 Portrait of a Ramanandi ascetic worshipping Sita Rama in Mandi (Himachal Pradesh, India), first half of the 19th century | |
| Founder | |
|---|---|
| Ramananda | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| India • Nepal • Trinidad and Tobago • Guyana • Suriname • Caribbean • Fiji • Mauritius • South Africa • United Kingdom • United States • Canada • Australia • New Zealand | |
| Religions | |
| Hinduism | |
| Scriptures | |
| Valmiki Ramayana, Adhyatma Ramayana, Ramcharitmanas, Vedas, Bhaktamal, Vaishnava Matabja Bhaskara, Vinaya Patrika, Ananda Bhashya (Brahma Sutra Upaniṣad Gita), Ramarchana Paddhati, Maithili Maha Upanishad, Valmiki Samhita, Hanuman Chalisa, Sita Upanishad |
The Ramanandi (IAST: Rāmānandī), also known as Ramavats (Rāmāvat),[1][2] is one of the largest sects of Vaishnavas.[3] Out of 52 sub-branches of Vaishnavism, divided into four Vaishnava sampradayas, 36 are held by the Ramanandi.[4] The sect mainly emphasizes the worship of Rama, Sita, Hanuman, and the avatars of Vishnu. They consider Rama and Sita as the Supreme Absolute who are not different from each other. It is considered to have been founded by Ramananda, a 14th-century Vaishnava saint.[5][6][7]
- ^ Michaels 2004, p. 254.
- ^ Tattwananda 1984, p. 10.
- ^ Burghart 1983, p. 362.
- ^ R. Pinch, William (1996). Peasants and Monks in British India. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520200616.
- ^ Schomer and McLeod (1987), The Sants: Studies in a Devotional Tradition of India, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 9788120802773, pages 4-6
- ^ Selva Raj and William Harman (2007), Dealing with Deities: The Ritual Vow in South Asia, State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-0791467084, pages 165-166
- ^ James G Lochtefeld (2002), The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: N-Z, Rosen Publishing, ISBN 978-0823931804, pages 553-554