Bhakti Movement Top 100 MCQs With Answer and Explanation

1. The Bhakti Movement in India originated in?
A) North India
B) South India (Tamil region)
C) Bengal
D) Delhi

2. The Alvars were devotees of?
A) Shiva
B) Vishnu
C) Shakti
D) Buddha

3. The Nayanars were devotees of?
A) Vishnu
B) Shiva
C) Surya
D) Ganesha

4. The collection of Alvar hymns is known as?
A) Tevaram
B) Tiruvaymoli
C) Vachanas
D) Guru Granth Sahib

5. The Nayanar hymns are compiled in?
A) Tevaram
B) Bhagavata Purana
C) Tiruvaymoli
D) Upanishads

6. Which Bhakti saint gave the Advaita (non-dualism) philosophy?
A) Shankaracharya
B) Ramanuja
C) Madhvacharya
D) Vallabhacharya

7. The Bhakti philosophy of Ramanuja is called?
A) Advaita (non-dualism)
B) Vishishtadvaita (qualified non-dualism)
C) Dvaita (dualism)
D) Achintya Bheda Abheda

8. The Bhakti saint Basavanna (12th century) was associated with?
A) Shaivism (Virashaiva / Lingayat movement)
B) Vaishnavism
C) Jainism
D) Buddhism

9. Which Bhakti philosopher propounded Dvaita (dualism)?
A) Shankaracharya
B) Madhvacharya
C) Ramanuja
D) Vallabhacharya

10. The Lingayat movement founded by Basavanna opposed?
A) Idol worship
B) Caste system and Brahmin dominance
C) Devotion to Shiva
D) Use of vernacular language

11. Andal, an important Alvar saint, is remembered for?
A) Devotional hymns to Krishna
B) Writings on Advaita
C) Founding Lingayat sect
D) Translating Vedas

12. Which Bhakti saint was also a famous social reformer and Vachana writer in Kannada?
A) Madhvacharya
B) Basavanna
C) Allama Prabhu
D) Both B and C

13. The Bhakti saints in the Deccan and South used which language for preaching?
A) Sanskrit
B) Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi
C) Persian
D) Prakrit

14. Who composed the Tamil text Periyapuranam (hagiography of 63 Nayanars)?
A) Sekkizhar
B) Appar
C) Sundarar
D) Nammalvar

15. The Virashaiva movement was strongest in?
A) Tamil Nadu
B) Karnataka
C) Kerala
D) Andhra Pradesh

16. Which Bhakti saint criticized temple rituals and caste but worshiped Vishnu?
A) Ramanuja
B) Madhvacharya
C) Nammalvar
D) Kabir

17. The early Bhakti saints rejected?
A) Sanskrit-only scriptures
B) Brahmanical orthodoxy
C) Idol rituals and caste
D) All of the above

18. Which Bhakti saint’s followers are called Haridasas?
A) Ramanuja
B) Madhvacharya
C) Basavanna
D) Purandara Dasa

19. The Bhakti movement in Maharashtra was led by saints like?
A) Eknath, Tukaram, Namdev
B) Andal, Nammalvar
C) Kabir, Nanak
D) Tulsidas, Surdas

20. The famous Marathi saint who composed Abhangas was?
A) Tukaram
B) Namdev
C) Eknath
D) All of the above

21. Sant Namdev (1270–1350) preached in?
A) Marathi and Hindi
B) Persian
C) Sanskrit
D) Tamil

22. Sant Jnaneshwar (13th century) wrote the Marathi commentary on Bhagavad Gita called?
A) Abhanga
B) Jnaneshwari
C) Amuktamalyada
D) Tiruvaymoli

23. Which Bhakti saint is called the “Pitamaha (Grandfather) of Carnatic Music”?
A) Tyagaraja
B) Purandara Dasa
C) Kanakadasa
D) Basavanna

24. Which Bhakti saint was a contemporary of Vijayanagara rulers and composed Kannada devotional songs?
A) Purandara Dasa
B) Kanakadasa
C) Basavanna
D) Ramanuja

25. The central theme of early Bhakti saints of South India was?
A) Renunciation of life
B) Devotion to personal God (Shiva or Vishnu) accessible to all castes
C) Revival of Sanskrit learning
D) Spread of Islamic mysticism

