Tag: bhakti movement : south and north india

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who was the founder of Mahgaudiya sect belonged to Bengal. He gave the philosophy of Achintyabhedabhed. He was also known as Gauranga Mahaprabhu. He popularised chanting of Hare Krishna Mantra. He played a vital role in making Vrindavan as a centre of Krishna Bhakti.

Basava belonged to the Veershaiva sect. He belonged to Karnataka. He was a minister of Jaina King who ruled in the middle of the twelfth century. Veershaiva sect stressed equality. This sect rejected the caste system.

These saints were the great devotees of Lord Vishnu. Ramanuja spread the idea of Bhakti in South India. He was born in Tamil Nadu.

Nayanars and Alvars saints led the bhakti movement in south India. They preached ardent love of Shiva (by Nayanars) or Vishnu(by Alvars) as the path of salvation. They were sharply critical of Buddhists and  Jainas. They were against the rigidity of rituals followed by the people. They stressed on devotion and love.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was born in Bengal. He popularised the Krishna Cult. He visited Vrindavan to locate the lost holy places associated with Lord Krishna. When he went to Gaya to perform the Shrad ceremony of his departed father, he met Ishavara Puri(his guru). From him, he received initiation with Gopal Krishna Mantra. Here he got enlightenment and told that if we Chant "Hare Krishna" Mantra, We will become pure and enlightened.

Kabir belonged to nirguna sect of Bhakti. He believed in the unity of the Hindus and the Muslims. He said that both are the children of God whether Ram and Rahim. He made an attempt at a fusion of Islamic mythicism and Hindu tradition. He admired whatever was good in the two cults and condemned whatever was dogmatic.

The origin of Bhakti movement in the Hindu religion is dated back to AD 7^th Century. The Bhakti movement believed in pure and complete devotion to the God and in this movement different saints spread this message. It started in South India (in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala) with the Nayanars and Alwars movement. Over a period of time, the concept and the movement spread to different parts of India through different saints.

Alvars were the South Indian poet-saints who worshiped Vishnu while the Nayanars were the saints devoted to Shiva. Nizamuddin Auliya, also remembered as Hazrat Nizamuddin was a sufi saint under the Chisti (Sunni Sufi) order. Namghar literally meaning the house of prayer were places of congregational worship introduced by Shankaradeva, a Vaishnav saint in Assam.Gautam Buddha questioned social differences in the society and espoused social justice.

Ramsnehi Sampradaya is a spiritual and religious tradition originating in 1817 Vikram Samvat in Bhilwara city of Rajasthan by the disciple of Swami Shri Ram Charan Maharaj who provided the spiritual and philosophical basis for the sect.

Sant Namdeo was a great Sant of the Varkari movement. He went up to the Punjab, propagating his thoughts. His compositions are included in the 'Guru Granth Sahib' of Sikhs. He propagated the message of Bhagwat religion in all quarters.