Question

The Vaishnav bhakti saints in South India were called :

• A. Nayanars
• B. Alvars
• C. Suguna
• D. Nirguna

Answer 1

Answer:

B. Alvars

The Bhakti movement

• The Bhakti Movement formed in South India was based on deep love and devotion towards God.

• The Alvars (Vaishnavites) and the Nayanars (Shaivites) were the two streams of the Bhakti Movement.

• The ideals of this movement spread to North India by the 14th century.

• Guru Nanak, Kabirdas, Tulsidas, Surdas, Tukaram, Mirabai, and Chaitanya were the main propagators of the Bhakti Movement in North India.

• The Bhakti Movement strengthened the vernaculars.

• The poets of the Bhakti Movement wrote in the language of the common people.

• It stimulated the development of the following regional languages Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarathi.

• Regional languages and literary works:

➤ Malayalam: Adhyatma Ramayanam - Ezhuthachan

➤ Hindi: Ramacharitamanas - Tulsidas

➤ Kannada: Vikramarjuna vijayam (Pamba bharatam) Pamba

➤ Marathi: Marathi Bhagavatam-Eknath

➤ Gujarathi: Gujarathi Bhagavatam- Premananda

➤Tamil: Iramavatharam (Kamba Ramayanam)- Kambar

➤Telugu: Mahabharata-Nannayy

➤Odiya: Odiya Mahabharatam-Sarala Dasa

➤ Bengali: Bengali Ramayanam-Kritivasa