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REET L2 · Social Studies

Bhakti and Sufi Movements — REET Notes (Social Studies)

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The Bhakti and Sufi movements were two parallel religious-social movements of medieval India that used the path of devotion and love to challenge caste discrimination and empty ritual. REET asks fine-grained questions from this topic on the doctrines of individual Bhakti philosophers, the north Indian saints, and — just as heavily — Rajasthan's own folk-saints.

  • 4 questions in REET 2024
  • Class 6–8 level
  • 10 min read
Verified 17 September 2026 · Source: Wikipedia — Guru Jambheshwar (Bishnoi sect)

How REET asks this topic

REET 2024's questions covered Guru Nanak's date of birth, the birthplace/karmabhoomi of Rajasthan's own local saints (Jasnathji, Dadu Dayal), and statement-based matching questions on the doctrines of Bhakti philosophers — such as correctly pairing Ramanuja, Vallabhacharya and Nimbarkacharya with their philosophies. The direct signal here is this: alongside the pan-Indian Bhakti movement, Rajasthan's own local saint-sects need to be studied with exactly the same level of detail, because the RBSE paper consistently gives priority to local context. Keep in mind that in these multi-statement matching questions, one statement is very often deliberately mixed up with another philosopher's doctrine to make it wrong — so memorising each acharya-doctrine pair as a distinct, standalone fact is the safer exam strategy, rather than learning the list as a vague block.

Bhakti philosophers and their doctrine

AcharyaPhilosophy / Doctrine
Adi ShankaracharyaAdvaita (Brahman alone is real; the world is illusory)
RamanujacharyaVishishtadvaita (qualified non-dualism)
MadhvacharyaDvaita (God and the individual soul are wholly distinct)
NimbarkacharyaDvaitadvaita (difference-and-non-difference / dualistic non-dualism)
VallabhacharyaShuddhadvaita (pure non-dualism; founder of the Pushtimarg)
Chaitanya MahaprabhuAchintya Bhedabheda (inconceivable difference-and-non-difference; Krishna-bhakti in Bengal)

REET 2024 asked exactly this correct/incorrect matching of Ramanuja–Vallabha–Nimbarka — Nimbarka's philosophy is 'Dvaitadvaita', not 'Dvaitavad' (Dvaitavad belongs to Madhvacharya). Keep this exact confusion-point in mind.

North India's Nirguna and Saguna Bhakti saints

Kabirdas
Belonged to the Nirguna bhakti stream; born and raised in Kashi; criticised the rigid orthodoxy of both Hindus and Muslims; composed in the 'doha' (couplet) style.
Guru Nanak Dev
Founder of Sikhism; born 1469 CE at Talwandi (present-day Nankana Sahib); died 1539 CE at Kartarpur, where he spent his last years.
Raidas (Ravidas)
A Nirguna saint and a strong opponent of caste discrimination; a contemporary of Kabir.
Surdas
Belonged to the Saguna, Krishna-devotion stream; author of the 'Sursagar'; associated with Vallabhacharya's Pushtimarg tradition.
Tulsidas
Belonged to the Saguna, Rama-devotion stream; author of the 'Ramcharitmanas', composed in Awadhi.
Mira Bai
Saguna Krishna-bhakti; a princess of Mewar; married to Mewar's crown prince Bhojraj (son of Rana Sanga); her Bhakti-poetry tradition is closely linked to Chittor and Merta.

Rajasthan's major folk-saints and sects

SaintSect / distinguishing feature
Dadu DayalBorn in Ahmedabad (1544 CE); founder of the Dadu Panth; main seat (pith) at Narayana (Jaipur); called 'the Kabir of Rajasthan'.
JasnathjiFounder of the Jasnathi sect; main seat at Katariyasar (Bikaner); tradition holds that the Delhi Sultan Sikandar Lodi granted this land; famous for the fire-dance performed by Jasnathi siddhas.
JambhojiFounder of the Bishnoi sect; gave 29 rules to his followers at Samrathal Dhora (Bikaner); environmental and tree-protection is the defining identity of this sect.
LaldasjiFounder of the Laldasi sect, associated with the Mewat-Alwar region.
HaridasjiAssociated with the Niranjani sect, centred on the Didwana (Nagaur) region.
MavjiAssociated with the Dungarpur (Beneshwar) region and linked to a tribal Bhakti tradition.

