Bhakti saints - class-IX

Some of the prominent followers of Bhakti cult were Ramanujacharya, Madhavacharya, Ramananda, Kabir, Nanak, Namdev, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Mirabai.

Pandharpur is the centre of a bhakti movement that began over eight centuries ago, and gave birth to Marathi literature. For centuries, every year, just before the rains, thousands of pilgrims known as Varkari, followers of Haripath (path of God who is Krishna-Vishnu) travel long distances from rural Maharashtra and Karnataka to Pandharpur.

A. Lord Krishna
Chaitanya Prabhu at the age of 22 visited Gaya where he was initiated into the
Krishna cult by a recluse. He became a god-intoxicated devotee who incessantly
uttered the name of Krishna. Chaitanya is said to have travelled all ever India
in spreading the Krishna Cult. He spent most of his time in Puri, Orissa on the
feet of Lord Jagannath.

His influence on the people of Orissa was tremendous. He is said to have initiated Prataprudra Dev, the Gujapati king of Orissa into his cult. He is still worshipped as Gauraong Mahaprabhu as the very incarnation of Krishna and Vishnu.

Ramanuja was born in Tamil Nadu in the eleventh century. He was deeply
influenced by the Alvars. He firmly believed that intense devotion to
Vishnu was the best means to attain salvation. He propounded the
doctrine of Vishishtadvaita.

A.  Rajtarangini-KaIhan

Rajatarangini was written by  Kalhana

Gitawali was written by Goswami Tulsidas.

Humayunama was written by Shahzadi Gulbadan Begum.

Vinaypatrika was written by Goswami Tulsidas.

The Nayanars and Alvars movement began in South India between the 7th and 10th centuries AD. Nayanars and Alvars of South India believed in Bhakti i.e. devotion to the God with concepts like love and compassion in religion. People joined this newly created movement irrespective of the caste they belonged to and even women participated in the movements. They were against extreme practices and hence, did not accept the concept of austerities. 

 Veerashaivism involves worshiping of Lord Shiva. Veerashaivas do not worship any God other than Shiva. It was propagated across India by Basaveswara who was a 12th-century philosopher and Kannada Poet.

Guru Nanak is the founder of Sikh religion which believes in Guru Granth Sahib as the supreme authority. The followers of this idea and teachings of Nanak are known as Nanak Panthis. Panth means the path in a direction. Hence, different followers got different names based on their teachers during Medieval period in India e.g followers of Kabir were called Kabir Panthis.

The Bhakti movement was influenced by Islam upon its arrival in India. It emphasized on the idea of 'surrender to god'.

Bhakti movement that began in India from AD 7th Century is based on total devotion to God and complete surrender to God without any rituals and sacrifices. In Bhakti movement, we observe different saints spreading this message of devotion in the language that could be understood by the common man. Thus, Bhakti believed that devotion to God is a path that can be followed by any individual.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is a Bengal-based saint and spiritual leader of the Bhakti movement who popularized the devotion to Lord Krishna. He popularized Vaishnava Bhakti by preaching the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavata Purana. As a preacher, he spent a lot of time travelling throughout the country spreading the message of Krishna Bhakti. He is also considered as an important personality responsible for the beginning of the 'Hare Krishna' cult. 

In the Medieval Indian history, Panthis were the followers of a particular way or path of one specific saint and their ideas. Kabir was a saint of Bhakti movement who had a Muslim upbringing and was inspired in his later life by the teachings of saint Ramananda. The followers of Kabir who believed in religious harmony are known as Kabir Panthis. 

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a 14th century saint who played an important role in promoting the idea of Krishna Bhakti. His ideas and thoughts are collected in a book 'Chaitanya Charitamrita' by Krishna Das Kaviraja in Bengali Language with Sanskrit verses.  It also describes the life journey of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in different phases.

 In the Bhakti movement, there were new ideas in the Hindu religion where the message of pure devotion to God was spread by different saints. It believed in emotion and compassion to connect with God through the language of common men and feeling of brotherhood and harmony. Hence, it did no accept the idea of idols and temple worship. 

