Very Short Answer Type Questions

1. What did the Puranic stories consist of? [V. Imp.]

Answer:  The Puranic stories consisted of local myths and legends

2. Who were the Pulaiyar and the Panars?

Answer:  They were considered untouchables

3. How many Alvars were there?

Answer:  There were 12 Alvars.

4. Name the two sets of compilations of Nayanar’s songs.

Answer:  Tevaram and Tiruvacakam.

5 Name the set of compilation of Alvars’ songs.

Answer:  Divya Prabandham.

6. What did Ramanuja propound?

Answer:  He propounded the doctrine of Vishishtadvaita or qualified oneness in that the soul even when united
with the Supreme God remained distinct.

7. What is abhang? 
Answer:  It is a Marathi devotional hymn.

8. Name any two saints of Maharashtra.

Answer:  Namdev and Tukaram

9. Who were Sufis?

Answer:  Sufis were Muslim mystics.

10. Name any two great Sufis of Central Asia.

Answer:  Ghazzali and Rumi.

11. What are namghars?          [Imp.]             

Answer: They are houses of recitation and prayer, a practice that continues even today.

12. What was known as dharmsal?

Answer:  Baba Guru Nanak created a sacred place which was known as dharmsal. It is now known as
Gurudwara.

13. To whom did Baba Guru Nanak appoint as his successor?

Answer:  Guru Nanak appointed Guru Angad, one of his followers, as his successor.

14. What is Guru Granth Sahib?

Answer:  Guru Granth Sahib is the holy scripture of the Sikhs.

15. Why did the Mughal emperor Jahangir order the execution of Guru Aijan in 1606?
Answer:  The Mughal emperor Jahangir looked upon the Sikh community as a potential threat and therefore he
ordered the execution of Guru Aijan.

16. What did the terms ‘nam’, ‘dan’ and ‘isnan’ mean?    [V. Imp.]
Answer:  The terms nam, dan and isnan meant right worship, welfare of others and purity of conduct.

17. Who compiled the compositions of Baba Guru Nanak?

Answer:  Guru Angad compiled the compositions of Baba Guru Nanak.

Short Answer Type Questions

1. Who were the Nayanars and Alvars? Write about them in brief. [V. Imp.]
Answer:  The Nayanars and Alvars led religious movements in south India during the seventh to ninth
centuries. The Nayanars were devotees of Shiva while the Alvars were the devotees of Vishnu. They came from
all castes including those considered ‘untouchable’ like the Pulaiyar and the Panars. They preaohe^gjgdent love
of Shiva or Vishnu as the path to salvation. They went from place to place composing beautiful poems in praise
of the deities enshrined in the villages they visited and set them to music. There were 63 Nayanars who
belonged to different caste backgrounds. There were 12 Alvars who came from equally divergent backgrounds.

2.  Who was Ramanuja? What are the main points of his preachings?
Answer: Ramanuja was a Bhakti saint. He was born in Tamil Nadu in the 11th century. He was deeply
influenced by the Alvars.

The main points of his preachings are :

 Ramanuja taught people that the best means of attaining salvation was through intense devotion
to Vishnu. Vishnu in His grace helps the devotee to attain the bliss of union with Him.
 He propounded the doctrine of Vishishtadvaita or qualified oneness in that the soul even when
united with the Supreme God remained distinct.
3.  What do you mean by Khanqahs? What purpose did it serve?                     [V. Imp.]
Answer: Khanqahs were houses of rest for travellers especially one kept by a religious order. Sufi masters
usually held their assemblies here. Devotees of all descriptions including members of the royalty and nobility,
and ordinary people flocked to these Khanqahs. Here, they discussed spiritual matters, sought the blessings of
the saints in solving their worldly problems or simply attended the music and dance sessions.

4.  “The songs are as much a creation of the saints as of generations of people who sang them.’ Explain.    
[V. Imp.]
Answer: The works of the saints were composed in regional languages and could be sung. They became very
popular and were handed down orally from one generation to another. Usually, the most deprived communities
and women transmitted these songs. They even added their own experiences to them. Thus, the songs as we
have them today are as much a creation of the saints as of generations of people who sang them. They have
become a part of our living culture.

5.  Who was Kabir? How do we know about him?

Answer: Kabir probably lived in the fifteenth-sixteenth centuries. He was one of the most influential saints. He
was brought up in a family of Muslim jalahas or weavers settled in or near the city of Benaras, now Varanasi.
We have little reliable information about the life of Kabir. We come to know of his ideas from a vast collection
of verses called sakhis and pads, which are said to have been composed by him and sung by wandering bhajan
singers.

6 Who were the followers of Baba Guru Nanak?

Answer: Baba Guru Nanak had a large number of followers. They belonged to a number of castes but traders,
agriculturists, artisans and craftsmen predominated. Thus, the followers of Guru Nanak were all householders
and adopted productive and useful occupations. They were expected to contribute to the general funds of the
community of followers.

