Vaishnavism: Origin and Devotion to Vishnu

Sampradaya

• Worship Lord Vishnu in his manifestation as Vithoba & centred around Vithoba’s temple at Pandharpur in Maharashtra.
• Their annual pilgrimage is called Vari. Varkaris carry the padukas of the saints in palkis from Samadhi to Pandharpur.
• Events like Rangan and Dhava are held during the pilgrimage, and under Rangan, a sacred horse runs through the rows of pilgrims, who try to catch the dust particles kicked off and smear their heads with the same.
• Prominent figures under this sect include Jnaneswar, Namdev, Eknath and Tukaram.

• Largest monastic group within Hinduism, and these Vaishnava monks are known as Ramanandis, Vairagis or Bairagis.
• They adhere to the teachings of the Advaita scholar Ramananda.
• They worship Rama, one of the ten incarnations of Vishnu.
• They are mainly settled around the Gangetic Plains.
• They perform meditation and follow strict ascetic practices, but they also believe that the grace of God is required to achieve liberation.

Sampradaya

• It is associated with Lord Vishnu, the Para- Brahma or Universal Creator.
• The founder was Madhvacharya. 
• Gaudiya Vaishnavism, promoted by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is associated with Brahma Sampradaya.
• ISKCON belongs to this sampradaya.

• The devotion is based on pure love for Lord Krishna and their philosophy is that the ultimate truth is one and only Brahm.
• It was founded by Vallabhacharya around 1500 AD.

Sampradaya

• Also known as the Hamsa Sampradaya or Kumara Sampradaya.
• The followers worship Radha and Krishna deities.