THEME-6
BHAKTI - SUFI TRADITIONS
Changes in Religious Beliefs and Devotional Texts
(C. Eighth To Eighteenth Century)
Key concepts in nutshell
- From 8th to 18th century striking feature was a visibility of wide range of gods and goddesses in sculpture & text.
- There was integration of cults-composition, compilation & presentation of Puranic texts in simple Sanskrit verses.
- Tantric forms of worship-more prevalent among women.
- Bhakti traditions classified into saguna (with form) and nirguna (without form, worship of abstract form)
- The Alvars and Narayanars of Tamilnadu- The worshippers of Vishnu and Nayanars-devotees of Shiva-common features-travelled singing hymns in Tamil.
- Alvars & Nayanars initiated movement against caste system & dominance of Brahamanas:Nalayiradivyaprabandham-important composition of Alvars equal to four Vedas.
- Status of women-composition of Andal (a women Alvar) popular, songs of Karaikkal Ammaiyarwere widely sung.
- State patronage in south for Vedic gods rather than Jainism & Buddhism. Cholas patronized brahamnical tradition, making land grant as to lord Shiva, at Gangaikonda-Chola puram bronze sculpture of Shiva.
- Singing of hymns under royal patronage were encountered-Chola ruler Parantaka-I consecrated metal image of Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar in Shiva temples.
- Karnataka saw a new movement under Basavanna a brahamana in court of Chalukyan ruler his followers Virashaivas (heroes of Shiva) or Lingayat (wearers of Linga) - important community to this day - who worship Shiva in form of a linga.
- Lingayats challenged idea of caste and questions the theory of rebirth. They supported remarriage of widows.
- North India saw the emergence of Rajput states which patronized Brahmans - performed secular & ritual function. The Naths, Jogis, siddhas also.
- Though guided by Ulema, rulers followed a flexible policy granting religious tax exemptions to non Muslims sometimes.
- Those who accepted Islam in India accepted in principal the five pillars of faith but these were overlooked with deviation in practice derived from local customs & affiliations. (Sunni, shia)
some like in Malabar court adopted local language.
- Sufism - Sufis were critical of dogmatic definitions & scholastic method of interpreting Quran.
They emphasized interpretation of Quran on basis of personal experiences.
- Chishtis - were a part of Sufis hospices of khanqh were small rooms & halls for students to live & pray. Life in chishti khanqah was like the life of a monastery & catered to all travellers rich or poor. Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya had many followers.
- The practice of visits to dargahs gained prominence by 14th century - -shrines became very popular. Also music & dance & mystical chants were performed to evoke divine ecstasy.
- The Bhakti movement saw the emergence of poet saint like Kabir where poems were written in form in which every meaning are inverted.
OTQ (1 marks )
Q1: The term great and little traditions were coined by which sociologist ?
Ans: Robert Redfield
Q2: The Virashaivas Movement in Karnatka led by which person ?
Ans: Basavanna.
Q3: Who was Basavanna ?
Ans: Basavanna was a minister in the court of a Kalachuri Ruler and founder of Virashaivas tradition.
Q4: By which other name we know the Virashaivas ?
Ans: Lingayats.
Q5: What is Shari’a ?
Ans: The Shari’a is the law governing the Muslim Community.
Q6: Write the name of any two Sufi Silsilas ?
Ans: Chisti, Suhrawardi, Qadiri, etc.
Q7: Who was the founder of Chisti Silsilas ?
Ans: Shaikh Muinuddin Chisti .
Q8: In which place Khwaja Muinuddin’s dargah was situated?
Ans: Ajmer Rajasthan .
Q9: Who were Alavars?
Ans. In southern India the devotees of Vishnu were called Alvars.
Q.10. Give the name of any four well known reformers of Bhakti movement.
Ans: Meera Bai , Kabir , Raidas , Gurunanak .
Q.11. What do you mean by Sufism?
Ans. The Sufis were Muslim saints who left a great impact on the Indian society Sufism originated in Persia.
Q.12. What were the main Principle of Sufism?
Ans. Renunciation of worldly pleasure.
Q.13. What is the importance of Murshid in Sufi ideology?
Ans. According to Sufism, an individual must have a religious guide (Murshid) through whom he can communicate with god.
Q.14.Which Tamil text is known as Tamil Veda?
Ans. The Nalayira Divyaprabandham - composed by Alvar Saints. It is as important as Four Sanskrit Vedas.
Q.15.Who was Andal and Karaikkal Ammaiyar?
Ans.
Andal - Woman Alvar - She composed many poems.
Karaikkal Ammaiyar - devotee of Shiva.
Q.16. State how historians of religion have classified Bhakti tradition?
Ans.- Bhakti traditions into two broad categories,
(i) Saguna - with attributes.
(ii) Nirguna - without attributes.
S. A. (3 Marks)
Q. 17.What were the four major principles of Islam?
Ans.
- Belief in one god Allah and Prophet.
- Namaj (Five times every day).
- Zakat (Give alms to the poor).
- Haj visit.
Q.18.What were the main teachings of the Lingayats?
Ans.
- Against the caste system.
- Questionsed belief in the theory of rebirth.
- Not believed in Child marriages.
- Encouraged widow's remarriage.
Q.19.Discuss the ways in which the Alvars, Nayanars and the Virashaivas expressed critiques of the caste system?
Ans.
- The followers (Bhaktas) came from different social background.
- They challenged the idea of caste and pollution attributed by brahmanas.
- She adopted the path of extreme asceticim to gain her goal.