26. The Bhakti movement in North India was greatly popularized during?
A) 6th–8th centuries
B) 12th–17th centuries
C) Maurya period
D) Gupta period

27. Kabir, a prominent Bhakti saint, was a disciple of?
A) Guru Nanak
B) Ramananda
C) Vallabhacharya
D) Nizamuddin Auliya

28. The central teaching of Kabir was?
A) Idol worship
B) Devotion to Rama and Krishna only
C) Nirguna Bhakti – devotion to formless God
D) Ritual fasting

29. Kabir’s verses are compiled in?
A) Bijak
B) Jnaneshwari
C) Abhanga
D) Tiruvaymoli

30. Guru Nanak (1469–1539), founder of Sikhism, emphasized?
A) Idol worship
B) Rituals
C) Nirguna Bhakti and equality of all
D) Priesthood

31. Guru Nanak’s hymns are compiled in?
A) Adi Granth / Guru Granth Sahib
B) Bijak
C) Ramcharitmanas
D) Abhangas

32. Guru Nanak’s followers are known as?
A) Sikhs (disciples)
B) Lingayats
C) Alvars
D) Varkaris

33. The Bhakti saint Vallabhacharya propagated which philosophy?
A) Advaita
B) Vishishtadvaita
C) Shuddhadvaita (pure non-dualism)
D) Dvaita

34. Vallabhacharya’s sect is popularly known as?
A) Pushti Marg (path of grace)
B) Nirguna Marg
C) Lingayatism
D) Satnami sect

35. The Bhakti saint Surdas is famous for?
A) Writings on Shiva
B) Hindi devotional songs on Krishna
C) Persian poetry
D) Tamil hymns

36. Surdas was associated with which Bhakti tradition?
A) Shaiva Bhakti
B) Vallabhacharya’s Krishna devotion
C) Kabirpanthi sect
D) Sikhism

37. Tulsidas, the great Bhakti poet, wrote?
A) Tiruvaymoli
B) Ramcharitmanas
C) Abhanga
D) Jnaneshwari

38. Tulsidas’s philosophy was based on devotion to?
A) Krishna
B) Rama
C) Shiva
D) Vishnu in general

39. Mirabai, a Rajput princess of Mewar, devoted herself to?
A) Rama
B) Vishnu
C) Krishna
D) Shiva

40. Mirabai was contemporary of which Mughal ruler?
A) Babur
B) Humayun
C) Akbar
D) Aurangzeb

41. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu of Bengal was a great devotee of?
A) Rama
B) Krishna (Radha–Krishna bhakti)
C) Shiva
D) Shakti

42. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s followers are associated with which modern sect?
A) Lingayats
B) ISKCON (Gaudiya Vaishnavism)
C) Kabir Panth
D) Satnami sect

43. Which Bhakti saint’s philosophy is called Achintya Bheda Abheda (inconceivable oneness and difference)?
A) Kabir
B) Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
C) Vallabhacharya
D) Surdas

44. The Bhakti saint Dadu Dayal (1544–1603) founded which sect?
A) Pushti Marg
B) Dadupanth
C) Kabir Panth
D) Satnami sect

45. Ravidas, a Bhakti saint, belonged to which community?
A) Brahmin
B) Cobbler (low caste)
C) Rajput
D) Merchant

46. Ravidas’s disciple who became a famous female saint was?
A) Mirabai
B) Andal
C) Akkamahadevi
D) Sahjo Bai

47. The Bhakti saint who founded the Satnami sect in 17th century was?
A) Kabir
B) Guru Nanak
C) Birbhan
D) Vallabhacharya

48. The Bhakti saint who was a contemporary of Akbar and composed hymns in Awadhi was?
A) Kabir
B) Tulsidas
C) Surdas
D) Ravidas

49. Which Bhakti saint’s compositions are included in the Guru Granth Sahib apart from Sikh Gurus?
A) Kabir, Namdev, Ravidas
B) Tulsidas, Surdas, Mirabai
C) Chaitanya, Vallabhacharya
D) Basavanna, Allama Prabhu

50. The common teaching of Bhakti saints like Kabir, Nanak, Ravidas was?
A) Nirguna bhakti, equality, rejection of caste and rituals
B) Idol worship in temples
C) Support of Brahmanical orthodoxy
D) Promotion of Sanskrit alone

