Knowra Bhakti movement Bhakti movement The Bhakti movement comprises diverse devotional traditions across South Asia that emphasize personal devotion to a deity, often expressed through poetry, song, and ritual.
Bhakti : Devotion to a personal deity, expressed through love, service, remembrance, or surrender. The movement takes its name from this devotional ideal.
Alvars : Tamil poet-saints whose hymns praised Vishnu and shaped South Indian Vaishnavism. Their early medieval hymns exemplify Tamil devotional poetry centered on Vishnu.
Andal : A Tamil poet-saint whose hymns express passionate devotion to Vishnu as Krishna. Her poems became central works of the Tamil Vaishnava devotional canon.
Kirtan : A devotional performance in which participants sing or recite sacred names, verses, or stories. Collective singing made devotion participatory and memorable.
Bhakti literature : Poetry, songs, and other writings expressing devotion to deities across South Asian languages. Devotional composition expanded literary traditions in vernacular languages.
Hinduism : A diverse family of religious traditions originating in South Asia, with varied scriptures, deities, and practices. Most traditions grouped under the movement developed within Hindu religious worlds.
Nayanars : Tamil poet-saints who composed hymns of devotion to Shiva. Their songs helped establish a powerful Shaiva devotional tradition in the Tamil region.
Basava : A 12th-century Kannada religious reformer and poet associated with Lingayat tradition. His vachanas joined devotion to Shiva with critique of caste and ritual hierarchy.
Bhajan : A devotional song expressing praise or love for a deity. Bhajans carried devotional poetry into homes, gatherings, and public worship.
Vernacular literature : Literature written in a community's everyday language rather than a classical or elite language. Bhakti poets helped establish regional languages as vehicles for religious expression.
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