The roots of the Bhakti movement: from South India to North India

The Bhakti movement did not begin in North India — it began in South India. Roughly between the sixth and ninth centuries, in the Tamil region, Vaishnava saints known as the 'Alvars' and Shaiva saints known as the 'Nayanars' composed devotional poetry in the language of the people (Tamil) rather than in Sanskrit, and in doing so carried bhakti to ordinary people rather than keeping it confined to scholars. From this base, philosophers such as Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya and Madhvacharya went on to give bhakti a structured philosophical form, and this line of thought reached North India by the 13th–14th centuries, where saints such as Kabir, Nanak, Chaitanya and Mira made it a genuinely popular movement.

In North India, the Bhakti movement took two broad forms. The Nirguna stream — associated with saints like Kabir, Nanak and Raidas — was critical of caste discrimination and idol worship, and worshipped a formless, attribute-less God. The Saguna stream — associated with Surdas, Tulsidas and Mira Bai — centred on devotion to avatars with form, chiefly Rama or Krishna. Both streams composed in the common spoken languages of the time (Hindi, Awadhi, Braj, Rajasthani) rather than in Sanskrit, and this had a deep and lasting impact on both literature and society at large.

The Sufi movement: the core idea

Sufism is the mystic stream within Islam. Rather than emphasising ritual, it places its weight on love of God, submission to a spiritual guide (pir), and inner self-purification. Sufi saints lived in a khanqah (a hospice or lodge) and stirred devotional feeling through 'sama' — musical gatherings. The most influential silsila (order) in India was the Chishti order, whose founder, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, established his dargah at Ajmer. That dargah remains, to this day, a centre of faith for both Hindu and Muslim communities alike.

Other major Sufi silsilas active in India included the Suhrawardi (concentrated mainly in the Multan-Punjab region), the Qadiri, and the Naqshbandi. A Sufi concept called 'Wahdat-ul-Wujud' — the unity of God and creation — closely echoes the Nirguna Bhakti idea of a formless divine that pervades everything. It is precisely because of this overlap in ideas that the Bhakti and Sufi streams ended up influencing one another through the medieval period, and in doing so helped promote social harmony between communities.

How to teach children

Classroom activity (Class 6–8)

Have students mark Dadu Dayal's centre (Narayana, Jaipur), Jasnathji's centre (Katariyasar, Bikaner) and Jambhoji's centre (Samrathal, Bikaner) on a map of Rajasthan, and build a 'Saints of Our State' wall chart from it.

Teaching aid

Have students recite one well-known verse or doha of Mira Bai or Kabir aloud in class and explain its simple meaning in their own words — a cross-curricular method that links language study with history.

Common misconception

Children often assume the Bhakti and Sufi movements are the same thing, or that both began in North India. Teachers should clarify that Bhakti's roots lie in South India and Sufism's roots lie in the Middle East; once each reached India, both took on local colour and began to influence one another, but they grew out of genuinely different religious traditions.

Assessment idea

Build a 'match the saint to their sect/region' table, in which students connect Dadu Dayal, Jasnathji, Jambhoji and Laldasji to their correct centre, then have students check each other's answers in class for instant feedback — this also builds the habit of peer assessment.

Memory trick

Build a short rhyme for the Bhakti philosophers' doctrines: 'Shankar's Advaita, Ram-anuj's Vishisht-advaita, Madhav's Dvaita, Nimbark's Dvaita-advaita, Vallabh's Shuddh-advaita.' Read in this order, the word 'advaita' keeps recurring — only the prefix in front of it changes each time, which makes the differences easier to lock in. For Rajasthan's saints, anchor each one to their place: Narayana = Dadu, Katariyasar = Jasnath, Samrathal = Jambhoji.

REET 2024 questions asked (with solutions)

Question 131

When was Guru Nanak born ?

  1. A1398
  2. B1469
  3. C1498
  4. D1569

Explanation

सिख धर्म के संस्थापक गुरु नानक देव का जन्म 1469 ई. में तलवंडी (वर्तमान ननकाना साहिब, पाकिस्तान) में हुआ था। उनकी मृत्यु 1539 ई. में करतारपुर में हुई।

Question 148

Impressed by the miracles of which Saint, Delhi Sultan Sikandar Lodi gave him land in Rajasthan ?

  1. Aजसनाथजी
  2. Bमल्लीनाथजी
  3. Cगोगाजी
  4. Dमेहाजी मांगलिया

Explanation

राजस्थान इतिहास की पुस्तकों में उल्लेख मिलता है कि जसनाथी सम्प्रदाय के संस्थापक सन्त जसनाथजी के चमत्कारों से प्रभावित होकर दिल्ली सुल्तान सिकंदर लोदी ने उन्हें कतरियासर (बीकानेर) में भूमि दी थी। यह परंपरागत विवरण है। मल्लीनाथजी, गोगाजी और मेहाजी मांगलिया राजस्थान के लोकदेवता हैं, पर यह घटना उनसे नहीं जोड़ी जाती। अतः सही उत्तर (A) है।

Question 94

Who among the following Saint was born in Ahmedabad ?

