("gateway" or "door") The term dwara is used to refer to a branch or subsect of a certain order among the Bairagis, renunciant ascetics who are devotees (bhakta) of the deity Vishnu.
Each dwara bears the name of its monastic founder, who was generally a well-known follower of the greater order's founder.
For example, the Nimbarki ascetics, together with the Ramanandis, Vishnuswamis, and Madhva Gaudiya (Brahma sampraday) ascetics, are one of the four established orders among the militant Vaishnava ascetics known as the chatuh-sampradayi Nagas.
The Nimbarkis are organized into nine dwaras, or subsects, each of which is named after its founder.
Dwaras are another way to subdivide ascetic orders and create even more well defined ascetic identities and allegiance.
It's hardly unexpected that the deities, like their human counterparts, would have some "servants" guarding their doors and barring access to them.
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