Bhakti and Sufi movements — UPSC Prelims PYQs

8 questions in this bank come from Bhakti and Sufi movements, spanning UPSC Prelims papers from 2012 to 2022. Every question here carries all four options, the correct answer and a full explanation.

It has appeared in 7 of the last 16 papers, most heavily in 2013 with 2 questions. That is a steady presence rather than a guaranteed one.

The themes examined most often within it are Bhakti movement and its prominent saints (5), Religious Philosophies in India (2), Sufi mysticism practices in medieval India (2), Cultural history of India (1) and Lingayats of the Kannada region (1). Those counts are of questions in which the theme is examined, not merely mentioned.

Between them they draw on 8 distinct themes, so this is a broader area than a single revision note can cover. That is 0.6% of the 1433 questions in the bank — useful for deciding how much revision time it deserves.

Its weight has held steady, at roughly 0.6 questions a year across the last five papers.

It was not examined in 9 of those papers. Each question below links to its full explanation and to related questions on the same theme from other years, so a weak area can be worked through in one pass rather than hunted for paper by paper.

UPSC Prelims 20221 question

History
The world’s second tallest statue in sitting pose of Ramanuja was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India at Hyderabad recently. Which one of the following statements correctly represents the teachings of Ramanuja?

UPSC Prelims 20191 question

History
Consider the following statements: 1. Saint Nimbarka was a contemporary of Akbar. 2. Saint Kabir was greatly influenced by Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

UPSC Prelims 20181 question

History
With reference to the cultural history of India, consider the following statements: 1. Most of the Tyagaraja Kritis are devotional songs in praise of Lord Krishna. 2. Tyagaraja created several new ragas. 3. Annamacharya and Tyagaraja are contemporaries. 4. Annamacharya Keertanas are devotional songs in praise of Lord Venkateshwara. Which of the statements given above are correct?

UPSC Prelims 20161 question

History
With reference to the cultural history of medieval India, consider the following statements: 1. Siddhas (Sittars) of the Tamil region were monotheistic and condemned idolatry. 2. Lingayats of the Kannada region questioned the theory of rebirth and rejected the caste hierarchy. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

UPSC Prelims 20141 question

History
Consider the following statements: 1. ‘Bijak’ is a composition of the teachings of Saint Dadu Dayal. 2. The Philosophy of PushtiMarg was propounded by Madhvacharya. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

UPSC Prelims 20132 questions

UPSC Prelims 20121 question

History
With reference to the religious history of medieval India, the Sufi mystics were known to pursue which of the following practices? 1. Meditation and control of breath. 2. Severe ascetic exercises in a lonely place. 3. Recitation of holy songs to arouse a state of ecstasy in their audience. Select the correct answer using the codes given below: