The cult of bhakti was followed by a host of saints of northern India. The moving spirit were Ramananda, Kabir, Nanak, Chaitanya and others. The leaders of the Bhakti movement of the early period were mostly of southern extractions. The Bhakti movement associated with the southern group was more scho­lastic than popular, which was not the case with the northern group.

The bhaktas of the latter group did not ponder over the subtle questions of metaphysics. They were essentially eclectic, broad-minded and latitudinarian in their views and outlook.

Caste was not a factor in the new Bhakti movement. Many of the Bhakti poets rose from lower castes. Their message was both for the rich and the poor, the high caste and the low, the educated and the illiterate.