Pages

Pages

Hinduism - Who Are The Mahanubhav?

 


 ("Amazing Experience") A regional religious group whose members are devotees (bhakta) of the deity Vishnu and who are mostly located in Maharashtra's central areas.

Chakradhar created the Mahanubhavs in the thirteenth century.

Many features of "mainstream" Hindu religious practice have been rejected by the group under his influence, including caste differences, image worship, and brahmin religious authority.

The society is also known for adhering to an austere lifestyle.

Despite being Vaishnavas, the Mahanubhavs believe in just one God, whom they refer to as Parameshvar ("Great Lord") and who they believe has had five incarnations.

The deity Krishna and the deified ascetic Dattatreya are two of these incarnations who are well-known figures in the Hindu pantheon.

Chakradhar, Chakradhar's guru, and his guru's guru are the other three sectarianism characters.

Pilgrimage, vows, and almsgiving are all important aspects of their current practice.

Nonetheless, there remains a legacy of fear and mistrust of the Mahanubhavs across Maharashtra, perhaps based in their anti-authoritarian past.

Anne Feldhaus's The Religious System of the Mahanubhav Sect, published in 1983, has further information.


You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.

Be sure to check out my writings on religion here.