Poems of Prayer Early Traditions of Bhakti| Class 12 History Notes

This is a thorough guide for Class 12 History Notes, specifically for Chapter 6: “Poems of Prayer: Early Traditions of Bhakti.” We will explore the various religious beliefs and practices, discuss the Poems of Prayer Early Traditions of Bhakti, and much more!

Various Religious Beliefs and Practices

• There were many different Gods and Goddesses in literature and sculptures. The Puranic literature was written in a straightforward Sanskrit language that was understandable to women and Shudras, who were typically excluded from Vedic education. The constant blending of local and Puranic traditions created a great deal of beliefs and customs. The Odisha Jagannatha cult worshipped a wood-eyed god considered to be a variant of Vishnu by the tribal experts in the area.
• By giving them a role as the chief deity’s wife, the local deities were frequently integrated into the Puranic framework. For example, they were compared to Parvati, the wife of Shiva, or Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu. Tantric customs were common throughout the subcontinent. It affected Buddhism as well as Shaivism.
• By giving them a role as the chief deity’s wife, the local deities were frequently integrated into the Puranic framework. For example, they were compared to Parvati, the wife of Shiva, or Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu. Tantric customs were common throughout the subcontinent. It affected Buddhism as well as Shaivism.

Poems of Prayer Early Traditions of Bhakti

• Bhakti traditions were divided into two main types by historians: Nirguna (without attributes) and Saguna (with attributes).
• Bhakti movements were spearheaded in the sixth century by Alvars, who were followers of Vishnu, and Nayanars, who were followers of Shiva. They sang Tamil religious songs as they went from place to place. Large temples were eventually erected in the locations where the Alvars and Nayanars had discovered particular shrines on their travels.
• Historians have proposed that a protest movement against the caste system was started by the Alvars and Nayanars. The Alvars’ Nalayira Divyaprabandham was referred to as the Tamil Veda.
• Women devotees who challenged patriarchal conventions through their devotional music compositions included Andal and Karaikkal Ammariyar. Huge and majestic temples were built in Chidambaram, Thanjavur, and Gangai Kondacholapuram under the patronage of the Chola monarchs.
• Under royal sponsorship, Tamil Shaiva songs were sung in the temples.

The Virashaiva Tradition in Karnataka

• In the twelfth century, a new movement led by a Brahmana named Basavanna arose in Karnataka.
• His adherents were referred to as Lingayats (Wearers of Lingas) or Virashaivas (heroes of Shiva). The Lingayat community is still significant in the area today.
• The Lingayats promoted post-puberty marriage and widows’ remarriage while opposing concepts such as caste, pollution, and the doctrine of rebirth.
• The knowledge of the Virashaiva tradition comes from the Kannada-language Vachanas, or, sayings, that both men and women who joined the movement wrote.

Emergence of Islamic Traditions

Faith of Rulers and Subjects

• Muslim rulers were supposed to follow the Shari’a and be led by Ulama, which created complications because the majority of the populace was not Muslim.
• This led to the development of the Zimmi (the protected) category for non-religious individuals. The Muslims promised to protect them in exchange for their payment of Jizya.
• Several presidents have shown loyalty to religious leaders who were not Muslims while simultaneously implementing liberal policies towards their citizens.
• Mughal emperors such as Aurangzeb and Akbar also granted grants.

The Popular Practice of Islam

• The local customs had an effect and were layered atop the universal features of Islam.
• For instance, the Khojahs, a subset of the Shia Ismailis, created devotional poetry in regional languages as a new means of spreading the Qur’an.
• Arab Muslim traders took up local languages and practices including matriliny and matrilocal residency when they settled along Kerala’s Malabar coast.
• Mosques vary in several other ways as well, including their roof and construction materials.

