Target Exam

CUET

Subject

History

Chapter

Medieval India: Bhakti Sufi Traditions

Question:

Karaikkal Ammiyar, a woman saint, was a devotee of:

Options:

Lord Vishnu

Lord Shiva

Lord Krishna

Lord Rama

Correct Answer:

Lord Shiva

Explanation:

The correct answer is Option (2) → Lord Shiva

"Women devotees: Perhaps one of the most striking features of these traditions was the presence of women. For instance, the compositions of Andal, a woman Alvar, were widely sung (and continue to be sung to date). Andal saw herself as the beloved of Vishnu; her verses express her love for the deity. Another woman, Karaikkal Ammaiyar, a devotee of Shiva, adopted the path of extreme asceticism in order to attain  her goal. Her compositions were preserved within the Nayanar tradition. These women renounced their social obligations, but did not join an alternative order or become nuns. Their very existence and their compositions posed a challenge to patriarchal norms."