Mirabai, a 16^th century,
Rajasthan-based saint is known in history to be one of the greatest devotees of
Lord Krishna. She was a saint who followed Bhakti tradition- complete devotion
to God. Her compositions for Lord Krishna are known as ‘Bhajans’. ‘Bhaj’also
means complete surrender (to God).

Ramananda was a saint in the Bhakti movement who popularized the worship of Ram and Sita. Kabir is considered among the twelve of his popular disciples. Kabir is also a saint who was initially brought up in a Muslim family but later was influenced by Ramananda's teachings.

Bhakti movement became popular in Indian history from AD 7^th Century. Bhakti believed in the idea of devotion to the God which could be practiced by any individual through simple means without extra-ordinary rituals and sacrifices. Hence, it also rejected the division of Caste system as saints of Bhakti movement believed in treating everyone equally with compassion. 

Kanakadasa is considered an important person in Kannada literature. Mohan Tarangini is his first work. In this work, there are different stories from the Krishna Leela of Bhagvad Purana and Mahabharata which Kanakadasa writes as a narration to his wife. He highlights devotion to Krishna in simple language. 

Ramananda was a Vaishnava saint of the Bhakti movement. He played an important role in popularizing worship of Ram and Sita in the Bhakti movement. According to maximum sources, it is considered that Ramananda was born in the city of Allahabad (Prayag) and later spent maximum of his life time in Varanasi. 

Sant Dnyaneshwar was agreat Sant in the Varkari Movement. He wrote the 'Bhavartha-deepika' or 'Dnyaneshwari' which elucidated the meaning of the Sanskrit 'Bhagvad Geeta'.

Surds was an ardent devotee of krishna. His compositions compiled in the sarasagara, surasaravali and sahitya lahari, which express his devotions.Tulsiramdas and Shankaradeva also composed their poems and devoted to Rama and Vishnu respectively.

Baba Guru Nanak(1469-1539) born at Talwandi. The sacred place created by him is known as dharmsal.Its now known as Gurdwara. Before his death he appointed one of his follower as his successor.His name was Lehna but came to be known as Guru Angad.

Khwaja
Muinuddin Chishti, the celebrated Sufi saint who settled in Ajmer in
the twelfth century, attracted devotees from all creeds, Near Ajmer is a
lake, Pushkar, which has attracted pilgrims from ancient times.

Kabirdas was a famous saint of Bhakthi cult and was a disciple of Ramananda. He tried to bring harmony between Hindu and Muslim religions. He was an adopted son of weaving Muslim couple Neeru and Neema of Varanasi. He condemned caste system, luxurious life, and discrimination based on religion. Allah and Rama are the two names of one God, he said. He described Hindu Muslims as pots of same clay.

The twelve Alwars were devotees of Lord Vishnu. They were from South India. The were amongst the first to start the Bhakti cult in South India.

Aandal is was among the twleve Alwars, the Vishnu Devotees, of Tamilnadu. She was an adopted daughter of Vishnuchitha. Vishnuchitha was an alwar, they were also called Periyalwar. 

The Dadu-Panth which was founded by Dadu Dayal  is a part of the Northern Indian sant parampara tradition. Its epicenter is located at its main temple in Naraina in Rajasthan. 

Mirabai was a great saint and devotee of Lord Krishna during the Bhakti movement. She was widely known and a cherished figure during the Bhakti movement. Mirabai belonged to Mewar because she was married to Bhoj Raj, the prince of Mewar, in 1516.

Gurunanak is the founder of Sikh religion. He was born in 1469 CE at Thalavandi in Punjab, now it is in Pakistan. Mehtakalu (Kaaluchanda) and Thruptha were his parents. He stressed on good views of Hindu and Muslim religions. His songs called as Japaji are in Grantha Sahib, sacred book of Sikhs. Sikh cult has given importance for Japa and good deeds.He stressed on gender equality. Nanak had great belief in the existence of the God. God is one and eternal, he proclaimed. He said, one can gain Guru through Bhakthi and with Bhakthi one can attain Mukthi. He opposed  social evils like Idol worshiping, casteism, Sathi System etc. During one of his travels he visited Karnataka. He stayed in Bidar, the place called Naanak Jaara (Sweet water spring).