Names for communities

• Historians claim that at this time, the titles “Hindu” and “Muslim” were seldom ever used to refer to different religious sects.
• Rather, individuals were often recognised by their place of origin.
• The Turushka were the people of Tajikistan, the Tajika were the inhabitants of Tajikistan, and the Parshikka were the people of Persia.
• Mlechchha was a more all-encompassing moniker for these immigrant settlements.

The Growth of Sufism

• Sufis, a group of religious adherents, turned to mysticism and austerity as a form of protest against the Caliphate’s increasing materialism.
• They demonstrated their ardent love and devotion to God by carrying out His will.

Khanqahs and Silsilas

• By the eleventh century, Sufism had grown into a fully formed movement with its literature and Sufi traditions.
• Around the hospice, or khanqah (Persian), which was supervised by a teacher known as a shaikh (Arabic), pir, or murshid (Persian), communities were first established by the spiritual leaders.
• He appointed a khalifa (successor) and gathered followers (murids).
• He established rules on spiritual behaviour and relations between laypeople, the prisoner master, and the latter.
• Sufi silsilas, or chains, began to solidify in different parts of the Islamic world in the twelfth century.
• The inmates took an oath of loyalty, shaved their heads, and put on a patched tunic.
• Since Shaikh’s followers believed that saints rejoined with God after death, his tomb shrine (dargah) became the centre of devotion following his departure.

Outside the Khanqah

• Based on a radical interpretation of Sufi values, certain mystics started movements.
• Many turned their backs on the khanqah and adopted mendicancy and celibacy.
• They practised severe types of asceticism and disregarded ceremonies.
• They went by a variety of names, including Haidaris, Qalandars, Madaris, and Malangs.

The Chistis in the Subcontinent

The Chistis, who came to India in the twelfth century, were the most significant group because they adapted to the local customs and surroundings.

Life in the Chishti Khanqah

• Social life was centred around khanqahs.
• The Delhi Hospice of Shaikh Nizamuddin was made out of a large hall and various apartments.
• Among the inmates were the Shaikh’s disciples and attendants as well as family members.
• A boundary wall encircled the compound, and a veranda encircled the courtyard.
• Open kitchen (langar) operated by futuh (charity).
• People came looking for discipleship from all walks of life.
• Poets Amir Hasan Sijzi and Amir Khusrau, as well as the royal historian Ziyauddin Barani, were among the guests.
• Assimilation of local customs was attempted through practices including yogic exercises, shaving the heads of initiates, kneeling before the Shaikh, and providing water to guests.

Chisti Devotionalism: Ziyarat and Qawwali

• Ziyarat is the pilgrimage to the tombs of Sufi saints. During this practice, one might ask for the spiritual grace (Barakat) of the Sufi.
• The most well-regarded one is that of Khwaja Muinuddin, also referred to as “Gharib Nawaz.”
• Its popularity stemmed from the Shaikh’s discipline and piety, the eminence of his spiritual successors, and the royal guests’ sponsorship.
• The first Sultan to visit the shrine was Muhammad bin Tughlaq, although Sultan Ghiyasuddin Khalji was the one who provided funding for its first construction.
• Akbar made fourteen visits to the shrine and bestowed copious gifts on it.
• Ziyarat also included the use of dance and music, particularly mystical chants delivered by qawwals, or specially trained musicians, to induce heavenly bliss.
• The Sufis invoke God’s Presence through sama (audition) or recite the Divine Names, zikr, in remembrance of him.

Languages and Communication

• People belonging to the Chishti silsila in Delhi spoke the local language, Hindavi.
• The Guru Granth Sahib has verses written by Sufis like Baba Farid in the regional tongue.
• Poetry by Sufis was written in and around Bijapur, Karnataka. These were brief poems written by Chishti Sufis in the Urdu dialect of Dakhani.
• This region’s sufis were influenced by the Kannada vachanas’ bhakti tradition.

