Ramananda

Sri Ramanandacharya was a poet, who was devoted to Vaishnavism.^[1] Most Hindu people think that he started Ramanandi Sampradaya.^[2] He was born in 1199 CE, and died some time from 1495 CE.^[3][4][5]

Stamp showing Ramanandaaa

Biography

Little is known with certainty about the life of Ramananda, including year of birth and death^[6][7] The Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature give dates of 1366–1467 for his lifespan.^[8] His biography has been derived from mentions of him in secondary literature and inconsistent hagiographies.^[2][1][9]

The most accepted version holds that Ramananda was born in a Kanyakubja Brahmin family,^[10][8] about mid 14th-century, and died about mid 15th-century.^{[11][12][5][8]} Although few people hold him to be of southern origin, there's no evidence to support such a claim. In fact, all genuinely Indian sources agree in stating that Ramananda was born at Prayaga (Allahabad).^[13]

"Not one word is said as to his southern origin, and the fact that he was stated to be a Kanyakubja Brahmin is decisively against such a theory" –George A. Greirson (1920).^[13]

According to the medieval era Bhaktamala text by Nabhadas, Ramananda studied under Raghavananda, a guru (teacher) in Vedanta-based Vatakalai (northern, Rama-avatar) school of Vaishnavism.^[14]

"It was Ramananda's teacher, Raghavananda, who came from the South, and after much wandering had settled at Benares. There, and not in the South, he had Ramananda as his disciple." –George A. Greirson (1920).^[13]

Other scholars state that Ramananda's education started in Adi Shankara's Advaita Vedanta school, before he met Raghavananda and began his studies in Ramanuja's Vishishtadvaita Vedanta school.^[15]