Dadu Dayal was a saint from northern India. "Dadu" means brother, and "Dayal" means "the compassionate one". All of his teachings are recorded and composed by his disciples into two books namely "Dadu Dayal Ri Vani" and "Dadu Dayal Ra Doha". 

Guru Ravidas was a north Indian mystic in the 15th century. his devotional songs and poems are included in the Sikh Scriptures, Guru Granth Sahib. Sikh scriptures are recited and prayers take place in the temples devoted to Ravidas.

Kabirdas is a famous saint of Bhakthi cult and was a disciple of Ramananda. He tried to bring harmony between Hindu and Muslim religions. He was an adopted son of weaving Muslim couple Neeru and Neema of Varanasi. He condemned caste system, luxurious life, and discrimination based on religion. Allah and Rama are the two names of one God, he said. He described Hindu Muslims as pots of same clay.

Pandharpur movement is associated with the Bhakti movement of Maharashtra. The Vaishnav saints of Maharashtra were worshippers of Lord Vitthala (Vishnu) of Pandharpur. Jnaneshwar, Namadeva, Tukaram, Ekanath were those saints who popularised Vitthala Worship. They wrote devotional poems called "Abhangs" in the Marathi language.

Namdev was a poet and a saint from Maharashtra, he belongs to the Varkari sect of Hinduism. He worshiped Lord Vitthal that is one of the names of Lord Vishnu and he was widely known in India for his devotional songs. He died in 1350 C.E in Punjab.

Saint Kabir was contemporary of Guru Nanak and Delhi Sultan Sikandar Lodhi. He believed in a formless supreme god. His teachings were in the form of short poems. These poems are collected in "Bijaka". Some of his teachings were included in the Adi Granth (Guru Granth Sahib) of Sikhs. He laid stress on pure character conduct and simple life. His followers are known as "Kabirpanthi". He died in Meghar. 

It was during the reign of this emperor Prithvi Raj that Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishty arrived in Ajmer on his holy mission in 1191 AD. He was popularly known as "Gharib Nawaz", because of his special affection for the poor.

The Sundar Vilas is a poetic verse written in Hindi by Dadu in 1887, this highlights the teachings of Dadu and his sect. Each verse narrates the sect's philosophy about some important aspect of human life and human society. The verses written in it are lyrical, fluent and communicative and propagates Indian spiritual values.

In the late fifteenth century, Sankaradeva emerged as one of the leading proponents of Vaishnavism in Assam. His teachings, often known as the Bhagavati dharma because they were based on the Bhagavad Gita and the Bhagavata Purana. It focused on absolute surrender to the supreme deity, in this case, Lord Vishnu. 

The doctrine of the
oneness of the individual soul and intense devotion or love towards the God was the the best means of attaining
salvation.

Nayanars and Alvars saints belonged to South India. They led religious movement during the 7th to 9th century in South India. During this period in South India major dynasties were Pallavas, Pandyas, and Cholas.

Ramanuja was the Vaishnav saint of 12th century. He preached the Vishishtadvaita philosophy. Ramanuja gave stress on social equality. He denied caste based restriction on entering temples. His disciples Ramananda took his message to the northern parts of India.

Different saints of the north and south India had started a movement against the caste hierarchy, rituals, and blind faith. This movement is called the Bhakti movement. Saints of this movement stressed on equality. They said that 
God can be achieved through devotion and good deeds. Two forms of bhakti were introduced

Ramanuja, born in Tamil Nadu in the eleventh century, was deeply influenced by the Alvars. He propounded the doctrine of Vishishtadvaita or qualified oneness in that the soul, even when united with the Supreme God, remained distinct.

