Who among the following was the first Bhakti saint to use Hindi for the propagation of his message?

Answer: (c) Ramananda

Ramananda, a 14th-century teacher of north India, is traditionally the first bhakti preacher to use the people's language (Hindi) instead of Sanskrit. Kabir, Tulsidas and Dadu all came after him.

• ✓ (c) Ramananda is placed in c.1300-1400 in Uttar Pradesh and is regarded as the earliest of the four to preach in the vernacular.
• ✗ (b) Kabir (c.1400-1500) is tradition's disciple of Ramananda, so he came later.
• ✗ (d) Tulsidas belongs to c.1500-1600, well after Ramananda.
• ✗ (a) Dadu was a 16th-century saint, also later.

Remember · Ramananda (14th century, Uttar Pradesh) is the pioneer of vernacular Hindi bhakti preaching; Kabir was his tradition's disciple.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part II, Ch 2 (practise this chapter)

Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2002, General Studies paper. UPSC did not publish an answer key for 2002: the answer shown is the generally accepted one, and the sources above explain the facts behind it. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 24 Oct 2026 (how we verify). · Report an error