Religious Developments Chapter Notes | History Class 7 ICSE PDF Download

Introduction

The Bhakti Movement

• Bhakti means personal devotion to one god. The seeds of this idea have existed since the Vedic period.
• In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna states that even the humblest devotee can reach Him through simple devotion.
• Bhakti was a sort of personal relationship between the deity and the devotee. It basically signified selfless love for god.
• There was no requirement for complex rituals or priests. The movement was made popular by the saints who composed devotional hymns in the regional languages.
• The leaders of this movement came from all classes.

Origins and Spread

• The Bhakti Movement started in the Tamil region around the 6th century.
• It spread from there to Karnataka and Maharashtra.
• It reached north India and Bengal around the 15th century.

Political Context

• With the fall of the Magadha kingdom, many new kingdoms arose.
• The rulers of these new kingdoms wanted to legitimize their rules.
• In north India, upcoming rulers like the Rajputs needed to receive their official kingly status from the Brahmins.
• The Brahmins used their growing authority to make sure that they remained superior by enforcing the caste system.
• This is probably why, in its early days, the Bhakti Movement did not become popular in the north.

Impact of Islam

• Bhaktism gained ground in the north with the coming of Islam.
• The Turks brought Islam with them which threatened Hinduism.
• There might have been instances of forced conversions but the bigger fear was that people might have wanted to convert on a large scale.
• The ideas of Bhakti were now allowed to spread in the north.
• Bhakti rejected the caste system but didn’t fight it and as such wasn’t a threat.

Popularization in the South

• However, it was a different story in the south. The Bhakti Movement became extremely popular there because of the efforts of the Bhakti saints and some of the rulers.
• The rulers allied themselves with the Bhakti Movement, not just because of its ideals but also because it made their rule look more legitimate.
• Vishnu, Shiva, and Durga became the main deities during this period.
• Numerous gods and goddesses, worshipped in different areas, came to be identified with Vishnu, Shiva, and Durga.
• Eventually, the Puranas lay down that people, regardless of their caste status, could receive the grace of God.

Bhakti in South India

• Began in the Tamil region around the 6th century, spreading to Karnataka and Maharashtra
• Reached north India and Bengal by the 15th century
• Early resistance in the north due to Brahmins enforcing the caste system to support new rulers like the Rajputs
• Rulers granted land and roles to Brahmins, built temples, and reinforced caste hierarchy
• Bhakti gained popularity in the north with the arrival of Islam, which had no caste system
• Bhakti rejected caste but did not directly challenge it, helping retain lower castes in Hinduism
• Became very popular in the south due to saints and supportive rulers
• Rulers aligned with Bhakti to legitimize their rule
• Main deities were Vishnu, Shiva, and Durga
• Local gods and myths merged into Puranic stories
• Puranas stated anyone, regardless of caste, could receive God’s grace
• Between the 7th and 9th centuries, Alvars (Vishnu devotees) and Nayanars (Shiva devotees) spread Bhakti
• Alvars and Nayanars came from various castes, including untouchables
• Composed beautiful poems in praise of their gods
• 63 Nayanars included Appar, Sambandar, Sundarar, and Manikkavasagar
• 12 Alvars included Periyalvar, Andal, Thondaradippodi Alvar, and Nammalvar
• Nayanar songs compiled in Tevaram and Tiruvacakam
• Alvar songs compiled in Divya Prabandham
• Between 10th and 12th centuries, Cholas and Pandyas built temples around shrines visited by saints
• Hagiographies (biographies praising saints) of Alvars and Nayanars were written

Shankaracharya

• Born in the 8th century in Kaladi, Kerala
• Promoted Advaita Vedanta, teaching that the individual soul and Supreme God are one
• Believed salvation comes through knowledge (jnan) of this unity
• Established four mathas (centers of learning and worship) at Jyotirmath (Uttarakhand), Puri (Odisha), Dwarka (Gujarat), and Shringeri (Karnataka)

Ramanuja

• Born in Tamil Nadu in the 11th century
• Emphasized God’s grace over knowledge for salvation
• Taught that the path to salvation was open to all castes
• Connected Bhakti with the Vedas
• Preached Vishishtadvaita, where the soul remains distinct even when united with God
• Influenced the Bhakti tradition in north India

Bhakti in North India

• Grew from the 13th century, influenced by Islam and Sufism
• Both Bhakti and Sufi saints drew from Hinduism and Islam, creating syncretism (blending of beliefs)
• Spread through Ramananda, who founded the Ramanandi sect devoted to Lord Rama
• His disciples included Sena, Pipa, Raidas, Dhanna, and Sadhna
• Two schools emerged: nirguna (formless God) and saguna (God with form)
• Nirguna saints like Kabir and Ravidas believed in a nameless, formless God
• Saguna saints like Tulsidas, Surdas, Mirabai, and Chaitanya worshipped gods like Krishna and Rama
• Many sants, like Kabir (weaver) and Ravidas (cobbler), came from low castes
• Preached equality for all, regardless of caste or gender
• Kabir and Nanak rejected orthodox religions
• Tulsidas and Surdas accepted traditional beliefs but made them accessible to all
• Tulsidas wrote Ramcharitmanas, a devotional work about Lord Rama
• Surdas, a blind poet, composed songs for Krishna, compiled in Sursagar and Sur-Saravali
• Nirguna saints gained popularity in Punjab and Rajasthan from the 15th century
• Sants used common languages, mixed with people, and passed teachings orally
• Oral traditions, like songs and poems, help historians study this period, though accuracy can be questioned