During medieval period discrimination on the basis of caste, sex, religion was at the boom. People believed in untouchability and to fulfil useless rituals.  Due to these practices, people were suffering and as a result different saints, poets and social reformers gave birth to the Bhakti movement. Though the ideology of different saints might differ yet they all were agreed on the following points

Shankara, one of the most influential philosophers
of India, was born in Kerala in the eighth century.
He was an advocate of Advaita or the doctrine of the
oneness of the individual soul and the Supreme God
which is the Ultimate Reality. 

Ramanand was born in Allahabad. He was a disciple of Ramanuja. He spread the message of devotion to Lord Rama. He challenged caste distinctions. He was against bad customs and ceremonies. He accepted his disciples without discrimination of caste, gender, religion, and birth.

Dadu Dayal was born in 1544 in Ahmedabad. Later he moved to Naraina, near Jaipur in Rajasthan. At this place, he founded his sect which was known as Dadupanthi, He preached about non-secterian or nipakh sampradaya. He was the disciple of Kabir. He was against the caste system of society.

Baba Guru Nanak (1469-1539) was born  Born at Talwandi (Nankana Sahib in
Pakistan), in a Hindu
merchant family.

Bhakti movement in the south was led by Alvars (Devotees of Lord Vishnu) and Nayanars (Devotees of Lord Shiva). Nayanars and Alvars belonged to the 7th and 8th centuries. There were 63 Nayanars and 12 Alvars. They all belonged to different caste background. They were against the system of caste in society. They preached the idea of Bhakti through hymn and stories in regional languages. The Chola and Pandya rulers built temples at places visited by them.

The earliest bhakti movements (from sixth
century to ninth century) were led by the 12 Alvars. These Alvars were“immersed” in devotion to Vishnu or Krishna.

The Alvars were devotees of Vishnu and the Nayanars were devotees of Shiva. They traveled extensively, composing hymns in Tamil, and sanctified specific locations as abodes of their deities.

Andal was the only female Alvar saint among 12 alvar saints of the south. She was the daughter of Alvar saint Periyalvar. Like other Alvar saints, she was also a devotee of Lord Vishnu. Her Tamil work Thiruppavi and Nachiar are still recited by devotees during the winter festival season of Margazhi.

During the emergence of the Bhakti movement caste system become very rigid and Hindu religion had some rigid rituals which became difficult to fulfill by common people. So to save Hindu religion Bhakti movement was started. All the saints of this movement used regional language to preach their ideas so that it could be understood by the common people. They stressed equality and to live a simple life. They denied superstitious cults and ritualism. They preached that God can be attained by devotion.

Moinuddin Chishti introduced the Chishti Order in Lahore (Punjab) and Ajmer (Rajasthan), sometime in the middle of the 12th century CE. He was eighth in the line of succession from the founder of the Chishti Order, Abu Ishaq Shami.

Tukaram was a Marathi Bhakti poet and a devotee of Lord Krishna born in 1608 and died in 1649. And the time period of Jahangir rule was 1605-1627 hence Bhakta Tukaram was a contemporary of Jahangir.

Tulsidas began writing the Ramcharitmanas in Ayodhya in 1574 CE during the Akbar rule. The exact date is stated in the poem as being the ninth day of the month of Chaitra, which is the birthday of Rama.

Khwaja Muinuddin Chisti came from central Asia. He made Ajmer as his place of residence. Chisti held that if music played and sung beautifully then it brought men close to God. His Dargah is situated at Ajmer. He died in 1236.

Bhakti movement gave the concept of worshipping God in two ways

Kabir is widely believed to have become the first disciple of the Bhakti poet-saint Swami Ramananda in Varanasi, known for devotional Vaishnavism with a strong bent to monist Advaita philosophy teaching that God was inside every person, everything.

Ramananda was a proponent of Vishishtadvaita (qualified non-dualism) and focused on Rama-bhakti. Statement I is generally associated with Ramanuja's influence, and statement II describes Dvaita (Madhvacharya), not Ramananda's specific philosophy.

Vallabhacharya was the contemporary of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He was the founder of Vallabh Sampradaya. He propounded  Suddhadvaita Vedanta and philosophy of pustimarga. 

