Bairagi Brahmin or Vaishnav Bairagi or Vaishnav Brahmin is a Hindu caste. They are Hindu priests. They are sedentary rasik (temple dwelling or temple priest) Brahmin members of the Vaishnava sampradayas, especially the Ramanandi Sampradaya. [2] According to K.S. Singh, the community uses different Surnames/Titles in different States and union territories of India, these are - Swami, Bairagi, Mahanta, Maharaj, Vaishnav, Bawa, Pandit, Purohit, Goswami, Sharma, Adhikari and Vairagi. [3] They are Vaishnav, and wear the sacred thread. A majority of Bairagi Brahmin is found in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam, and Odisha. Bairagi are considered as part of the 'upper castes' of Bengal. [4]
Members of vaishnava sampradayas are called Bairagi or Vairagi. And these members are divided into three categories – renunciant (Virakt), warrior (Naga) and temple-dwelling (temple priest) ascetics. The most of renunciant and warrior are unmarried ascetics. Anyone can be member of these communities. [5] But there are evidences of different meetings of vaishnava mahants who have decided that member of anyone caste could not be member of the community.
"Decision was taken by all the vaishnava mahants that no one would be member of the community except Brahmin and Kshatriya. And other castes excluded from the community." – Galta Temple Meeting, 1713. [6]
Another case was of Maharaja Jai Singh II, king of Jaipur State held a meeting with all Vaishnavas mahants.
"Decision was taken that other castes would not be part of bairagis except Brahmin and Kshatriya." – Meeting of Maharaja Jai Singh II with Ramanandi mahants and other vaishnava to maintain strict caste rules, 1720. [7]
Maharaja Jai Singh II obtained pledges from Ramanandi mahants and other vaishnava to maintain strict caste rules.
Senugupta describes them as a High caste group. [8] According to H.A. Rose, in the Punjab and Haryana, most of Bairagis were recruited from Jats. [9] Bairagi Class or sect in bengal is formed of by all Classes and Castes in Bramha or Gaudiya Sampradaya.
Bairagis were liberals but in the practice Brahmin Bairagis (Bairagi Brahmins) took food only from another Brahmins. [9]
William Pinch believes that the Bairagi branch of Vaishnavas is the result of the Bhakti Movement in 1000th CE. [10]
Bairagi Brahmin caste is formed of sedentary rasik (temple dwelling or temple priest) Brahmin members of the vaishnava sampradayas especially the Ramanandi Sampradaya. They are the members of vaishnava sampradayas. They are married and they have families. And rights of priesthood pass to their descendants. It is found that Bairagi Brahmins are priest in the most of villages and cities. [11]
According to Mayer, Status of Bairagis is equal with other Brahmins. [12]
Bairagi brahmins are divided into four Sampradayas - often referred to collectively as the 'Chatur-Sampradaya'. 1. Rudra Sampradaya (Vishnuswami), 2. Sri Sampradaya (Ramanandi), 3. Nimbarka Sampradaya and 4. Brahma Sampradaya (Madhvacharya). [13]
There are three prominent Bairagi (Vaishnav) Akharas: [14] </ref> [15]
The Mahabharata says that once, after Babruvahana dug a dry pond, a Bairagi Brahmin reached the centre of pond and instantly water came out of the pond with a thunderous noise. [17]
Brahmin is a varna (caste) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra. The traditional occupation of Brahmins is that of priesthood at Hindu temples or at socio-religious ceremonies, and the performing of rite of passage rituals, such as solemnising a wedding with hymns and prayers.
Gaudiya Vaishnavism, also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnava Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region of Bengal, with Vaishnavism meaning "the worship of Vishnu". Specifically, it is part of Krishnaism—Krishna-centric Vaishnavite traditions.
Jagadguru Swami Ramananda or Ramanandacharya was an Indian 14th-century Hindu Vaishnava devotional poet saint, who lived in the Gangetic basin of northern India. The Hindu tradition recognizes him as the founder of the Ramanandi Sampradaya, the largest monastic Hindu renunciant community in modern times.
Baladeva Vidyabhushana also known as Śrī Gauḍīya Vedānta-ācārya Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Prabhupāda was an Indian Gaudiya Vaishnava-Acharya.
Sant Dadu Dayal was a poet-saint religious reformer who spoke against formalism and priestcraft, and was active in Rajasthan.
The Ramanandi, also known as Ramavats, is one of the largest sect of Vaishnavas. Out of 52 gates of Vaishnavism divided into 4 Vaishnava Sampradayas, 36 are held by Ramanandi. The sect mainly emphasizes the worship of Rama, Sita, and Hanuman and avatars of Vishnu. They consider Rama and Sita as Supreme Absolute who are non different from each other. It is considered to have been founded by Ramananda, a 14th-century Vaishnava saint.
