Editing Indian religions (section)

==== Early Islamic rule (c. 1100–1500 CE) ====
{{Main|Muslim conquest of India|Islamic Empires in India|Bahmani Sultanate|Deccan Sultanates|Delhi Sultanate|Sufism in India|Islam in India}}

In the 12th and 13th centuries, [[Turkic people|Turks]] and [[Afghanistan|Afghans]] invaded parts of northern India and established the [[Delhi Sultanate]] in the former [[Rajput]] holdings.<ref>[http://www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/schwww/sch618/Ibn_Battuta/Battuta's_Trip_Seven.html Battuta's Travels: Delhi, capital of Muslim India] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423014415/http://www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/schwww/sch618/Ibn_Battuta/Battuta%27s_Trip_Seven.html |date=23 April 2008}}</ref> The subsequent [[Mamluk Sultanate (Delhi)|Slave dynasty]] of [[Delhi]] managed to conquer large areas of northern India, approximately equal in extent to the ancient [[Gupta Empire]], while the [[Khalji dynasty]] conquered most of central India but were ultimately unsuccessful in conquering and uniting the subcontinent. The Sultanate ushered in a period of Indian cultural renaissance. The resulting "Indo-Muslim" fusion of cultures left lasting syncretic monuments in architecture, music, literature, religion, and clothing.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

===== Bhakti movement =====
{{More citations needed|section|date=June 2013}}

During the 14th to 17th centuries, a great ''Bhakti'' movement swept through central and northern India, initiated by a loosely associated group of teachers or ''[[Sant (religion)|Sants]]''. [[Ramananda]], [[Ravidas]], [[Srimanta Sankardeva]], [[Chaitanya Mahaprabhu]], [[Vallabha Acharya]], [[Sur (poet)|Sur]], [[Meera]], [[Kabir]], [[Tulsidas]], [[Namdev]], [[Dnyaneshwar]], [[Tukaram]], and other mystics spearheaded the Bhakti movement in the North while [[Annamacharya]], [[Bhadrachala Ramadas]], [[Tyagaraja]], and others propagated Bhakti in the South. They taught that people could cast aside the heavy burdens of ritual and caste, and the subtle complexities of philosophy, and simply express their overwhelming love for God. This period was also characterized by a spate of devotional literature in vernacular prose and poetry in the ethnic languages of the various Indian states or provinces.

===== Lingayatism =====
{{Main|Lingayatism}}

Lingayatism is a distinct Shaivite tradition in India, established in the 12th century by the philosopher and social reformer Basavanna.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}} The adherents of this tradition are known as Lingayats. The term is derived from Lingavantha in Kannada, meaning "one who wears ''Ishtalinga'' on their body" (''Ishtalinga'' is the representation of the God). In Lingayat theology, ''Ishtalinga'' is an oval-shaped emblem symbolising Parasiva, the absolute reality. Contemporary Lingayatism follows a progressive reform–based theology propounded, which has great influence in South India, especially in the state of Karnataka.<ref>M. R. Sakhare, History and Philosophy of the Lingayat Religion, Prasaranga, Karnataka University, Dharwad</ref>

===== Unifying Hinduism =====
{{Main|Unifying Hinduism}}
[[File:An aerial view of Madurai city from atop of Meenakshi Amman temple.jpg|thumb|center|upright=3.7|An aerial view of the [[Meenakshi Temple]] from the top of the southern [[gopuram]], looking north. The temple was rebuilt by the Vijayanagar Empire.|alt=aerial image of a temple campus.]]

According to Nicholson, already between the 12th and 16th century,

{{blockquote|... certain thinkers began to treat as a single whole the diverse philosophival teachings of the Upanishads, epics, Puranas, and the schools known retrospectively as the "six systems" (''saddarsana'') of mainstream Hindu philosophy.{{sfn|Nicholson|2010|p=2}}}}

The tendency of "a blurring of philosophical distinctions" has also been noted by [[Mikel Burley]].{{sfn|Burley|2007|p=34}} Lorenzen locates the origins of a distinct Hindu identity in the interaction between Muslims and Hindus,{{sfn|Lorenzen|2006|p=24-33}} and a process of "mutual self-definition with a contrasting Muslim other",{{sfn|Lorenzen|2006|p=27}} which started well before 1800.{{sfn|Lorenzen|2006|p=26-27}} Both the Indian and the European thinkers who developed the term "Hinduism" in the 19th century were influenced by these philosophers.{{sfn|Nicholson|2010|p=2}}

===== Sikhism (15th century) =====
{{Main|Sikhism}}
{{See also|History of Sikhism|Sikhism and Jainism|Sikhism and Hinduism|Sikhism in India}}
[[File:Golden Temple India.jpg|thumb|[[Harmandir Sahib]] (''The Golden Temple'') is culturally the most significant place of worship for the [[Sikhs]].]]

Sikhism originated in 15th-century [[Punjab]], Delhi Sultanate (present-day [[India]] and [[Pakistan]]) with the teachings of [[Nanak]] and nine successive [[Sikh Gurus|gurus]]. The principal belief in Sikhism is faith in ''[[Vāhigurū]]''— represented by the sacred symbol of ''[[Ek Onkar|ēk ōaṅkār]]'' [meaning one god]. Sikhism's traditions and teachings are distinctly associated with the history, society and culture of the [[Punjab]]. Adherents of Sikhism are known as [[Sikhs]] (''students'' or ''disciples'') and number over 25 million across the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-other/ |title=The Global Religious Landscape |access-date=4 February 2025 |archive-date=30 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250130075000/https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-other/}}</ref>