  1. Aलालदास
  2. Bहरिदास
  3. Cदादूदयाल
  4. Dमावजी

Explanation

संत दादूदयाल का जन्म 1544 ई. में अहमदाबाद (गुजरात) में माना जाता है। वे राजस्थान में दादू पंथ के प्रवर्तक थे और उनकी प्रमुख पीठ नरायणा (जयपुर) में है; उन्हें ‘राजस्थान का कबीर’ भी कहा जाता है। लालदास (लालदासी सम्प्रदाय) का संबंध मेवात-अलवर क्षेत्र से, हरिदास (निरंजनी सम्प्रदाय) का डीडवाना क्षेत्र से तथा मावजी का संबंध डूंगरपुर (बेणेश्वर) से है।

Question 100

Consider the following statements about Bhakti Movement : 1. The philosophical view of Ramanuja is called Vishishtadvaita. 2. The philosophical view of Vallabhacharya is called Shuddhadvaita. 3. The philosophical view of Nimbarkacharya is called Dvaitwad. Which of the statements given above is/are true ?

  1. Aकेवल 1
  2. Bकेवल 3
  3. C1, 2
  4. D1,2, 3

Explanation

रामानुजाचार्य का दर्शन विशिष्टाद्वैत और वल्लभाचार्य का दर्शन शुद्धाद्वैत कहलाता है, अतः कथन 1 और 2 सही हैं। निम्बार्काचार्य का दर्शन द्वैताद्वैत (भेदाभेद) कहलाता है, जबकि ‘द्वैतवाद’ माध्वाचार्य का दर्शन है; इसलिए कथन 3 गलत है। अतः सही उत्तर ‘1, 2’ है।

Practice questions

Question 1

What is Ramanujacharya's philosophical doctrine called?

  1. Aअद्वैत
  2. Bविशिष्टाद्वैत
  3. Cद्वैत
  4. Dशुद्धाद्वैत

Explanation

Ramanujacharya's philosophical doctrine is called Vishishtadvaita, in which Brahman and the individual soul are held to be distinct yet inseparably connected to one another. Advaita is Shankaracharya's doctrine, and Dvaita is Madhvacharya's.

Question 2

What was the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism?

  1. Aअमृतसर
  2. Bतलवंडी (ननकाना साहिब)
  3. Cकरतारपुर
  4. Dआनंदपुर साहिब

Explanation

Guru Nanak Dev, founder of Sikhism, was born in 1469 CE at Talwandi (present-day Nankana Sahib, Pakistan). He passed away in 1539 CE at Kartarpur, where he spent his final years.

Question 3

Where did Jambhoji, founder of the Bishnoi sect, give his 29 precepts?

  1. Aनरायणा (जयपुर)
  2. Bकतरियासर (बीकानेर)
  3. Cसमराथल धोरा (बीकानेर)
  4. Dमेड़ता (नागौर)

Explanation

Jambhoji gave his 29 rules to his followers at Samrathal Dhora (Bikaner), placing particular emphasis on protecting trees and wildlife. Narayana is Dadu Dayal's centre, and Katariyasar is Jasnathji's.

Question 4

Which of the following Sufi silsilas (orders) is considered the most influential in India, with its principal dargah located in Ajmer?

  1. Aसुहरावर्दी
  2. Bकादिरी
  3. Cचिश्ती
  4. Dनक्शबंदी

Explanation

The Chishti silsila was the most influential in India. Its founder, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti's dargah, is located at Ajmer. The Suhrawardi silsila, by contrast, was mainly influential in the Punjab-Multan region.

Question 5

Which saint is associated with the Nirguna Bhakti tradition?

  1. Aसूरदास
  2. Bतुलसीदास
  3. Cकबीरदास
  4. Dमीरा बाई

Explanation

Kabirdas was a leading saint of the Nirguna Bhakti stream, which emphasised worship of a formless God. Surdas, Tulsidas and Mira Bai were all associated with Saguna Bhakti (Krishna and Rama devotion, respectively).

Question 6

What is the sect founded by Vallabhacharya, which emphasized devotion to Krishna and an attitude of service, called?

