Bhakti and Sufi Movements — Practice Questions
UPSC Prelims-pattern practice questions on the Bhakti and Sufi movements with full explanations — saints and regions, Varkari tradition, Sufi orders and doctrines.
Questions
These are original UPSC-pattern practice questions. Attempt each one before revealing the answer.
Consider the following pairs:
| Saint | Region |
|---|---|
| 1. Sankaradeva | Assam |
| 2. Basavanna | Maharashtra |
| 3. Lal Ded | Kashmir |
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Solution
Pair 1 is correct — Sankaradeva founded Ekasarana Dharma in Assam. Pair 3 is correct — Lal Ded (Lalleshwari) was a 14th-century Shaiva mystic of Kashmir who composed vakhs. Pair 2 is wrong — Basavanna, the founder-figure of the Virashaiva (Lingayat) movement, belonged to Karnataka and wrote vachanas in Kannada.
Answer: B
With reference to the Varkari tradition, consider the following statements:
- It is centred on the worship of Vithoba at Pandharpur.
- Tukaram composed devotional songs known as abhangas.
- Jnaneshwar wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita in Marathi.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
Solution
All three are correct. The Varkari tradition is built around the pilgrimage to Vithoba (Vitthal) of Pandharpur; Tukaram (17th century) is best known for his abhangas; Jnaneshwar (13th century) wrote the Jnaneshwari, a Marathi commentary on the Gita.
Answer: D
Which Sufi order, associated with Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi, is known for its strict adherence to the sharia and its opposition to sama?
Solution
The Naqshbandi order, brought to India by Khwaja Baqi Billah, became the most orthodox order under his disciple Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi. The Chishtis practised sama; the Suhrawardis are remembered for accepting state patronage; the Qadiris are linked with Mian Mir and Dara Shikoh.
Answer: A
Consider the following statements:
- Tulsidas composed the Ramcharitmanas in Awadhi.
- Surdas was a nirguna poet who worshipped a formless God.
- Kabir’s sayings are collected in the Bijak.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Solution
Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Statement 2 is wrong — Surdas was a saguna poet devoted to Krishna; his verses are collected in the Sursagar, in Braj. Kabir is the classic nirguna saint.
Answer: C
The doctrine of Wahdat-ul-Shuhud (unity of appearance) in Indian Sufism is associated with
Solution
Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi (Naqshbandi) propounded Wahdat-ul-Shuhud to counter Ibn Arabi’s Wahdat-ul-Wujud (unity of being), which had shaped Chishti thought. Nizamuddin Auliya was a Chishti saint of Delhi; Ali Hujwiri wrote the Kashf-ul-Mahjub.
Answer: B
Mains
How did the regional Bhakti saints contribute to the growth of vernacular languages and literature in medieval India? Illustrate with examples.
Solution
Introduction: Bhakti saints chose the spoken languages of their regions over Sanskrit so that devotion could reach every listener. In doing so they produced some of the earliest classics of several Indian languages.
Body:
- Tamil: hymns of the Alvars and Nayanars, compiled as the Nalayira Divya Prabandham and the Tirumurai.
- Kannada: Basavanna’s vachanas; the songs of the Haridasas such as Purandara Dasa.
- Marathi: Jnaneshwar’s Jnaneshwari; the abhangas of Namdev and Tukaram.
- Hindi dialects: Kabir’s dohas; Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas (Awadhi); Surdas’s Sursagar (Braj).
- Punjabi / Gurmukhi: hymns of Guru Nanak, compiled in the Adi Granth (1604).
- Assamese: Sankaradeva’s Borgeet and Ankiya Naat; Kashmiri: Lal Ded’s vakhs.
Conclusion: By turning devotion into song and verse in everyday speech, the Bhakti saints gave regional languages their literary standing — a legacy that shaped later regional identities.