Tag: history

Mirabai was a great saint and devotee of Lord Krishna during the Bhakti movement. She was widely known and a cherished figure during the Bhakti movement. Mirabai belonged to Mewar because she was married to Bhoj Raj, the prince of Mewar, in 1516.

Gurunanak is the founder of Sikh religion. He was born in 1469 CE at Thalavandi in Punjab, now it is in Pakistan. Mehtakalu (Kaaluchanda) and Thruptha were his parents. He stressed on good views of Hindu and Muslim religions. His songs called as Japaji are in Grantha Sahib, sacred book of Sikhs. Sikh cult has given importance for Japa and good deeds.He stressed on gender equality. Nanak had great belief in the existence of the God. God is one and eternal, he proclaimed. He said, one can gain Guru through Bhakthi and with Bhakthi one can attain Mukthi. He opposed  social evils like Idol worshiping, casteism, Sathi System etc. During one of his travels he visited Karnataka. He stayed in Bidar, the place called Naanak Jaara (Sweet water spring).

Dadu Dayal was a saint from northern India. "Dadu" means brother, and "Dayal" means "the compassionate one". All of his teachings are recorded and composed by his disciples into two books namely "Dadu Dayal Ri Vani" and "Dadu Dayal Ra Doha". 

Guru Ravidas was a north Indian mystic in the 15th century. his devotional songs and poems are included in the Sikh Scriptures, Guru Granth Sahib. Sikh scriptures are recited and prayers take place in the temples devoted to Ravidas.

Kabirdas is a famous saint of Bhakthi cult and was a disciple of Ramananda. He tried to bring harmony between Hindu and Muslim religions. He was an adopted son of weaving Muslim couple Neeru and Neema of Varanasi. He condemned caste system, luxurious life, and discrimination based on religion. Allah and Rama are the two names of one God, he said. He described Hindu Muslims as pots of same clay.

Pandharpur movement is associated with the Bhakti movement of Maharashtra. The Vaishnav saints of Maharashtra were worshippers of Lord Vitthala (Vishnu) of Pandharpur. Jnaneshwar, Namadeva, Tukaram, Ekanath were those saints who popularised Vitthala Worship. They wrote devotional poems called "Abhangs" in the Marathi language.

Namdev was a poet and a saint from Maharashtra, he belongs to the Varkari sect of Hinduism. He worshiped Lord Vitthal that is one of the names of Lord Vishnu and he was widely known in India for his devotional songs. He died in 1350 C.E in Punjab.

Saint Kabir was contemporary of Guru Nanak and Delhi Sultan Sikandar Lodhi. He believed in a formless supreme god. His teachings were in the form of short poems. These poems are collected in "Bijaka". Some of his teachings were included in the Adi Granth (Guru Granth Sahib) of Sikhs. He laid stress on pure character conduct and simple life. His followers are known as "Kabirpanthi". He died in Meghar. 

It was during the reign of this emperor Prithvi Raj that Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishty arrived in Ajmer on his holy mission in 1191 AD. He was popularly known as "Gharib Nawaz", because of his special affection for the poor.

The Sundar Vilas is a poetic verse written in Hindi by Dadu in 1887, this highlights the teachings of Dadu and his sect. Each verse narrates the sect's philosophy about some important aspect of human life and human society. The verses written in it are lyrical, fluent and communicative and propagates Indian spiritual values.