List of Religious Cults and Movements of Medieval India

India is a birthplace of various religions, creeds and faiths. Religion has played an important role in the lives of the Indian people from the earliest time. But religion in India has never been static; various movements have developed with new ideas and in response to evolving socio-economics situations.

Religious Cults and Movements of Medieval India

Foundation	Movements	Founders
1190 AD	Chishti Movement (Sufi)	Muinuddin Chishti
1250 AD	Suharavardi Silsila (Sufi)	Bahauddin Zacharia
14^th Century AD	Firdausia Cult (Sufi)	Serfuddin Yahya
15^th Century AD	Dharmadasi Cult	Saint Kabir Das
15^th Century AD	Mahadevi movement	Sayyad Mohammad Mahadi
15^th Century AD	Shattari Cult (Sufi)	Abdulla Sattari
1500 AD	Qadiri a Silsila	Sheikh Abdul Qadir
16^th Century AD	Nipakh Movement	Dadu Dayal
16^th Century AD	Sikh Movement	Guru Nanak
16^th Century AD	Hari Kirtan Mandali	Chaitanya
16^th Century AD	Roshania Movement	Mian Bajid Ansari
16^th Century AD	Pushti Marg	Ballabhacharya
16^th Century AD	Barkari Sect	Eknath
17^th Century AD	Naqsh Bandi Silsila	Khwaja Baki Villah
17^th Century AD	Dharkari Sect	Ram Das

The Sufi and Bhakti Movements brought a new form of religious expression amongst Muslims and Hindus. The Sufis were mystics who called for liberalism in Islam. They emphasised on an egalitarian society based on universal love. The Bhakti saints transformed Hinduism by introducing devotion or bhakti as the means to attain God. For them caste had no meaning and all human beings were equal. The Sufi and Bhakti saints played an important role in bringing the Muslims and Hindus together.

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