Write a note on social reflection by Indian Saint poetesses.
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Answer:
The Bhakti movement refers to the theistic devotional trend that emerged in medieval Hinduism. It originated somewhere around 6th century AD in south India, and spread northwards. It emphasized on single-minded intense devotion or a complete surrender of oneself to God.
Some of the important women poets and their contributions in the movement are:
1> Andal(6th Century AD): The only female of the twelve Alvar saints of south India, expressed her devotion to Vishnu through beautiful poems called 'Thirupavvai' .
2> Akka Mahadevi(12th Century AD): A follower of Shiva who wrote 'Vachans'in Kannada language.
3> Lalleshwari aka Lal Ded(14th Century AD): the Muslim poetess from Kashmir, wrote Vakhs (maxims),the peerless gems of spiritual experience.
4> Mirabai(17th Century AD): A Rajput princess, turned towards bhakti of Krishna, wrote 'Padas' in Gujarati, Rajasthani and Hindi.
These poetesses are well known for their sheer lyrical intensity and concentrated emotional appeal. Their writings speak to us about the social conditions prevailing at that time, and the position of woman at home and in society. They all wrote small lyrics or poems of devotional fervour, metaphysical depth, and with a spirit of dedication and utmost sincerity.
Time and geographical spread reflects their presence widely across the country and during whole period of the movement and not just an event of poetic ephemera.