Q.20.Analyze the influence that the Tamil Bhakti Saints had on the Chola Rulers.
Ans.
- By giving land grants and constructing temples of Vishnu and Shiva.
- Sculpture of Shiva as Nataraja was also produced.
- To ensure the stability of Chola Kingdoms, they supported these saints.
- These kings introduced the singing of Tamil Shiva hymns in the temple.
- Took initiative to compile these hymns into text called Tevaram.
Q.21.Describe the main features of Life in Shaikh Nizamuddin's Khanqah.
Ans.
- Situated in Ghiyaspur.
- Several small rooms and a big hall for prayer.
- Shaikh met visitors in morning & evening.
- It was also a centre of refuge.
- Langar system was also there which ran on futuh (unasked for charity).
- Many eminent personalities also visited here.
- Certain practices were performed at Khanqah.
- Shaikh appointed several spiritual successors.
Q.22. Analyze the relations which existed between the Chisti Sufi Saints and the State.
Ans.
- Sufi Saints maintained distance from worldly affair, but accepted donations and grants from state.
- Kings set up charitable trust, gave tax free lands.
- Donation disbursed to meet their daily requirements.
- Donation was not used for personal use.
- Kings often needed the Support of the Sufi Saints for their decisions.
- Kings constructed their Tombs near Sufi shrines and Khanqahs.
- Both (The kings and Saints) expected certain established rituals to be performed. Eg. prostration, kissing of the feet.
Q.23. Explain with examples what historians meant by the integration of cults?
Ans.
- Two processes were at work, e.g. dissemination of brahmanical ideas.
- The efforts of brahmanas to rework the belief and practices of other social categories, women &
Shudras.
- Deity Jagannaatha was said to be a form of Vishnu.
- Vishnu was visualized in different forms.
- The worship of goddess in the form of a stone smeared with ochre was wide spread.
- Local deities were made a part of the puranic traditions.
Q.24. Describe the growth of Chishti Silsila of Sufism.
Ans.
- There were numerous orders of the Sufis in India.
- Eg, Chishti, Suharwardi, Qadiri, Naqshbandi etc.
- In India Chishti was most important order.
- They established themselves at Ajmer, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal, Orissa and the Deccan.
- Shaikh Muinuddin Chishti - called the Khwaja was the first saint of Chishti order.
- Other important saints were Shaikh Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, Shaikh Fariduddin Ganj-i-Shakar, Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya, Baba Farid etc.
- They converted the Hindus to Islam.
- They used the language of people to propogate the ideas.
- Establishment of Khanqahas - for meeting people.
- They spread Islam among lower castes also.
- Mullas were also popular.
- Sultans also granted rent free lands to the Khanqahs and to their Shaikhs.
- The textual traditions are written in several styles and languages.
Q25.Describe the origin of Bhakti Movement.
Ans.
Causes of the Origin of the Bhakti movement - Evil practices of the Hindus.
- Fear of spread of Islam.
- Influence of Sufi Sects.
- Influence of Vaishnavism.
- Emergence of great reformers - eg. Namdeva, Ravidas, Ramanand, Surdas, Tulsidas, Mirabai, Kabir etc.
L. A. (8 Marks)
Q.26. Analyze with Illustrations, why Bhakti and Sufi thinkers adopted a variety of language to express their opinions?
Ans.
Bhakti and Sufi thinkers adopted a variety of languages due to following reasons.
- To ensure their teachings spread rapidly and gained acceptance among the local population.
- Chishti saints conversed in Hindavi.
- Baba Farid composed verses in the local languages.
- Masnavis (long poems) expressing ideas of divine love using human love as an allegory were composed.
- Malik Muhammad Jayasi's Padmavat revolves around the romance of Padmini and Ratansen.
- In Karnataka (Bijapur) short poems were written in Dakhani (a form of Urdu).
- These poems sung by women while performing household chores. Lorinama and Shadinama were other compositions.
- Sufis were influenced by the Kannada Vachanas and the Marathi abhangs of the saints of Pandharpur.
Value based Questions
Q.27.The message of Baba Guru Nanak is spelt out in hymns and teachings. He firmly repudiated the external practices of the religions he saw around him. He rejected sacrifices, ritual baths, image worship, austerities and the scriptures of both Hindus and Muslims.
(i) What were the main teachings of Guru Nanak?
(ii) What values do you learn from this passage?
Ans. (i) Guru Nanak was against rituals, superstitions, caste system, and brahmanical domination.
- He wanted to achieve a synthesis between the doctrines of Islam and Hinduism.
Ans. (ii) The value are rationalism i.e. to apply reason not to follow religious practice blindly; humanism i.e. to treat all equally, secularism - To have respect for all religions.
Passage Based Questions:
Q.28. The Pilgrimage of the Mughal Princes Jahanara, 1643. After praising one God.. this lovely fakir (humble soul) Jahanara - went from the capital Agra in the Company of my great father (Emperor shah Jahan) towards the pure region of incomparable Ajmer ............ and having taken off the rose scarf that I had on my head, I placed it on the top of the blessed tomb...........
(i) Who made the trip to Ajmer and why?
(ii) Who funded the initial construction of this saint's tomb and which king was the first to visit this shrine?
(iii) Why did this Shrine become popular?
Ans. (i) Jahanara and Shah Jahan, to seek blessings from Saint Muinuddin Chishti.
Ans. (ii) Sultan Ghiyasuddin Khaliji funded and Muhammad Bin Tughlaq visited first.
Ans. (iii) Because of the piety and austerity of the Shaikh, greatness of his successors and patronage of
royal visitors.
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