Ramanandi Sampradaya

Ramanandi Sampradaya
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
IndiaNepalTrinidad and TobagoGuyanaSurinameCaribbeanFijiMauritiusSouth AfricaUnited KingdomUnited StatesCanadaAustraliaNew 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), is one of the largest sects of Vaishnavas. Out of 52 sub-branches of Vaishnavism, divided into four Vaishnava sampradayas, 36 are held by the Ramanandi. 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.