Out of the following, which were the earliest Bhakti Movements in the Indian subcontinent?
A. Virashaivas
B. Kabir Panthis
C. Alvars
D. Lingayats
E. Nayanars
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → C and E only
A. Virashaivas Incorrect. The Virashaivas (heroes of Shiva) were the followers of Basavanna, whose movement emerged in Karnataka in the twelfth century, about six centuries after the first bhakti movements.
B. Kabir Panthis Incorrect. The Kabir Panthis follow Kabir, a poet-saint of c. fourteenth-fifteenth centuries, much later than the earliest bhakti movements.
C. Alvars Correct. Some of the earliest bhakti movements (c. sixth century) were led by the Alvars, those “immersed” in devotion to Vishnu, who travelled from place to place singing hymns in Tamil.
D. Lingayats Incorrect. Lingayats (wearers of the linga) is the other name of Basavanna’s followers, the Virashaivas, so they too belong to the twelfth century.
E. Nayanars Correct. The Nayanars, leaders who were devotees of Shiva, led the earliest bhakti movements together with the Alvars, in Tamil Nadu.
NCERT (2026-27): “2.1 The Alvars and Nayanars of Tamil Nadu … Some of the earliest bhakti movements (c. sixth century) were led by the Alvars (literally, those who are ‘immersed’ in devotion to Vishnu) and Nayanars (literally, leaders who were devotees of Shiva). They travelled from place to place singing hymns in Tamil in praise of their gods.… 3. The Virashaiva Tradition in Karnataka … The twelfth century witnessed the emergence of a new movement in Karnataka, led by a Brahmana named Basavanna (1106-68) who was a minister in the court of a Kalachuri ruler. His followers were known as Virashaivas (heroes of Shiva) or Lingayats (wearers of the linga).… 8.1 Weaving a divine fabric: Kabir … Kabir (c. fourteenth-fifteenth centuries) is perhaps one of the most outstanding examples of a poet-saint who emerged within this context.…” |