The Delhi Sultanate - Religion

The Sultanate time was a period of great transformation in religious ideas. Not only was the new religion of Islam making significant inroads into the country, Hinduism was also going through a period of re-thinking with the Bhakti movement. To complete the picture even Islam was going through such a movement, with the Sufi saints.

Hinduism ll had the two main sects of Vaishnavas (worshippers of Lord Vishnu) and Shaivas (worshippers of Lord Shiv). A Bengal school teacher, Chaitanya was an active personality in the Vaishnavas ect and travelled across the country teaching as many people as he could about its teachings. Islam meanwhile was also divided into two main sects, Sunni and Shia . There was conflict between the two as the Sultans were Sunnis and were keen on rooting out the Shia power in India, which had survived in some areas.

The Bhakti movement began with the aim to reform Hinduism and make it a religion to which the common people could relate to. It sought to end the undue influence the priests had over the religion and stressed on the idea of Bhakti (personal devotion to God). Bhakti saints travelled far and wide and spread their

ideas at the grass root level. The teachings were held in vernacular languages to increase their influence. The Bhakti movement challenged many ideas of Hindu society, the Bhakti saints opposed the caste system and the over dependence on idol worship. They also endeavored to raise the position of women and encouraged them to join in the gatherings. The Bhakti saints wanted to bring the ancient texts to the people, and translated them from Sanskrit into local languages. They tried to explain the nuances of philosophy in a simple way and bring to the people the great ancient literature, what was till then inaccessible to them. Islamic society meanwhile was also experiencing a reform movement, the Sufi movement. The Sufi's protested against the misinterpretation of the Quran by the Sultanate rulers. It proposed several liberal ideas and advocated social justice and equality. Unlike their Bhakti counterparts however, Sufi saints detached themselves from society and inhabited their own world of mysticism and symbolism. They generally lived in seclusion from society, an unfortunate choice for they would have been far more successful in spreading their ideas if they had worked from within society. The Sufis often organized themselves under a pir. The members of the order were called faqirs or dervishes. These orders had several rituals, some involved dancing until a state of trance was reached.

Two prominent saints during this period were Kabir (1440-1518) and Nanak (1469-1539) Kabir was a Hindu who was brought up by Muslim foster parents. He was a weaver by profession and after studying many religious texts was filled with a desire to change society. He composed many couplets which expressed his ideas. Kabirs followers founded the Kabirpanthis, a short lived religious cult which followed his teachings. It advocated simple living, taking the middle path (avoid extremes), no complicated rituals and a sense of honesty and practicality. This made it popular amongst many sections of society. It faded away with time because it was not able to carve out a distinct identity for itself and merged into the existing religious group. Nanak, a Hindu, was from a rural background, his father was a village accountant. He managed to get an education due to the generosity of a Muslim friend. He left his wife and children to join the Sufis for a short period but left them too and went on a pilgrimage of his own. He eventually returned and settled own with his family in Punjab. His teachings were compiled into the Adi Granth . Nanak is considered the founder of the Sikh religion in India. Nanak's followers who would later come to be known as Sikhs were able to hold together his ideas and the religion of Sikhism spread. It remains a major religion in India till date.

The Sultanate time was a period of great transformation in religious ideas. Not only was the new religion of Islam making significant inroads into the country, Hinduism was also going through a period of re-thinking with the Bhakti movement. To complete the picture even Islam was going through such a movement, with the Sufi saints.

Hinduism ll had the two main sects of Vaishnavas (worshippers of Lord Vishnu) and Shaivas (worshippers of Lord Shiv). A Bengal school teacher, Chaitanya was an active personality in the Vaishnavas ect and travelled across the country teaching as many people as he could about its teachings. Islam meanwhile was also divided into two main sects, Sunni and Shia . There was conflict between the two as the Sultans were Sunnis and were keen on rooting out the Shia power in India, which had survived in some areas.

The Bhakti movement began with the aim to reform Hinduism and make it a religion to which the common people could relate to. It sought to end the undue influence the priests had over the religion and stressed on the idea of Bhakti (personal devotion to God). Bhakti saints travelled far and wide and spread their ideas at the grass root level. The teachings were held in vernacular languages to increase their influence. The Bhakti movement challenged many ideas of Hindu society, the Bhakti saints opposed the caste system and the over dependence on idol worship. They also endeavored to raise the position of women and encouraged them to join in the gatherings. The Bhakti saints wanted to bring the ancient texts to the people, and translated them from Sanskrit into local languages. They tried to explain the nuances of philosophy in a simple way and bring to the people the great ancient literature, what was till then inaccessible to them. Islamic society meanwhile was also experiencing a reform movement, the Sufi movement. The Sufi's protested against the misinterpretation of the Quran by the Sultanate rulers. It proposed several liberal ideas and advocated social justice and equality. Unlike their Bhakti counterparts however, Sufi saints detached themselves from society and inhabited their own world of mysticism and symbolism. They generally lived in seclusion from society, an unfortunate choice for they would have been far more successful in spreading their ideas if they had worked from within society. The Sufis often organized themselves under a pir. The members of the order were called faqirs or dervishes. These orders had several rituals, some involved dancing until a state of trance was reached.

Two prominent saints during this period were Kabir (1440-1518) and Nanak (1469-1539) Kabir was a Hindu who was brought up by Muslim foster parents. He was a weaver by profession and after studying many religious texts was filled with a desire to change society. He composed many couplets which expressed his ideas. Kabirs followers founded the Kabirpanthis, a short lived religious cult which followed his teachings. It advocated simple living, taking the middle path (avoid extremes), no complicated rituals and a sense of honesty and practicality. This made it popular amongst many sections of society. It faded away with time because it was not able to carve out a distinct identity for itself and merged into the existing religious group. Nanak, a Hindu, was from a rural background, his father was a village accountant. He managed to get an education due to the generosity of a Muslim friend. He left his wife and children to join the Sufis for a short period but left them too and went on a pilgrimage of his own. He eventually returned and settled own with his family in Punjab. His teachings were compiled into the Adi Granth . Nanak is considered the founder of the Sikh religion in India. Nanak's followers who would later come to be known as Sikhs were able to hold together his ideas and the religion of Sikhism spread. It remains a major religion in India till date.