Sufis and the State

• The political elites gave uninvited gifts and grants to the Sufis.
• The Sultans donated tax-free land (inam) and established benevolent trusts (auqaf).
• Donations such as food, clothing, housing, and other necessities were met with the help of these contributions.
• Because of the belief that the auliya may act as an intermediary between themselves and God, rulers frequently desired that their graves be located close to sufi shrines.
• Conflicts did, however, occasionally arise between the Sufis and the Sultans.
• Both required specific actions, including prostration and foot kissing, to be carried out to establish their dominance.
• Sufi Shaiks were frequently referred to by titles; for instance, Nizamuddin Auliya’s followers called him sultan-ul-mashaikh.

New Devotional Paths in Northern India

• Kabir was a poet-saint of the 14th-15th centuries.
• Kabir’s verses were compiled in three distinct traditions
• The Kabir Bijak is preserved by the Kabirpanth in Uttar Pradesh.
• The Kabir Granthavali is associated with the Dadupanth in Rajasthan.
• Many of his verses were included in the Adi Granth Sahib.
• Kabir described the ultimate reality as Allah, Khuda, Hazarat and Pir. He also used terms from Vedantic traditions, like alakh, nirakar, brahmin, atman, etc.
• Kabir accepted all types of philosophy i.e. Vedantic traditions, Yogic traditions and Islamic ideas.
• Kabir’s ideas probably crystallised through dialogue and debate.
• The message of Guru Nanak is spelt out in his hymns and teachings, where he advocated a form of Nirguna bhakti.
• Guru Nanak taught that the ultimate, or “rab,” was formless and genderless. His beliefs were conveyed via Punjabi hymns known as “Shabad.”
• The Adi Granth Sahib contains the hymns of Baba Farid, Ravidas, and Kabir in addition to those composed by Guru Arjan. The works of Guru Tegh Bahadur were later added by Guru Gobind Singh, and this text became known as the “Guru Granth Sahib.”
• Mirabai was a well-known Bhakti poet who was a woman. She wrote several songs that were notable for their powerful emotional expressiveness.
• Gujarati and Rajasthani low-caste people were influenced by Mirabai’s song.
• In Assam, Shankaradeva was a prominent Vaishnavite leader in the latter half of the fifteenth century.
• He highlighted the importance of “Naam Kirtan” and promoted the construction of “naam ghar,” or prayer halls, and “satra,” or monasteries. Among his most important works is “Kirtana-ghosha.”

Chapter 6 Poems of Prayer Early Traditions of Bhakti- FAQs

What was the early tradition of Bhakti Class 12?

The Bhakti Movement was founded by Alvaras and Nayanars in South India. Lord Shiva is worshipped by the Nayanars, whereas Lord Vishnu is worshipped by the Alvaras. These believers journeyed to different locations while praising their gods with hymns. Numerous temples that are now revered sites of pilgrimage were constructed.

What was the early tradition of Bhakti in Tamilnadu?

Two primary rival factions made up the Bhakti movement in Tamil Nadu: Shaivas, who also worshipped regional deities like Murugan/Kartikeya, and Vaishnavas, who also worshipped regional deities like Tirumāl. The Shaiva Nayanars and Vaishnava Alvars lived in the fifth and ninth centuries CE.

What are the main features of early Bhakti tradition?

The following are the primary characteristics of bhakti: (i) A loving bond between a follower and his deity. (ii) Bhakti placed more emphasis on personal devotion and adoration of a deity or goddess than on offering complex offerings. (iii) Eliminating any prejudice based on caste, gender, or religion.

What were the two main categories of Bhakti tradition?

On another level, religious historians frequently divide bhakti traditions into two major groups: nirguna (without qualities) and saguna (with attributes).

Who started Bhakti movement?

It was Ramanuja who initially organised the Bhakti Movement. The Bhakti Movement began in South India in the 7th century as a religious resurgence. The Bhakti movement introduced Nirguna and Saguna, two new avenues for experiencing God. Nirguna is the formless, idol-free method of worshipping the divine.