CHENNAI: Despite turmoils for centuries in the North India due to foreign invasions and conquests, an important aspect of development during Muslim rule was the revival of bhakti movement. The saint singers came from all castes and communities including Muslims and some remarkable women composed lyrics with messages for the common people. In Islam, a mystical tradition of seekers intoxicated with the love of god were known as Sufis with which the bhakti tradition developed a close affinity.
The first major Sufi teacher to come to India was the great Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti who arrived in Delhi towards the end of the 12th Century and finally settling in Ajmer. He had many disciples both Hindu and Muslims. Though initially a disciple of Saint Ramanuja, the Hindu mystic Ramananda moved away from traditional orthodoxy and had disciples mostly from the lower castes, the most famous being Kabir who combined the best of Sufi and bhakti traditions.
Two figures of importance in the vast Hindi speaking Indo-gangetic plain are Tulasidas (1527-1623) and Surdas (1478- 581). Tulasidas produced the first and the greatest Hindi classic — Rama Charita Manasa (holy lake of Rama’s deeds) — and he looked upon Lord Ram as the incarnation of god. On the other hand, Surdas composed a devotional poetry on Lord Krishna. In Karnataka, Saint Purandaradasa (1480-1564) sang the glory of god and won a vast following.
The 11th Century poet-devotee Jayadeva composed Sanskrit master piece Geeta Govinda narrating the story of Krishna. A study on bhakti movement can’t omit the names of two remarkable women — Lalelswari and Mirabai. In the south, the bhakti movement had two parallel lines of Vaishnavism and Saivism. The Vaishnava mystic and saints are known as Alwars. Corresponding to Alwars, the Saivism had Nayanmars numbering 63 and their collection of hymns is called Tirumurai, which extols worship of Lord Shiva and ranks high in devotional literature.