Mughal patronage and policies often served as both a wind in the sails and a bump in the road for the Bhakti current sweeping across India’s hearts. Under Akbar’s reign, for instance, the court became an unlikely amphitheater for devotional poets. His Din-i-Ilahi experiments and regular jali (open-forum) gatherings welcomed voices like Tulsidas and Bayazid, sending a clear signal: vernacular spirituality was worth its salt. Temples and satsangs flourished in places such as Vrindavan and Varanasi, buoyed by generous land grants and a climate of relative religious give-and-take.

Yet not every Mughal ruler wore the same tolerant hat. Jahangir and Shah Jahan, more conservative by comparison, sometimes tightened the screws on public kirtans or grass-roots festivals that they deemed disruptive. Sooner or later, a local faujdar would crack down on wandering bhajaneers or their makeshift shrines—especially if revenue targets flagged. Each such clampdown, however, tended to backfire: restrictions only fanned the flame of emotional devotion, driving teachers into rural bylanes where their songs and stories took root even more deeply.

Aurangzeb’s reign really stirred the pot. His stricter orthodoxy ruffled feathers but galvanized Bhakti preachers to sharpen their message about God’s love transcending caste or creed. Mirabai’s defiant verses echoed louder in whispered gatherings, while Kabir’s couplets found fresh life on the lips of oppressed artisans. Inadvertently, the crackdown laid the groundwork for a spiritual solidarity that crossed regional lines—from Marathi Varkari pilgrims marching toward Pandharpur to Bengali Vaishnavas dancing kirtan under village banyan trees.

Fast-forward to 2025, and streaming playlists brim with Sant writings set to modern beats—a testament to how Mughal-era interactions still color devotional culture today. The give-and-take between imperial courts and humble saints transformed Bhakti from niche enthusiasm into a mass movement, proving that heartfelt devotion ultimately thrives wherever walls between faiths begin to crumble.