The Bhakti Movement

The Bhakti Movement stressed on the mystical union of the individual with God. The real development of for movement took place in south India between the 7th and 12th centuries.

The ideas of ‘bhakti’ were carried to the north by scholars like Namdeva (14th centuries) and Ramananda (14th century). The ideas were taken up by Kabir and Nanak, who made a strong plea for Hindu-Muslim unity.

The Bhakti Movement in north India also developed around the worship of Rama and Krishna, Chaitanya being its best known exponent.

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The Sufi Movement

Sufi mystic orders arose in the 10th century. They laid great emphasis on love and devotion as the bond between God and the individual soul.

Around this time, the sufis were organised into 12 orders or silsilahs and these were broadly divided into two: Ba-shara (those who followed the Islamic law) and Be-shara (those who were not bound by Islamic law).

The two orders which acquired importance in India were the Chisti and Surhawardi silsilahs. The most famous of the Chisti saints were Nizam- ud-Din Auliya and Nasir-ud-Din Chirag-i-Delhi.