7 Why was the Mughal emperor Jahangir hostile to the Sikh community? How did the Sikh movement
gain momentum?    [V. Imp.]
Answer: By the beginning of the 17th century the town of Ramdaspur, Amritsar had developed around the
central Gurudwara known as Harmandar Sahib, the Golden Temple. It was a virtually self-governing body and
the modem historians refer to the early 17th-century Sikh community as ‘a state within a state’. This made the
Mughal emperor Jahangir hostile to the Sikh community. He looked upon them as a potential threat and he
ordered the execution of Guru Aijan in 1606.
It is from this time the Sikh movement began to gain momentum. It was a development that culminated, in the
institution of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699

Very Short Extra Questions and Answers

1: By the word “MAYA” shankara meant________________.

Answer: Illusion

2: State the language employed by Surdas for his devotional songs.

Answer: Hindi (Avadhi)

3: Who were the Pulaiyar and the Panars?

Answer: Untouchables

4: What was the greatest social impact of the Bhakti Movement on medieval Hindu society?

Answer: equality between high and low castes

5: Name the Bhakti saint who was a great satirist and ridiculed all the institutions of his time.

Answer: Kabir

6: The Sangam literature was compiled in the three assemblies held in __________ under the Pandya
rulers.

Answer: Madurai

7: Name the regional language popularised by the Bhakti leader Shankradeva.

Answer: Assamese

8: Sufis were_________.

Answer: Muslim mystics

9: What was the name of holy law developed by Muslim Scholar?

Answer: Shariat

10: Alvars were the worshippers of lord________.

Answer: Vishnu

11: Tevaram was a____________.

Answer: Compilation of songs.

12: Khwaja Muinuddin Chisti belongs to_________.

Answer: Chisti Silsila

13: The idea of Bhakti was first discussed in_____________.

Answer: Bhagvad Gita

14: The practice that was borrowed by the Sufis from Hinduism was practice of a number of yogic
exercises as a means of contemplation. True/ False

Answer: True

15: The doctrine of vishishtadvaita was propounded by sankracharya. True/ False

Answer: False

16: Give an example showing that Mirabai rejected the rigidity of caste system.

Answer: Mirabai was a disciple of Ravidas. Ravidas belonged to the society of ‘untouchables’. It shows that
Mirabai rejected the rigidity of caste system.

17: Lehna, the successor of Guru Nanak was also called_____.

Answer: Guru Angad

18: What was the language used by Jalaluddin Rumi?

Answer: Persian

19: The earliest form of Tamil literature is known as__________.

Answer: Sangam literature
20: Who finally authenticated Guru Granth Sahib?

Answer: Guru Gobind Singh

21: Bible was translated into German by________.

Answer: Martin Luther

22: Bhakti and Sufi movements came into existence in the_________ century.

Answer: Eighth century

23: Where the temple of lord vitthala is located?

Answer: Pandharpur

24: The method of singing adopted by Sufi saint is known as SAME. True/ False.

Answer: True

25: Guru Arjun was assassinated during the reign of_______.

Answer: Jahangir

26: Name a Sikh community.

Answer: Khalsa community.

27: Kabir’s teachings comprised of small poems which were collected in a small book known
as_____________.

Answer: Bijak

28: What is the new name of dharmsala?

Answer: Gurdwara

29: The Sufi Khanqahs had its visitors from royalty, nobility and __________.

Answer: Ordinary people.

30. Who translated the bible into german language?

Answer: Martin Luther

31. What is the new name of dharmsal?

Answer: Gurdwara

32. How many Alvars were there?

Answer: There were 12 Alvars.

33. How many Nayanars were there?

Answer: There were 63 Nayanars.

34. What is Abhang?

Answer:  Abhang is a Marathi devotional hymn.

35. What is Langar?

Answer: Langar means common kitchen.

36. Where is the Vitthala temple located?

Answer: Vitthala is a form of Vishnu temple located in Pandharpur.

37. What is Guru Granth Sahib?

Answer: Guru Granth Sahib is the holy scripture of the Sikhs.

38. Who were Sufis?

Answer: Sufis were Muslim mystics.

39. Name any two great Sufis of Central Asia.

Answer: Ghazzali and Rumi

40. What was known as dharmsal?

Answer: The sacred space created by Guru Nanak was known as dharmsal.

41. Who composed Ramcharitmanas?

Answer:  Tulsidas composed the Ramcharitmanas in Awadhi.

42. Name the holy law developed by Muslim scholars.

Answer: Muslim scholars developed a holy law called Shariat.

43. What is Hagiographies?

Answer: Hagiographies are religious biographies of the Alvars and Nayanars.

44. What are namghars?

Answer: Namghars are houses of recitation and prayer, a practice that continues to date.

45. Which is the earliest example of Tamil literature, composed during the early centuries of the Common
Era?

Answer: Sangam literature

Short Extra Questions and Answers

1. Name the two sets of compilations of Nayanar’s songs.

Answer: There are two sets of compilations of their songs – Tevaram and Tiruvacakam.

2. What does khanqah or hospice mean?

Answer:  Khanqah or hospice means house of rest for travellers, especially one kept by a religious order.