  1. Aपुष्टिमार्ग
  2. Bदादू पंथ
  3. Cनिरंजनी संप्रदाय
  4. Dरामस्नेही संप्रदाय

Explanation

Vallabhacharya founded the 'Pushtimarg' on the basis of his Shuddhadvaita philosophy, which emphasises devotion to Krishna through service (seva-bhaav). Surdas belonged to this very Pushtimarg tradition.

Question 7

While teaching Bhakti saints in Class 7, a teacher has students mark Narayana, Katariasar and Samrathal Dhora on a map of Rajasthan. This activity mainly develops which skill?

  1. Aगणितीय कौशल
  2. Bस्थानिक (spatial) व ऐतिहासिक समझ को जोड़ने का कौशल
  3. Cशारीरिक कौशल
  4. Dसंगीत कौशल

Explanation

Map-based activities connect historical facts to their geographical context, which helps children develop spatial-historical thinking — linking 'where' something happened to 'what' happened there. This is an effective approach in social studies teaching.

Question 8

Meera Bai was married to which crown prince of Mewar?

  1. Aराणा सांगा
  2. Bभोजराज
  3. Cमहाराणा प्रताप
  4. Dराणा हम्मीर

Explanation

Mira Bai was married to Mewar's crown prince Bhojraj, who was the son of Rana Sanga. After her husband's untimely death, Mira Bai devoted herself completely to the worship of Krishna.

Question 9

Which of the following pairs is NOT correctly matched?

  1. Aनिम्बार्काचार्य — द्वैताद्वैत
  2. Bमाध्वाचार्य — द्वैतवाद
  3. Cवल्लभाचार्य — शुद्धाद्वैत
  4. Dरामानुजाचार्य — द्वैतवाद

Explanation

Ramanujacharya's doctrine is Vishishtadvaita, not Dvaitavad — Dvaitavad is Madhvacharya's doctrine. The remaining three pairs (Nimbarka-Dvaitadvaita, Madhva-Dvaita, Vallabha-Shuddhadvaita) are all correctly matched.

Question 10

What was the 'khanqah' of Sufi saints?

  1. Aसूफी संगीत की सभा
  2. Bसूफी संतों का आश्रम/निवास-स्थान
  3. Cसूफी संतों की समाधि
  4. Dसूफी शिक्षा-ग्रंथ

Explanation

A khanqah was the hospice or dwelling place of a Sufi saint (pir), where disciples (murids) lived while receiving spiritual instruction and practising devotion. The musical gathering itself was called a 'sama'.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions come from the Bhakti and Sufi movements in REET?+

REET 2024 carried 4 questions from this topic, with particular emphasis on Rajasthan's own folk-saints. It is a steady, regularly-recurring sub-topic within the history section.

What is the difference between Nirguna and Saguna Bhakti?+

Nirguna Bhakti (as with Kabir, Nanak, Raidas) worships a formless, attribute-less God, while Saguna Bhakti (as with Surdas, Tulsidas, Mira Bai) centres on devotion to avatars with form, such as Rama or Krishna.

Why is Dadu Dayal called 'the Kabir of Rajasthan'?+

Dadu Dayal was born in Ahmedabad, but his karmabhoomi (field of work) was Rajasthan. Like Kabir, he too preached Nirguna Bhakti and ideas opposed to caste discrimination — it is this shared outlook that earns him the title.

Which was India's most influential Sufi silsila?+

The Chishti silsila was the most influential in India. Its founder, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti's dargah is at Ajmer (Rajasthan), which continues to draw large numbers of devotees to this day.

What is Jambhoji and the Bishnoi sect's connection to the environment?+

Jambhoji gave 29 rules at Samrathal Dhora (Bikaner), which place particular emphasis on protecting trees and wildlife — this is exactly why the Bishnoi community is known even today for environmental conservation.

Who were the Alvar and Nayanar saints?+

The Alvars were Vaishnava Bhakti saints of South India (the Tamil region) and the Nayanars were Shaiva Bhakti saints. Between roughly the sixth and ninth centuries, both composed devotional poetry in Tamil, laying the foundation of the Bhakti movement that later spread to North India.

Read next

The Gupta Empire

A glimpse of the classical age that preceded the Bhakti movement.

Mughal-Rajput Relations

The Mughal-Rajput relationship that ran alongside the Bhakti-Sufi era.

REET Syllabus

The complete REET Level 1 and Level 2 syllabus in one place.

REET 2024 Solved Paper

All of REET 2024's solved questions, by subject.

Official Sources

  1. Wikipedia — Guru Jambheshwar (Bishnoi sect)

Change Log

  • 17 September 2026 — English page published — mirrors the fact-checked Hindi page, independently bilingual-accuracy checked