Swami Raamanand

'Ramananda''' (1360-1470), also referred to as '''Sant Ramanand''' or '''Swami Ramanand''', was a Vaishnav Saint, a ''Ramavat'' (devotee of Lord Rama. He is considered to be the reviver of the Ramavat sect. His impact on the Ramavat sect was so much that the sect was named after him - the Ramanandi sect.He lived in the holy city of Varanasi, and was a pioneer of the Bhakti movement, as well as a social reformer in Northern India. He was known for communicating in vernacular Hindi, and accepting disciples of all castes. His 12 disciples are very famous-Anantananda, Bhavananda, Dhanna Bhagat, Kabir, Nabha, Naraharyanda, Pipa, Ravidas, Sain, Sukhanada, and Tulsidas (not the author of the Ramcharitmanas).

Childhood

Ramananda is generally considered to have been born around AD 1360. although there is disagreement on the exact date of birth, due to the few texts regarding his early life. His Birthplaces  was Triveni Sangam, Allahabad(Prayaga).
He was born to an upper-caste Brahmin family, and his parents were probably named Sushila and Punyasadan Sharma.He was spiritually inclined from his early childhood. Acharya Raghavnand who is also known as Dakshinayat Rishi (as he lived in Jagannath Puri which is always considered a southern city in hindu scriptures) included him in the Ramavat sect. Ramananda spent most of his life in Kashi(Banaras), where, as a mark of respect, people built a memorial that stands there to this day. 
When Ramananda was a child, he studied scriptures and showed great interest in spiritual thoughts. He received his early education in [[Varanasi|Kasi]]. A renowned philosopher and the prophet of the new Vaishnava religion, known for his downplaying the role of caste. Ramananda was particularly known for worshipping Lord Rama and his wife Goddess Sita. Ramanuja and Ramananda both believed that the human soul is distinct from the Supreme Spirit and retains its identity and separate consciousness. 
His footprints are visible at Srimath, Panchganga ghat, KASHI. Ramananda visited many places of pilgrimage, including Jagganath Puri, still has a memorial in his honour......

Revolution Against Casteism

Ramananda realised that God can be worshipped by everyone because Lord Rama himself has never stopped the people of any caste from reaching himself.Instead Ramayan is full of stories about Shabri, Kevat,etc who all were Lower castes but Rama gave them equal respect as Brahmins. Ramananda believed that in spiritual pursuit, the caste system of India is redundant. He believed that to truly devote yourself to the Lord Ram, you must forget your caste identity and social status. Ramananda is quoted as saying, “Let no one ask a man’s caste or with whom he eats. If a man is devoted to Hari, he becomes Hari’s own.” Ramananda had disciples of all castes, including Muslims.

Adult life

When Ramananda was as young as twelve, he left home and became a sannyasi(ascetic)and he lived at Varanasi. His two most famous disciples were Pipa and Kabir, who each grew to be great prophets that were even more famous than Ramananda himself.

There is an intersting story that how Kabir, a famous disciple of Ramananda has got his Mantr-Diksha. Being a muslim and considering the rigid caste and untouchablity system of the that time hindus,Kabir hesitated to ask Ramanand to adopt him as his disciple. Ramananda stayed in his cottage all day and only left it at about 3 o’clock in the morning to go down to the Ganges River to have a bath and perform his rites. Because Kabir held this knowledge of Ramananda’s daily habits, Kabir waited one night for Ramananda by lying on the steps of Panchganga ghat. When Ramananda accidentally stepped on Kabir on his way to bathe, he uttered “Ooth! Ram ko Ram bolo!” (Rise up! Say Ram to Ram!). This became, for Kabir, the sacred mantra. Ramananda later given him formal Diksha. Because of Ramananda, Kabir grew among the ranks of important religious reformers in India