The Ramanandi sect is also called RAMAVAT sect and SHRI sect. This Vaishnav denomination has played an important role in shaping the social and spiritual climate of the populous Ganges valley. The Ramanandi movement owes its popularity to the saint Ramananda who lived in Varanasi in the 14th century, and influenced such popular Indian saints like Tulsidas and Kabir among others.Considered as a bifurcation of Sri Vaishnav faith who emphasizes worship of Lord Rama. It is one of the largest and most egalitarian Hindu sects around the Gangetic plains, and its ascetic wing constitutes the largest Vaishnava monastic order and may possibly be the largest monastic order in all of India.
Ramanandi sect was previously known as Ramavat sect or Shri sect. But edge and following of the sect was diminished during the 12th and 13th centuries. Then it was strongly revived in the fourteenth century by Shri Swami Ramanand. After that it was named after him i.e. Ramanand Sect. According to the followers of this sect, the sect was started by Goddess Sita whose another name is Shri. Thus the sect was named as Shri sect. In Sanskrit language the word Ramavat means "that which has started from Rama". And as it was the basic preaching of Lord Rama which Goddess Sita has passed on, it is called the Ramavat sect. The Guru Parampara(the chronological order of the masters) of the Shri sect is as follows -
Lord Rama > Goddess Sita > Lord Hanuman > Lord Brahma > Vashisht > Parashar > Vyas > Shukdev >
After Shukdev the chain stopped for thusands of years when "Bodhayan" (believed to be of 1st or 2nd century) again got the scriptures and doctrines of the sect. From Bodhayan (300 BC-200BC) the chain is unbroken till now.
From Bodhayan to Ramananda, the chain is as follows- Bodhayan > Saaran > Purushottam Acharya > Gangadhar acharya > Sadacharya > Rameshwar acharya > Dwaranand > Devananda > Shriyanand > Haryanand > Raghvanand > Ramananda
Teachings & Theories of the Sect
The institutional centrality of Ramananda has long been reflected in the 'guru parampara' that connects every Ramanandi through an unbroken succession of gurus with Ramanand himself and, eventually, Ramchandra.Ramananda taught his followers to pay special attention to Rama and his wife Sita. Because of political dangers looming on the horizon, Rama was a natural focus of worship due to his position as the faultless prince. As outlined in the famous Sanskrit epic, the Ramayana, Rama, while an incarnation of deity, was a successful warrior capable of defeating the terrible ten-headed demon-king of the Rakshasas.
Ramananda defined his own studies with his dedication and self-surrender to the Supreme Soul. According to Saint Ramananda, Lord Rama was the Supreme Spirit and the human race was simply one large family. He was a skilled and impressive preacher who drew large crowds wherever he traveled, yet most of Ramananda’s poems and sayings were not preserved. The result is the lack of texts that modern scholars and historians can use to unearth the life of Ramananda.
Ramananda was a learned man. Many of the books which are supposed to have been written by him such as Sri Vaishnava, Matanbuj Bhaskar, Sri Ramarachan Padhti are still available.
The "Vetican" of the Ramanand Sect
The most interesting factor about this sect is that although the members of the Ramavat sect worship Lord Rama but his birthplace Ayodhya has never remained a centre of the sect. This condition is same as the Pope never resides at Bethlehem or Jerusalem but he resides at Vetican. Until Ramananda the Centre of the Ramavat sect was in Jagannath-Puri.Then during the time of Swami Ramananda Varanasi became the centre. But after the death of Swami Ramananda his main disciple Anantanand ji kept his seat at Mathura and it remained at Mathura until it was destroyed by Aurangzeb. From that time onwards the centre of the sect is Chitrakoot
Ramanandi sect was previously known as Ramavat sect or Shri sect. But edge and following of the sect was diminished during the 12th and 13th centuries. Then it was strongly revived in the fourteenth century by Shri Swami Ramanand. After that it was named after him i.e. Ramanand Sect. According to the followers of this sect, the sect was started by Goddess Sita whose another name is Shri. Thus the sect was named as Shri sect. In Sanskrit language the word Ramavat means "that which has started from Rama". And as it was the basic preaching of Lord Rama which Goddess Sita has passed on, it is called the Ramavat sect. The Guru Parampara(the chronological order of the masters) of the Shri sect is as follows -
Lord Rama > Goddess Sita > Lord Hanuman > Lord Brahma > Vashisht > Parashar > Vyas > Shukdev >
After Shukdev the chain stopped for thusands of years when "Bodhayan" (believed to be of 1st or 2nd century) again got the scriptures and doctrines of the sect. From Bodhayan (300 BC-200BC) the chain is unbroken till now.
From Bodhayan to Ramananda, the chain is as follows- Bodhayan > Saaran > Purushottam Acharya > Gangadhar acharya > Sadacharya > Rameshwar acharya > Dwaranand > Devananda > Shriyanand > Haryanand > Raghvanand > Ramananda
Teachings & Theories of the Sect
The institutional centrality of Ramananda has long been reflected in the 'guru parampara' that connects every Ramanandi through an unbroken succession of gurus with Ramanand himself and, eventually, Ramchandra.Ramananda taught his followers to pay special attention to Rama and his wife Sita. Because of political dangers looming on the horizon, Rama was a natural focus of worship due to his position as the faultless prince. As outlined in the famous Sanskrit epic, the Ramayana, Rama, while an incarnation of deity, was a successful warrior capable of defeating the terrible ten-headed demon-king of the Rakshasas.
Ramananda defined his own studies with his dedication and self-surrender to the Supreme Soul. According to Saint Ramananda, Lord Rama was the Supreme Spirit and the human race was simply one large family. He was a skilled and impressive preacher who drew large crowds wherever he traveled, yet most of Ramananda’s poems and sayings were not preserved. The result is the lack of texts that modern scholars and historians can use to unearth the life of Ramananda.
Ramananda was a learned man. Many of the books which are supposed to have been written by him such as Sri Vaishnava, Matanbuj Bhaskar, Sri Ramarachan Padhti are still available.
The "Vetican" of the Ramanand Sect
The most interesting factor about this sect is that although the members of the Ramavat sect worship Lord Rama but his birthplace Ayodhya has never remained a centre of the sect. This condition is same as the Pope never resides at Bethlehem or Jerusalem but he resides at Vetican. Until Ramananda the Centre of the Ramavat sect was in Jagannath-Puri.Then during the time of Swami Ramananda Varanasi became the centre. But after the death of Swami Ramananda his main disciple Anantanand ji kept his seat at Mathura and it remained at Mathura until it was destroyed by Aurangzeb. From that time onwards the centre of the sect is Chitrakoot
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