitanya–Shankaracharya 
(d) Shankaracharya–Chaitanya–Ramanuja

Correct Answer is Option (a)
The correct chronological order is Shankaracharya (9th Century CE) - Ramanuja (1017-1137 CE) - Chaitanya (1486-1533 CE)

Q.8. With reference to Sufism in Indian history, consider the following statements:         (2002) 

1. Sheikh Ahmad Sarhandi was a contemporary of Ibrahim Lodi 
2. Sheikh Nasiruddin Chirag-I-Dehlavi was a disciple of Sheikh Nizamuddin Auliya 
3. Aurangzeb was a contemporary of Sheikh Salim Chisti 
4. Qadiri order of Sufis was first introduced in India by Sheikh Niamutullah and Makhdum Muhammad Jilani 

Which of these statements are correct? 
(a) 1 and 2 
(b) 1 and 3
(c) 2 and 3 
(d) 2 and 4

Correct Answer is Option (d)
Sheikh Ahmad Sarhandi of Naqshbandi order was a contemporary of Akbar and Jahangir. The Qadiri order of Sufis was first introduced in India by Sheikh Nizamatullah (He died in 1430 AD) and Makhdum (or Nasiruddin) Muhammad Jilani (died in 1517).

Q.9. Who among the following was the first Bhakti saint to use Hindi for the propagation of his message?        (2002) 
(a) Dadu 
(b) Kabir
(c) Ramananda
(d) Tulsidas

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Ramananda (1360-1470) was the first Bhakti saint to use Hindi for the propagation of his message.

Q.10. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:          (2001)

(a) A – 2; B – 3; C – 1; D – 4 
(b) A – 3; B – 2; C – 4; D – 1 
(c) A – 3; B – 2; C – 1; D – 4 
(d) A – 2; B – 3; C – 4; D – 1

Correct Answer is Option (b)
These Bhakti saints were disciples of Saint Ramananda.

Q.11. Assertion (A): The sponsor and the most prominent figure of the Chisti order of Sufis in India are Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti.          (1997) 
Reason (R): The Chisti order takes its name from a village Chisti in Ajmer. In the context of the above two statements, which one of the following is correct? 
(a) Both A and R are true but R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A 
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true

Correct Answer is Option (c)
The Chishti Order is a Sufi order within the mystic branches of Islam that was founded in Chishti, a small town near Herat, Afghanistan about 930 CE. The order was founded by Abu Ishaq Shami (“the Syrian”). The most famous of the Chishti saints is Moinuddin Chishti popularly known as Gharib Nawaz meaning “Benefactor of the Poor” who settled in Ajmer, India.

Q.12. The Sufi saint who maintained that devotional music was one way of coming close to God was;         (1996) 
(a) Muin-ud-din Chisti 
(b) Baba Farid
(c) Saiyid Muhammad Gesudaraz
(d) Shah Alam Bukhari

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Shaikh Muin-ud-din Chishti was a saint of Chishti Silsilah, introduced in India by Shaikh Muin-ud-din Sijzi (1236 A.D.) Wahd-tul-wajud (unity of the phenomenal world) by Sama and Mehfil, which is the recitation of the names of God, was a prominent feature of the silsilah, underlined by Muin-ud-din Chishti.