Case Study: Kabir

• Lived between the 15th and 16th centuries, possibly born to a Brahmin widow and raised by Muslim weavers near Varanasi
• Illiterate, he shared his teachings orally, later written down
• Disciple of Ramananda, followed the nirguna school
• Believed in one God, called by names like Allah, Ram, Rahim, and Hari
• Rejected major religious traditions, caste, idol worship, pilgrimages, and holy dips in rivers
• Criticized Hindu and Muslim leaders for misunderstanding religion and misusing authority
• Had many followers, both Hindus and Muslims
• His followers, called Kabirpanthis, still exist but in smaller numbers
• His verses, called sakhis, pads, and dohas, are found in Guru Granth Sahib, Panch Vani, and Bijak
• Wrote in a simple form of spoken Hindi for common people

Bhakti in West India

• From the 13th to 17th centuries, Vaishnava sants flourished in Maharashtra
• Devoted to Vitthala or Vithoba, a form of Vishnu
• Followers, called Varkaris, made annual pilgrimages to the Pandharpur temple in groups called Dindi
• Saints like Jnaneshwar, Namdev, Eknath, Tukaram, and Chokhamela wrote inspiring songs in Marathi
• Rejected rituals, ceremonies, and social differences based on birth
• Lived with families, earned livelihoods, and showed kindness and sympathy to others
• Namdev was a tailor, Chokhamela was an untouchable denied temple entry

Bhakti in East India

• Sankaradeva, a Vishnu devotee from Assam, wrote poems and plays in Assamese
• Based teachings on the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavata Purana
• Promoted Eka Sarana Nama Dharma (supreme surrender to the One)
• Composed Kirtana-ghosha and Rukminiharana
• Set up satras (monasteries) for knowledge and namghars for recitation and prayer
• Chaitanya, a Krishna devotee from Bengal, introduced kirtana (devotional singing)
• Had both Hindu and Muslim followers

Women Bhakti Saints

• Janabai, from a poor Shudra family, was a Varkari sant who wrote bhajans for Vithoba
• Gangasati, a Gujarati sant, composed bhajans to inspire Bhakti
• Ratanbai, another Gujarati sant, wrote Bhakti poems while working on her spinning wheel
• Mirabai, a Rajput princess, married into Mewar’s royal family
• Disciple of Ravidas, devoted to Krishna, composed many popular bhajans

The Birth of Sikhism

• Guru Nanak, born in 1469 at Talwandi (Nankana Sahib, Pakistan), founded Sikhism
• Travelled widely, later settled at Kartarpur, establishing Dera Baba Nanak on the Ravi river
• Died in 1539, believed in one God and devotion for liberation
• Taught caste, creed, and gender were irrelevant for salvation
• Started langars (common kitchens) and created Gurudwaras for communal meals
• Teachings focused on naam japna (right worship), kirat karna (honest living), and vand chakna (sharing with others)
• Attracted traders, artisans, craftsmen, and farmers from all castes
• Encouraged productive work and family life
• Appointed Lehna as successor, renamed Guru Angad
• Guru Angad developed the Gurmukhi script, compiled Guru Nanak’s teachings into the Guru Granth Sahib (Adi Granth)
• Followed by eight Gurus: Guru Amar Das, Guru Ram Das, Guru Arjan Dev, Guru Har Gobind, Guru Har Rai, Guru Har Krishan, Guru Tegh Bahadur, and Guru Gobind Singh
• Guru Arjan Dev added works of sants like Kabir, Sheikh Farid, and Namdev to the Adi Granth
• Later Gurus wrote under the name Nanak
• Ramdaspur (Amritsar) grew around the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple)
• Sikh movement militarized due to Mughal persecution since Jahangir’s time
• Guru Gobind Singh founded the Sikh Khalsa Panth in 1699
• Khalsa members carry the Five K’s: Kesh (long hair), Kangha (comb), Kara (wrist-band), Kachcha (shorts), and Kirpan (dagger)

Islam

• Became prominent in India from the 12th century, brought by Arab traders
• Gained popularity with the Turks, Afghans, and Mughals
• Some adopted it as the rulers’ religion
• Monotheistic, believes in one God, Allah
• Prophet Muhammad is considered Allah’s only prophet
• The Quran is the holy book of Muslims
• Muhammad united Arabia’s warring tribes
• Within 100 years of his death, Arabs built an empire across Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and North Africa
• Mecca, Muhammad’s birthplace, is a holy city for Muslims
• Haj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, mandatory once in a lifetime
• After Muhammad’s death, Islam split into Shias and Sunnis