Ramananda chose his disciples from all sections of society disregarding caste. His disciples were: a) Kabir, a Muslim weaver b) Raidasa, a cobbler c) Sena, a barber d) Sadhana, a butcher e) Dhanna, a Jat farmer f) Narahari, a goldsmith and g) Pipa, a Rajput prince.

Bhakti movement becomes popular because of the complicated social system of the medieval period. During this period discrimination was found on basis of caste and religion. Lower caste people were in the worst condition. Rituals which were performed by the common people became complicated.

Kabir was the greatest saint of the Bhakti Period. He believed in nirgun Brahma. He was a weaver.  He did not believe in rituals, discrimination based on caste, and religion. 

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu belonged to Mahagaudiya Sect. He was born in Bengal. He popularised Krishna cult that is the worship of Lord Krishna. He believed that through love, dance, and songs one can feel the presence of God.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who was the founder of Mahgaudiya sect belonged to Bengal. He gave the philosophy of Achintyabhedabhed. He was also known as Gauranga Mahaprabhu. He popularised chanting of Hare Krishna Mantra. He played a vital role in making Vrindavan as a centre of Krishna Bhakti.

Basava belonged to the Veershaiva sect. He belonged to Karnataka. He was a minister of Jaina King who ruled in the middle of the twelfth century. Veershaiva sect stressed equality. This sect rejected the caste system.

These saints were the great devotees of Lord Vishnu. Ramanuja spread the idea of Bhakti in South India. He was born in Tamil Nadu.

Nayanars and Alvars saints led the bhakti movement in south India. They preached ardent love of Shiva (by Nayanars) or Vishnu(by Alvars) as the path of salvation. They were sharply critical of Buddhists and  Jainas. They were against the rigidity of rituals followed by the people. They stressed on devotion and love.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was born in Bengal. He popularised the Krishna Cult. He visited Vrindavan to locate the lost holy places associated with Lord Krishna. When he went to Gaya to perform the Shrad ceremony of his departed father, he met Ishavara Puri(his guru). From him, he received initiation with Gopal Krishna Mantra. Here he got enlightenment and told that if we Chant "Hare Krishna" Mantra, We will become pure and enlightened.

Kabir belonged to nirguna sect of Bhakti. He believed in the unity of the Hindus and the Muslims. He said that both are the children of God whether Ram and Rahim. He made an attempt at a fusion of Islamic mythicism and Hindu tradition. He admired whatever was good in the two cults and condemned whatever was dogmatic.

The origin of Bhakti
movement in the Hindu religion is dated back to AD 7^th Century. The
Bhakti movement believed in pure and complete devotion to the God and in this
movement different saints spread this message. It started in South India (in
the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala) with the Nayanars and Alwars movement. Over
a period of time, the concept and the movement spread to different parts of
India through different saints.

Alvars were the South Indian poet-saints who worshiped Vishnu while the Nayanars were the saints devoted to Shiva. Nizamuddin Auliya, also remembered as Hazrat Nizamuddin was a sufi saint under the Chisti (Sunni Sufi) order. Namghar literally meaning the house of prayer were places of congregational worship introduced by Shankaradeva, a Vaishnav saint in Assam.Gautam Buddha questioned social differences in the society and espoused social justice.

Ramsnehi Sampradaya is a spiritual and religious tradition originating in 1817 Vikram Samvat in Bhilwara city of Rajasthan by the disciple of Swami Shri Ram Charan Maharaj who provided the spiritual and philosophical basis for the sect.

Sant Namdeo was a great Sant of the Varkari movement. He went up to the Punjab, propagating his thoughts. His compositions are included in the 'Guru Granth Sahib' of Sikhs. He propagated the message of Bhagwat religion in all quarters.

• Alavars: These are Tamil poet saints and were devoted to Vishnu and his avatar Krishna. They belong to Vaishnava sect.
  
• Nayanars: These were also Tamil poets devoted to lord Shiva.
  
• Sufis: This is an Islamic mysticism.
  
• Virashaivism:  This is a sect of Hinduism. It is predominantly found in the states of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Basavanna, a Kannada poet belonged to this sect and belief is that he founded this sect.
  

