Vishnu, Shiva, Devi and the Bhakti Movement

Most Hindus focus their devotion on a chosen form of the divine, and three major traditions dominate. Vaishnavas worship Vishnu, the preserver, especially in his avatars Rama and Krishna; Shaivas worship Shiva, the ascetic and cosmic dancer who destroys in order to renew; and Shaktas worship the Goddess (Devi) in forms such as Durga and Kali. Many Hindus see these as aspects of one reality rather than competing gods.

From about the 6th century CE, Tamil poet-saints such as the Alvars and Nayanars sparked the bhakti movement, which stressed personal, emotional love for God over ritual or caste status. Bhakti spread north through figures such as Kabir, Mirabai and Tulsidas, who wrote in local languages ordinary people understood. The movement opened religious expression to women and lower castes, though it did not dismantle caste altogether. Its songs remain central to Hindu worship.