Sufism

• A mystical movement in the Muslim world, influenced by Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism
• Spread widely by the 10th century
• Focused on love, devotion to God, and compassion for all
• Developed practices like breath control and fasting
• Formed silsilas (genealogy of Sufi teachers) and khanqahs (assembly places)
• Muslim scholars created sharia, holy laws based on the Quran, with rituals and customs
• Two types of Sufi orders: one followed sharia, the other, qalandars, did not
• Sufis composed poems, mixed with people, and preached in local languages
• During the 15th and 16th centuries, Bhakti and Sufi saints fostered understanding across communities
• Famous Central Asian Sufis: Al-Ghazali, Rumi, and Sadi
• Many Sufis settled in India during the Delhi Sultanate
• 12 silsilas existed, with numbers changing over time
• Each silsila had a tariqa (method) involving zikr (chanting), sama (singing), raqs (dancing), breath control, meditation, and discussion
• Led by a pir or murshid, with disciples called murids
• Khanqahs hosted spiritual discussions, blessings, and music sessions
• People believed Sufi saints had miraculous powers to heal illnesses and troubles
• Dargahs of Sufi saints became pilgrimage sites
• Chishti order saints: Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (Ajmer), Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki (Delhi), Baba Farid (Punjab), Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (Delhi), and Salim Chishti (Fatehpur Sikri)
• Chishtis avoided royal courts, politics, and discrimination based on caste, creed, or wealth
• Suhrawardi saints: Sheikh Bahauddin Zakariya and Shihab-al-Din Umer
• Suhrawardis accepted royal roles, engaged in politics, and favored outward worship
• Rishi order thrived in Kashmir in the 15th and 16th centuries, founded by Sheikh Noor-ud-din Wali (Nund Rishi)
• Rishi order promoted religious harmony, with many shrines in Kashmir

Other Sects and Movements

• Various groups criticized rituals and traditional religion
• Advocated renunciation, meditation, and salvation through mind and body training
• Included practices like meditation, breathing exercises, and yogasanas
• Madhvacharya, a 13th-century saint, popularized Krishna worship
• Virashaivism, started by Basavanna, Allama Prabhu, and Akka Mahadevi in Karnataka in the 12th century
• Preached equality, opposed caste, discrimination against women, and rituals
• Vallabhacharya sect, founded by Vallabha in the 16th century, devoted to Krishna
• Kashmir Shaivism, founded by Vasugupta in the 9th century, nearly vanished after Muslim conquests in the 14th century
• Saiva Siddhantam, a 12th-century South Indian system, based on rationalism, rejecting superstitions
• Gorkhanath founded the Gorkhanath yogis, a branch of Shaivism
• Dadupanthis, founded by Dadu Dayal
• Satnami sect, established by Birbhan in Narnaul, Haryana
• Other groups included Nathpanthis and Yogis

Pilgrimages

• A journey to visit and worship at a holy site
• Some, like the Kumbh Mela, occur at regular intervals; others, like the Haj, can be done anytime
• Kings, like Akbar, walked from Agra to Ajmer after his son’s birth
• Hindu sites: Prayagraj (earlier Allahabad) and Madurai
• Muslim sites: Ajmer and Gulbarga
• Sikh site: Amritsar

Points to Remember

• Bhakti Movement began in the Tamil region around the 6th century, spreading to Karnataka, Maharashtra, north India, and Bengal by the 15th century
• In South India, Alvars (Vishnu devotees) and Nayanars (Shiva devotees) popularized Bhakti
• Shankaracharya advocated Advaita Vedanta
• Ramanuja preached Vishishtadvaita philosophy
• In north India, Ramananda spread Bhakti, founding the Ramanandi sect for Lord Rama
• Nirguna school (Kabir, Ravidas) and saguna school (Tulsidas, Surdas, Mirabai, Chaitanya) emerged
• Tulsidas wrote Ramcharitmanas; Surdas’s works are in Sursagar and Sur-Saravali
• Kabir’s followers are called Kabirpanthis
• Vaishnava sants in Maharashtra, called Varkaris, worshipped Vitthala
• Sankaradeva and Chaitanya were key saints in East India
• Guru Nanak founded Sikhism; Guru Angad created the Gurmukhi script
• Guru Granth Sahib (Adi Granth) is the Sikh holy book
• Eight Gurus followed Guru Angad
• Sikh Khalsa Panth’s Five K’s: Kesh, Kangha, Kara, Kachcha, and Kirpan
• Islam believes in Allah and Prophet Muhammad; the Quran is its holy book
• Sufism, a mystical movement, spread by the 10th century
• Chishti and Suhrawardi were major Sufi silsilas in India
• Pilgrimages involve journeys to holy sites for worship