51. The central teaching of the Bhakti saints was?
A) Devotion (bhakti) to a personal God
B) Accumulation of wealth
C) Strict rituals and sacrifices
D) Worship of priests

52. The Bhakti saints opposed?
A) Caste distinctions
B) Idol worship (especially Nirguna saints)
C) Ritualism and priestly dominance
D) All of the above

53. The two broad streams of Bhakti were?
A) Shaiva and Vaishnava
B) Nirguna (formless God) and Saguna (with form)
C) North Indian and South Indian
D) Shankara and Ramanuja schools

54. The Nirguna Bhakti saints included?
A) Kabir, Guru Nanak, Ravidas
B) Tulsidas, Surdas, Vallabhacharya
C) Andal, Nayanars
D) Chaitanya, Mirabai

55. The Saguna Bhakti saints included?
A) Kabir and Nanak
B) Tulsidas, Surdas, Mirabai, Chaitanya
C) Basavanna and Allama Prabhu
D) Namdev and Ravidas

56. The common theme in both Bhakti and Sufi movements was?
A) Caste hierarchy
B) Ritualism
C) Unity of God, love, and devotion
D) Idol worship

57. Which feature of Sufism most closely resembled Bhakti movement?
A) Sama (devotional music)
B) Pir–Murid relationship
C) Fana (annihilation in God)
D) All of the above

58. Bhakti saints used which medium to spread their message?
A) Sanskrit texts
B) Vernacular languages and folk songs
C) Persian only
D) Latin

59. The Bhakti movement helped in the development of which languages?
A) Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada, Tamil
B) Only Sanskrit
C) Only Persian
D) English

60. The Bhakti movement contributed most to?
A) Political unity of India
B) Social equality and harmony
C) British rise
D) Decline of Mughal empire

61. Which of the following was a major social impact of the Bhakti movement?
A) Decline of caste hierarchy
B) Upliftment of lower classes and women
C) Reducing communal tension
D) All of the above

62. The Bhakti saints emphasized direct contact with God through?
A) Priests and rituals
B) Meditation, devotion, and love
C) Warfare
D) Astrology

63. The Bhakti movement rejected the supremacy of?
A) Priesthood (Brahmins)
B) State authority
C) Agriculture
D) Foreign traders

64. In Bengal, the Bhakti movement took the form of?
A) Vaishnava movement under Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
B) Shaivism
C) Lingayatism
D) Kabir Panth

65. In Maharashtra, Bhakti saints like Namdev and Tukaram spread devotion to?
A) Shiva
B) Vithoba (a form of Krishna)
C) Rama
D) Ganesha

66. The Bhakti saints’ rejection of caste and rituals brought them close to?
A) Brahmanical orthodoxy
B) Sufi saints
C) Buddhist monks
D) Jain ascetics

67. The interaction between Bhakti and Sufi movements gave rise to?
A) Urdu language and Hindustani music
B) Decline of temples
C) Western culture
D) Sikhism

68. Which Bhakti saint’s verses are part of Sikh scripture, Guru Granth Sahib?
A) Kabir, Namdev, Ravidas
B) Tulsidas, Surdas
C) Chaitanya, Vallabhacharya
D) Basavanna, Purandara Dasa

69. The main difference between Bhakti and Sufi saints was?
A) Bhakti rooted in Hinduism, Sufi in Islam
B) Bhakti used Sanskrit only, Sufi used Persian only
C) Bhakti supported caste, Sufi opposed it
D) No differences

70. The Bhakti movement in Assam was led by?
A) Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
B) Srimanta Sankardev
C) Kabir
D) Surdas

71. The Bhakti saint who composed Harichandra Kavya and enriched Assamese culture was?
A) Srimanta Sankardev
B) Madhavdev
C) Kabir
D) Tulsidas

72. In Kashmir, the Bhakti-like movement was represented by?
A) Andal
B) Lalleshwari (Lal Ded)
C) Mirabai
D) Akkamahadevi

73. In Gujarat, Bhakti saints like Narsinh Mehta emphasized devotion to?
A) Shiva
B) Krishna
C) Rama
D) Ganesha

74. The Bhakti movement helped in spreading which cultural aspect across India?
A) Persian architecture
B) Vernacular literature, music, temple culture, devotional poetry
C) Western science
D) Buddhism

75. The Bhakti movement’s popularity was due to?
A) Simplicity of message (love for God, equality)
B) Vernacular preaching
C) Social inclusiveness
D) All of the above

