Bhakti and Sufi Movements: Saints, Places and Teachings at a Glance
Quick revision of the Bhakti and Sufi movements for exams: philosophers and their schools, saints by region, Sufi orders in India and the Sikh Gurus.
By the World MCQ Forum India Editorial Team · 27 October 2026 · 2 min read
The Bhakti and Sufi movements are a favourite area for SSC and state exam questions on medieval India. Most questions match a saint with a region, a teaching or a work. These tables put those links in one place.
The great philosophers (acharyas)
| Philosopher | School | Key idea |
|---|---|---|
| Adi Shankaracharya (8th c.) | Advaita (non-dualism) | The soul and Brahman are one; four mathas |
| Ramanuja (11th–12th c.) | Vishishtadvaita (qualified non-dualism) | Devotion to Vishnu as the path |
| Madhvacharya (13th c.) | Dvaita (dualism) | God and the soul are separate |
| Vallabhacharya (15th–16th c.) | Shuddhadvaita; Pushti Marg | Krishna bhakti; Surdas was his disciple |
Memory tip: A-V-D in time order: Advaita (Shankara) → Vishishtadvaita (Ramanuja) → Dvaita (Madhva).
Early Bhakti in South India
- Alvars (12 saints): devotees of Vishnu, sang in Tamil.
- Nayanars (63 saints): devotees of Shiva, also in Tamil.
- Basavanna (12th c., Karnataka): founded the Lingayat (Virashaiva) movement and rejected caste.
Bhakti saints by region
| Region | Saint | Remember for |
|---|---|---|
| North India | Ramananda | Guru of Kabir and Ravidas; accepted all castes |
| North India | Kabir | Dohas; rejected rituals; his sayings are collected in the Bijak |
| North India | Tulsidas | Ramcharitmanas, in Awadhi |
| North India | Surdas | Sursagar, in Braj Bhasha; Krishna bhakti |
| Rajasthan | Mirabai | Devotion to Krishna |
| Bengal and Odisha | Chaitanya Mahaprabhu | Krishna kirtan; later life in Puri |
| Assam | Srimanta Sankardeva | Ekasarana Dharma, sattras, Sattriya dance |
| Maharashtra | Jnaneshwar | Jnaneshwari (Marathi commentary on the Gita) |
| Maharashtra | Namdev, Eknath, Tukaram | Varkari saints; Vithoba of Pandharpur; Tukaram’s abhangas |
Sufi orders in India
| Order | Founder or main saint in India | Centre |
|---|---|---|
| Chishti | Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti | Ajmer |
| Chishti | Nizamuddin Auliya (disciple: Amir Khusrau) | Delhi |
| Chishti | Salim Chishti | Fatehpur Sikri |
| Suhrawardi | Bahauddin Zakariya | Multan |
Difference that exams ask: the Chishtis kept away from rulers and refused state grants; the Suhrawardis accepted posts and grants from the Sultans.
The Sikh Gurus most often asked about
| Guru | Remember for |
|---|---|
| Guru Nanak (1st) | Born 1469 at Talwandi (Nankana Sahib); founder of Sikhism |
| Guru Angad (2nd) | Credited with standardising the Gurmukhi script |
| Guru Arjan Dev (5th) | Compiled the Adi Granth (1604); Harmandir Sahib |
| Guru Tegh Bahadur (9th) | Executed in Delhi in 1675 on Aurangzeb’s orders |
| Guru Gobind Singh (10th) | Founded the Khalsa (1699, Anandpur Sahib) |
Why these movements mattered
Both movements taught that devotion matters more than ritual and caste. They used local languages (Tamil, Kannada, Marathi, Hindi, Bengali, Assamese) instead of Sanskrit or Persian, which helped those languages develop their literature.
Test yourself with our Bhakti, Sufi and Sikh movements set.