Toward a history of devotional Vaishnavism in the West Himalayas: Kullu and the Ramanandis, c. 1500–1800

Abstract

The unlikely emergence of the remote Himalayan valley of Kullu as a centre of devotional ( bhakti) Vaishnavism c. 1650 has customarily been explained as the residual outcome of regional integration into the Mughal Empire. However, recent research on the role of ascetic movements in the history of early modern India suggests the bairagi sadhus behind this shift in religious orientation played a far greater role in the mountain kingdom’s development than the mere ‘conversion’ of its raja that is reported in local tradition. This article traces the development of bairagi involvement in Kullu to revise the customary account of state formation in the region. It shows that Vaishnava ascetics directly contributed to Kullu’s development at various historical junctures and links these processes with parallel phases of the Ramanandi sampraday’s evolution in north India. In investigating a pan-Indian phenomenon in a limited area, this article highlights the importance of integrating regional histories within the broader framework of the history of the subcontinent.

The trail of an eastern deity in the western Himalaya: a study of Lord Jagannath’s temple in the Sirmaur region of Himachal Pradesh

“…(2) that the ascetics wielded sufficient authority to influence the Bhatti Rajput royals; and (3) that the bariagis played a key part in introducing Vaishnavism into Sirmaur. 10 These findings are consistent with the introduction of a politically potent form of devotional Vaishnavism into neighbouring Himalayan kingdoms, such as Kullu, where bairagis of the Ramanandi community (sampradaya) whose historical base was in Rajasthan played a key part in introducing their deities as the presiding state deity (Moran 2013).…”

“…The trail of an eastern deity in the western Himalaya: a study of Lord Jagann... European Bulletin of Himalayan Research, 57 | 2021 contribution of ascetics to the workings of the state, through the analysis of historical documents. In the western Indian Himalaya, Mahesh Sharma (1995: 105) considers the supralocal and pan-Indian connections of sadhu-controlled pilgrimage sites in the Kangra region of Himachal Pradesh, while Arik Moran (2013) traces the spread of devotional Vaishnavism into the Kullu region to the services of Ramanandi ascetics with connections to both Rajasthan and Ayodhya. This paper furthers these enquiries by tracing the spread of devotional Vaishnavism from the east Indian cult of Jagannath in Orissa to the western Himalayan kingdom of Sirmaur.…”

Kailas Histories

“…On which see Moran (2013); Berti (2009);and Berti (2009a). 10 Berti (2009: 15) makes the important distinction that deities introduced into the (Kulu) region do not enjoy a specific relationship to territory (hār), and cannot be accessed through mediums (but see n. 8 above).…”

“…Also see the recent (primarily anthropological) studies by Sutherland (1998); Moran (2007:); Berti (2009);and Das (2012). 29…”

“…Emphasis added. 8 See for example,Moran (2013) concerning the incorporation of Ayodhya deity Raghunath into the Kulu local deity system. We may consider that in addition to aspects passing to and from systems, deities might arise separately in both local and Sanskritic traditions and only later be (partly) reconciled; see this work (n. 47 211) re Gangama.…”