76. The Bhakti movement’s greatest contribution was?
A) Strengthening priestly power
B) Promoting religious tolerance and social equality
C) Decline of vernacular literature
D) Rise of British power

77. Which of the following was a major literary outcome of the Bhakti movement?
A) Growth of Persian literature
B) Growth of vernacular literature like Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada
C) Decline of Sanskrit entirely
D) Rise of English literature

78. The Bhakti movement encouraged the use of?
A) Persian
B) Vernacular/local languages
C) Greek
D) Latin

79. Which literary work is associated with Tulsidas?
A) Bijak
B) Ramcharitmanas
C) Abhanga
D) Jnaneshwari

80. Which Bhakti poet is credited as the father of Hindi literature?
A) Kabir
B) Tulsidas
C) Amir Khusrau
D) Surdas

81. Which Bhakti saint used simple couplets (dohe) in Hindi to spread his message?
A) Surdas
B) Kabir
C) Nanak
D) Vallabhacharya

82. Which of the following Bhakti saints was a woman?
A) Mirabai
B) Andal
C) Lalleshwari
D) All of the above

83. Bhakti saints rejected which practice as meaningless?
A) Ritual sacrifices and pilgrimages without devotion
B) Use of vernacular languages
C) Music in devotion
D) Composing poetry

84. The Bhakti movement weakened the rigidities of?
A) Jainism
B) Buddhism
C) Caste system within Hindu society
D) Western culture

85. The philosophy of “God resides in everyone” was common to?
A) Kabir and Nanak
B) Surdas and Tulsidas
C) Andal and Nammalvar
D) Shankaracharya

86. Which Bhakti saint is associated with the phrase “Ishwar Allah Tero Naam” (God and Allah are one)?
A) Kabir
B) Guru Nanak
C) Tulsidas
D) Mirabai

87. The Bhakti movement helped pave the way for which new religion?
A) Sikhism
B) Buddhism
C) Jainism
D) Christianity

88. Which Mughal emperor respected Bhakti and Sufi saints and followed Sulh-i-Kul?
A) Babur
B) Humayun
C) Akbar
D) Aurangzeb

89. The Bhakti movement is often seen as a precursor to?
A) Renaissance in India
B) Rise of regional cultures and composite traditions
C) British reforms
D) Industrial revolution

90. The main criticism of Bhakti saints was?
A) Overemphasis on emotional devotion and neglect of rational philosophy
B) Rejecting Sanskrit
C) Opposing Sufism
D) Supporting caste

91. Which Bhakti saint was known for promoting Radha–Krishna love as divine?
A) Surdas
B) Vallabhacharya
C) Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
D) All of the above

92. Which of the following was a major cultural impact of Bhakti movement?
A) Rise of Hindustani classical music (bhajans, kirtans, qawwalis)
B) Growth of temple architecture
C) Decline of Islam in India
D) Spread of English education

93. The Bhakti movement emphasized God as accessible to all, which weakened?
A) Political kingdoms
B) Religious orthodoxy
C) Agriculture
D) Trade

94. Which Bhakti saint’s work is considered the foundation of modern Hindi?
A) Surdas (Sursagar)
B) Tulsidas (Ramcharitmanas)
C) Kabir (Bijak)
D) Namdev (Abhangas)

95. Which saint was contemporary of Shivaji and inspired Maratha nationalism through Bhakti?
A) Eknath
B) Tukaram
C) Namdev
D) Jnaneshwar

96. The Bhakti movement in Assam led to which classical dance form?
A) Sattriya
B) Manipuri
C) Kathakali
D) Kuchipudi

97. The Bhakti saints’ common teaching can be summarized as?
A) One God, equality, devotion over rituals
B) Idol worship and caste rigidity
C) Persian dominance in culture
D) Expansion of state power

98. The Bhakti–Sufi interactions enriched Indian languages, leading to development of?
A) Urdu and Hindustani
B) Greek
C) Latin
D) English

99. The Bhakti movement ultimately contributed to?
A) Strengthening Hindu–Muslim syncretism and composite culture
B) Weakening social reforms
C) Ending Hinduism
D) Decline of vernaculars

100. The Bhakti movement is regarded as?
A) A major socio-religious reform movement of medieval India
B) A political uprising
C) A Mughal military strategy
D) A Western import