Nayanars are the worshipers of Shiva in Tamil Nadu.  Along with the Alvars, who are the worshipers of Vishnu, they participated in the Bhakti movement in the 6-8th century.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu wrote a series of verses known as the
Shikshashtakam, or "eight verses of instruction which are considered to
contain the complete philosophy of Gaudiya Vaishnavism in condensed
form. He requested six saints and theologians among his followers to
systematize the Gaudiya Vaishnava theology in their own writings.

Dadu Dayal died in 1603 at the age of fifty-nine in Narayana city, near Jaipur in Rajasthan.

Saint Kabir believed in formless supreme God. He protested the rituals like idol worship, offering namaz, taking the holy dip in rivers etc. His teachings were in short poems which are collected in the Bijaka. He gave stress on the purity of soul. His followers are known as Kabirpnathi.

Shrimad Dasbodh is a classical 17th century Hindu Advaita Vedanta spiritual text. It was orally narrated by saint Samarth Ramdas, to his disciple Kalyan Swami.

Mirabai was a great saint and devotee of Lord Krishna, she was a Hindu poet of the Bhakti movement. She was born in 1498 in the Chaukari village in Merta, Rajasthan. Her father Ratan Singh was a descendant of Rao Rathor, the founder of Jodhpur

Bhojraj Singh was the eldest son of Rana Sanga, ruler of Mewar in western India. He is best known as the reputed husband of the bhakti poet-saint Meerabai.

Chokhamela was poet born in Maharashtra, India in the 14th century. He belonged to the Mahar caste, considered "untouchable" in India in that era. He was the first poet and saint from deprived class.

The Tirukkural or Thirukkural or shortly the Kural is a classic Tamil text consisting of 1,330 couplets or Kurals, dealing with the everyday virtues of an individual. It was written by Thiruvalluvar.

Saint Kabir was the prominent preacher of Nirgun Bhakti. He was one of the disciples of Ramananda who was the saint of Vaishnava tradition. He advocated that the devotional marg is available to all the people without distinction of caste, gender, and religion. The greatest work of Kabir is known as Bijak, seeds of his teachings. He was a contemporary of Lodi sultan Sikandar Lodi.

Surdas was an ardent devotee of Krishna. His
compositions, compiled in the Sursagara, SuraSaravali
and Sahitya Lahari, express his devotion. Surdas was the disciple of Vallabhacharya.

Guru Nanak was born in 1439 at Talwandi. He said God is the ultimate truth which he described as "Sat Sri Akal". He worshipped God as Nirakar that means without any physical form. He condemned caste distinction and idol worship. His teachings have been compiled in Guru Granth Sahib. He advised people to follow the three principles of life: Nam Japo, Kirt Karo, Vand Chakho.

While there is debate, the Gupta period is widely recognized in traditional historiography for the formalization and widespread adoption of temple-based idol worship in India.

The Bhakti movement significantly promoted the use of regional languages for devotional literature, but it was primarily a Hindu movement, not a Buddhist one.

Nirguna comes from the Sanskrit, nir, meaning “without”; guna, meaning “properties,”. Hence nirguna is a concept of a formless God which means that god do not exist in a particular form or have particular properties. In nirguna bhakti, God is worshiped in an unmanifested form.

All statements are correct: poet-saints formed communities, Brahmans often acted as intermediaries, and the distinction between Saguna and Nirguna is a fundamental classification in Bhakti studies.

In Hinduism, two forms of devotions are found. one is Sagun bhakti and another one is Nirguna Bhakti. Sagun bhakti has faith in the physical form of God and Nirguna bhakti has its faith in formless supreme God. Kabir was a nirguna saint who believed in formless supreme God. He wanted to remove the differences based on caste and religion. He condemned the superstitious cults, the ritualism, the doctrine of both the Hinduism and Islam. His teachings are collected in the "Bijaka". His followers are known as kabirpanthis.

Both statements accurately reflect the lives of these female saints who challenged traditional gender roles while remaining within the devotional framework.