3. Who were the followers of Baba Guru Nanak?

Answer: His followers belonged to a number of castes but traders, agriculturists, artisans and craftsmen
predominated.

4. Who was Jalaluddin Rumi?

Answer: Jalaluddin Rumi was a great thirteenth-century Sufi poet from Iran who wrote in Persian.

5. Who initiated Virashaiva movement?

Answer: Virashaiva movement was initiated by Basavanna and his companions like Allama Prabhu and
Akkamahadevi.

6. Name the compositions of Surdas which express his devotion?

Answer:  Surdas was an ardent devotee of Krishna. His compositions, compiled in the Sursagara, Surasaravali
and Sahitya Lahari, express his devotion.

7. Why did the Mughal emperor Jahangir order the execution of Guru Aijan in 1606?
Answer: The Mughal emperor Jahangir looked upon them as a potential threat and he ordered the execution of
Guru Arjan in 1606.

8. What did the terms ‘nam’, ‘dan’ and ‘isnan’ mean?

Answer:  Guru Nanak used the terms nam, dan and isnan for the essence of his teaching, which actually meant
right worship, welfare of others and purity of conduct.

9. Who was Ramanuja?

Answer: Ramanuja, born in Tamil Nadu in the eleventh century, was deeply influenced by the Alvars.
According to him the best means of attaining salvation was through intense devotion to Vishnu.

10. To whom did Baba Guru Nanak appoint as his successor?

Answer: Before his death in 1539, Guru Nanak appointed one of his followers as his successor. His name was
Lehna but he came to be known as Guru Angad, signifying that he was a part of Guru Nanak himself.

11. Why do you think many teachers rejected prevalent religious beliefs and practices?

Answer: Many teachers rejected prevalent religious beliefs and practices because such beliefs advocated
ritualism, outward display of piety and social differences based on birth.

12. What do you know about Shankaradeva?

Answer: Shankaradeva of Assam (late fifteenth century) emphasised devotion to Vishnu, and composed poems
and plays in Assamese. He began the practice of setting up namghars or houses of recitation and prayer, a
practice that continues to date.

13. How did Khalsa Panth emerge?

Answer: The Sikh movement began to get politicized in the seventeenth century, a development which
culminated in the institution of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. The community of the Sikhs, called
the Khalsa Panth, became a political entity.

14. Why do you think ordinary people preserved the memory of Mirabai?

Answer: Mirabai was devoted to Krishna and composed innumerable bhajans expressing her intense devotion.
Her songs also openly challenged the norms of the “upper” castes and became popular with the masses and were
handed down orally from generation to generation.

15. How Chola and Pandya kings contributed for the growth of the Bhakti movement?

Answer: Between the tenth and twelfth centuries the Chola and Pandya kings built elaborate temples around
many of the shrines visited by the saint-poets, strengthening the links between the bhakti tradition and temple
worship.

16. What were the teachings of the saints of Maharashtra?

Answer:  These saints rejected all forms of ritualism, outward display of piety and social differences based on
birth. In fact they even rejected the idea of renunciation and preferred to live with their families, earning their
livelihood like any other person, while humbly serving fellow human beings in need.

17. For either the Virashaivas or the saints of Maharashtra, discuss their attitude towards caste.

Answer: The Virashaivas argued strongly for the equality of all human beings and against Brahmanical ideas
about caste and the treatment of women. Saint of Maharashtra rejected all forms of ritualism, outward display of
piety and social differences based on birth.

18. What did Ramanuja propound?

Answer: According to him the best means of attaining salvation was through intense devotion to Vishnu.
Vishnu in His grace helps the devotee to attain the bliss of union with Him. He propounded the doctrine of
Vishishtadvaita or qualified oneness in that the soul even when united with the Supreme God remained distinct.
19. Who was Kabir? How do we know about him?

Answer: He was one of the most influential saints. He was brought up in a family of Muslim julahas or weavers
settled in or near the city of Benares (Varanasi). We have little reliable information about his life. We get to
know of his ideas from a vast collection of verses called sakhis and pads said to have been composed by him
and sung by wandering bhajan singers.

20. What purpose did khanqahs serve?

Answer:  The Sufi masters held their assemblies in their khanqahs or hospices. Devotees of all descriptions
including members of the royalty and nobility, and ordinary people flocked to these khanqahs. They discussed
spiritual matters, sought the blessings of the saints in solving their worldly problems, or simply attended the
music and dance sessions.

21. Describe the beliefs and practices of the Nathpanthis, Siddhas and Yogis.

Answer: They advocated renunciation of the world. To them the path to salvation lay in meditation on the
formless Ultimate Reality and the realisation of oneness with it. To achieve this they advocated intense training
of the mind and body through practices like yogasanas, breathing exercises and meditation.

22. Why did people turn to the teachings of the Buddha or the Jainas during the medieval period?

Answer: The belief that social privileges came from birth in a “noble” family or a “high” caste was the subject
of many learned texts. Many people were uneasy with such ideas and turned to the teachings of the Buddha or
the Jainas according to which it was possible to overcome social differences and break the cycle of rebirth
through personal effort.