The Status of Women and the Bhaki Movement in India

The Status of Women and The Bhakti Movement in India

Originating in ancient Tamil Nadu, the Bhakti movement in India spread to the north during the late medieval ages when north India was under Islamic rule. The movement was spontaneous and counter to the predominant caste ideology which was dividing Hinduism. The adherents of the movement had their own rendering of devotional expression. While in the south, devotion was centered on both Shiva and Vishnu (in all his forms), the northern devotional movement was centered on Rama and Krishna, both of whom are believed to be incarnations of Vishnu. Though initially the Bhakti movement was considered unorthodox due to its defiance of caste distinctions and disregard of Brahmanic rituals, it soon rose into prominence, co-existing peacefully with other movements in Hinduism.

In a time when freedom was limited to males of upper castes, the bhakti movement in India came as a means of escape to many. The saints of the movement were not idle philosophers or merely scions of the prosperous castes. They also came from the lower sections of society and worked for their living. Though sants like Meera, Chaitanya and Tulsidas were from the upper class, others like Kabir, Namdev, Nanak and Tukaram belonged to the lower communities. These saints taught that people could cast aside the heavy obligations of ritual and caste and the convolutions of philosophy, and simply express their supreme love for god. They believed that one could reach god personally and directly, without the use of temples or idol worship. Women and members of the Shudra and untouchable communities were now included rather than excluded.

Indian women in medeival India were confined within the four walls of the house and w...

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...ss the social injustices prevalent in society and through their poetry, reached out to a large audience. They stood up against criticism and abuse from their families and the society, and in a patriarchal society, made a place for themselves not only in the Bhakti movement, but also in the religious and social history of India.

Works Cited

(i) Abbott, Justin.E. and N.R.Godbole; Stories of Indian Saints; Motilal Banarsidas Publication; India Feb 4 2007

(ii) Ho, Cynthia; Bahina Bai and Mystical Resistence; East-West Connections Publication; Jan 1 2004

(iii) Kamat, Jyotsna; Sant Janabai

(iv) Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History: Bhakti Movement

(v) Shobha, Savitri Chandra; Social Life and Concepts in Medieval Hindi Bhakti Poetry; Chandrayan Publication; New Delhi

(vi) Wadia, Shernaz; Another Light of Bhakti Movement: Bahinabai (1629-1700)