The Bhakti movement is a devotional trend that emerged in Hinduism and influenced other traditions, including Sikhism, which incorporated many Bhakti ideals.

Ramananda developed his philosophy and devotional themes inspired by the south Indian Vedanta philosopher Ramanuja, however evidence also suggests that Ramananda was influenced by Nathpanthi ascetics of the Yoga school of Hindu philosophy.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is believed to born in Mayapur. Mayapur is located on the banks of the Ganges river, at the point of its confluence with the Jalangi, near Nabadwip, Bengal, 130 km north of Kolkata.

The Bhakti movement shifted focus from complex Vedic rituals to personal devotion and provided a more inclusive spiritual path for marginalized groups.

Alvar and Nayanar saints led the bhakti movement in South India. Alvar saints were devotees of Lord Vishnu. They Composed hymns and hagiographies. Divyaprabandhan was one of the hymns of Alvar Saints. Most popular Alvar saints are Periyalvar, Andal, Tondara Dippodi Alvar, and Nammalvar.

The Sanskrit root 'bhaj' means to divide, share, or participate, which forms the basis of the term 'Bhakti' as a shared participation in the divine.

Surdas is usually regarded as disciple of Vallabha Acharya, whom he is supposed to have met in 1510 while going on a pilgrimage to Vrindavan.

Ramananda was a devotional poet and saint of the  Vaishnava sect in the region of Northern India. He was the first saint to compose his works and propagate the message in Hindi in order to make the knowledge accessible to the masses.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was born at Nadiya in Bengal. His real name was Vishambhar. He was a devotee of Lord Krishna. He gave stress on Kiratana. He was also known as Gauranga Mahaprabhu. He founded Achintya Bheda Abheda cult and Gaudiya math. His biography Chaitanya Charitamrita was written by Krishnadas Kaviraja.

Vinaya Patrika and Kavitavali are a devotional poem composed by the 16th-century Indian poet, Goswami Tulsidas. The language of the text is Braj Bhasha. It contains hymns to different Hindu deities especially to Lord Rama in extreme humility (Vinaya).

Kabir, Nanak, and Ravidas belonged to the Nirgun cult of Bhakti movement but Meera Who was a Rajput princess belonged to Sagun Cult. she was a great devotee of Lord Krishna. She composed many bhajans and songs to express her intense devotion to Lord Krishna. 

Ramananda is widely regarded as the pioneer who bridged the gap between Southern Bhakti and Northern India, emphasizing the Nirguna (formless) aspect of the divine.

Shankaracharya was a proponent of Advaita Vedanta (non-dualism) and lived well before the Bhakti movement as it is traditionally defined in the medieval context.

• Kabir was born in 1440. He was the follower of Nirguna Brahma.
• Guru Nanak was born in 1469 at Talvandi near Lahore.
• Chaitanaya - He was born in 1486 in Nabadwip in Bengal.
• Tulsidas- He was born in 1511. He was a Hindu Vaishnav saint and a poet. He belonged to Ramanandi Sampradaya

Namdeva (Maharashtra), Chaitanya (West Bengal), Surdas (Uttar Pradesh), and Nanak (Punjab) are correctly matched to their respective regions.

Dadu Dayal was the poet- Sant from Gujarat. He was the founder of Dadupanth. His compositions were recorded in Brij language by his disciple Rajjab. His compostions are known as Dadu Anubhav Bani. He died in 1603.

Due to ill social practices, the Bhakti movement was started. All saints stressed on true devotion to attain God. They were against discrimination on the basis of Caste and Gender. They believed that all people are children of God. They were against performing rituals. They stressed on humanity.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a popular Vaishanv saint and reformer from Bengal. According to him the presence of God could be realised through love, devotion, song, and dance. He wrote many bhajans for lord Krishna. He himself began to be worshipped as an incarnation of Lord Krishna.

Ramanuja was the first exponent of the Bhakti movement. He gave the philosophy of Vishistadvaita. He believed in Brahma as a supreme and individual soul. He believed that God could be achieved by the soul through Bhakti.