Sri Ramananda, a great pioneer of the Bhakti movement in Hindustan, was fifth in apostolic succession to Sri Ramanuja, a disciple of Yamuna Muni and an exponent of the Visishtadvaita philosophy or qualified monism. Ramananda was born in Prayag, the modern Allahabad, in 1299 A.D. He was born of Punyasadan, a Kanyakubja Brahmin and Sushila. He attained Mahasamadhi in 1410 A.D.

Sri Ramananda was a great Vaishnava Acharya and a devotee. His followers worship Lord Rama. They are known as Ramanandis or Ramavats. The mendicant members of the sect are known as Vairagis.

Ramananda admitted all, high and low alike, into his Satsang. Among his twelve disciples, there were Brahmins, a Mussalman, a weaver, a Rajput, a Jat, a barber, a cobbler and two women. The twelve disciples were: Kabir, the weaver; Raidas, the cobbler; Pipa, the Rajput king; Dhanna, the Jat; Sena, the barber; Narhariyananda, Sursurananda, Sukhananda, Bhavananda and Anantananda; and Padmavati and Surasari, two lady disciples.

Ramananda’s disciples laid great emphasis on two basic principles, viz., that perfect devotion consists of perfect love towards God and that all servants of God are brothers. Among the twelve disciples of Ramananda, Kabir, Sena and Raidas founded branch-sects of their own.

Ramananda imbibed the Vaishnavite philosophy of Sri Ramanuja, but he disseminated Bhakti towards Rama and Sita which appealed more to the masses.

The initiatory Mantras of the sect are Sri ram and Om Ram Ramaya Namah. The Ramanandis’ marks on the forehead are the same as those of the followers of Ramanuja, except that the red perpendicular line on the forehead is varied in shape and extent, and is generally narrower.

The followers of Ramananda are numerous in Gangetic lindia. They encompass the whole of the country along the banks of the Ganga and the Yamuna.