By which century had Vaishnavism, in the cults of Rama and Krishna, become popular in many parts of western, northern and central India as part of the Bhakti movement?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Sixteenth century
Option (1) Twelfth century — Incorrect. This is when Jayadeva composed the Gita Govinda, not when Vaishnavism became widely popular.
Option (2) Fourteenth century — Incorrect. This is when Bhanu Datta composed the Rasamanjari in Bihar.
Option (3) Sixteenth century — Correct. By then the cults of Rama and Krishna were popular across western, northern and central India.
Option (4) Eleventh century — Incorrect. This is the century the Manuscript Painting Tradition gives for early manuscript painting, not for the spread of Vaishnavism. That spread is dated to the sixteenth century.
Note: This topic was not named in the CUET 2026 syllabus, but it was part of the NCERT chapter. In 2025 and 2026, NTA also asked questions on topics in NCERT that the CUET syllabus did not name. So our mocks have questions from every part of the NCERT chapter, to give you enough practice. Read the whole chapter, not only the sub-topics named in the syllabus.
NCERT (2026-27): “Themes of Paintings – An Overview By the sixteenth century, Vaishvanism in the cults of Rama and Krishna had become popular in many parts of western, northern and central India as part of the Bhakti movement that had swept the entire Indian subcontinent. Krishna had a special appeal. He was not only worshipped as God but also as an ideal lover. The notion of ‘love’ was cherished as a religious theme, where a delightful synthesis of sensuousness and mysticism was perceived.” |