Vaishnavism is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, Mahavishnu. Its followers are called Vaishnavites or Vaishnavas, and it includes sub-sects like Krishnaism and Ramaism, which consider Krishna and Rama as the supreme beings respectively. According to a 2010 estimate by Johnson and Grim, Vaishnavism is the largest Hindu sect, constituting about 641 million or 67.6% of Hindus.
Galtaji is an ancient Hindu pilgrimage about 10 km away from Jaipur, in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The site consists of a series of temples built into a narrow crevice in the ring of hills that surrounds Jaipur. A natural spring emerges high on the hill and flows downward, filling a series of sacred kunds in which pilgrims bathe. Visitors and pilgrims can ascend the crevasse, continuing past the highest water pool to a hilltop temple from there are views of Jaipur and its fortifications spreads out across the valley floor. It is believed that a Saint named Galav lived here, practiced meditation, and did penance (tapasya).
Sri Vaishnavism is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism, predominantly practiced in South India. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi, as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god Vishnu, who are together revered in this tradition.
Akhara or Akhada is an Indian word for a place of practice with facilities for boarding, lodging and training, both in the context of Indian martial artists or a sampradaya monastery for religious renunciates in Guru–shishya tradition. For example, in the context of the Dashanami Sampradaya sect, the word denotes both martial arts and religious monastic aspects of the trident-wielding martial regiment of the renunciating sadhus.
Kushwaha is a community of the Indo-Gangetic Plain that has traditionally been involved in agriculture, including beekeeping. The term has been used to represent different sub-castes of the Kachhis, Kachhvahas, Koeris and Muraos. Under the Indian government's system of positive discrimination, the Kushwahas are classified as a "Backward" or Other backward class. The Kushwaha had worshipped Shiva and Shakta, but beginning in the 20th century, they claim descent from the Suryavansh (Solar) dynasty via Kusha, one of the twin sons of Rama and Sita. At present, it is a broad community formed by coming together of several caste groups with similar occupational backgrounds and socio-economic status, who, over the time, started inter-marrying among themselves and created all India caste network for caste solidarity. The communities which merged into this caste cluster includes Kachhi, Kachhwaha, Kushwaha, Mali, Marrar, Saini, Sonkar, Murai, Shakya, Maurya, Koeri and Panara.
The Kachhi are a Hindu Low caste of vegetable cultivators found in the regions of Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in India.
Hindu denominations, sampradayas, traditions, movements, and sects are traditions and sub-traditions within Hinduism centered on one or more gods or goddesses, such as Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti and so on. The term sampradaya is used for branches with a particular founder-guru with a particular philosophy.
Ukhra Nimbarka Peeth Mahanta Asthal is a 250-year-old Mutt of the Nimbarka Vaishnava Sampradaya. It is situated at Ukhra in the district of Purba Bardhaman, in the state of West Bengal, India near the city of Durgapur. This Mutt has been closely associated with the Zamindars of Ukhra, the Handa family, and has served as the spiritual beacon of the area. Since its foundation this Mutt has propagated Vaishnavism of the Nimbarka Sampradaya far and wide in the area and gained many important personalities as adherents of its philosophy.
Ujjain Simhastha is a Hindu religious mela held every 12 years in the Ujjain city of Madhya Pradesh, India. The name is also transliterated as Sinhastha or Singhastha. In Hindi, the fair is also called Simhasth or Sinhasth. The name derives from the fact that it is held when the Jupiter is in Leo.
Vairagi is a Hindu Sect who follow Vaishnavism. Celibate Ascetics of Vaishnav Sampradaya are called Vairagi or Bairagi.
Bairagi or Vairagi may refer to:
Kilhadevacharya or Kilhadevji was the second Mahant of Gaddi of Galtaji, Jaipur, one of thirty-six dwaras of Ramanandi Sampradaya (Bairagis). He succeeded gaddi after his guru Krishnadas Payahari. He was the Guru of Raja Askaran, ruler of Amber(Jaipur) and Narwar. And Diksha Guru of Rupsi Bairagi, son of Prithvi Singh, ruler of Amber (Jaipur) and uncle of Askaran.
Krishnadas Payahari, also known as Payahari Baba was a Ramanandi Hindu saint and disciple of Anantananda, one of the twelve disciple of Ramananda. Krishnadas Payohari was the founder and first Mahant of Gaddi of Galtaji dham, Jaipur. He came to Galta early in the 16th century. He was the guru of Prithvi Singh, ruler of Amber (Jaipur) and his wife Apurva Devi. He was also guru of Raja Jagat Singh of Kullu.
Thakurdwara Bhagwan Narainji is a historical Hindu temple belonging to Ramanandi Sampradaya, located in the village Pandori Mahantan in Gurdaspur district of Punjab in India. It constitutes one of the fifty-two Vaishnav dvaras of Indian subcontinent into which Bairagis have been organized. The shrine was founded by Ramanandi saint Shri Bhagwanji and his disciple ShriNarainji after whom the shrine has been name.The temple is known for its spectacular Baisakhi fair.