The essentials
Bhakti means loving devotion to a personal God. The Bhakti movement began in Tamil Nadu between about the 6th and 9th centuries CE with the Alvars (devotees of Vishnu) and Nayanars (devotees of Shiva), who composed hymns in Tamil and travelled from temple to temple. Their followers came from many castes, and some were women, such as the Alvar poet Andal and the Nayanar Karaikkal Ammaiyar.
In 12th-century Karnataka, Basavanna led the Virashaiva (Lingayat) movement. He and his companions wrote vachanas (short sayings in Kannada), questioned caste distinctions and ritualism, and held that work is worship ("kayakave kailasa").
Later, Bhakti spread across India: Jnaneshwar, Namdev and Tukaram in Maharashtra; Chaitanya in Bengal; Sankaradeva in Assam; Kabir, Ravidas, Surdas, Tulsidas and Mirabai in north India. Kabir used simple language to criticise empty ritual and to emphasise inner devotion; Mirabai expressed intense devotion to Krishna.
Ethical themes in Bhakti include: devotion is open to all regardless of caste or gender; inner purity matters more than outer ritual; compassion, humility and service; honest work; and use of people's languages rather than only Sanskrit.
Key points
- Alvars: Vishnu; Nayanars: Shiva; Tamil, 6th–9th century.
- Basavanna: vachanas, kayaka (work as worship).
- Kabir, Ravidas, Mirabai: north Indian saint-poets.
- Values: equality, sincerity, compassion.
Exam tips
- Match each saint with region and language.
Common mistakes
- Swapping Alvars and Nayanars.
- Thinking Bhakti poets wrote only in Sanskrit; they used regional languages.