FOUNDED: c. 500 B.C.E.
RELIGION AS A PERCENTAGE OF WORLD POPULATION: 9.5 percent

Overview

Vaishnavism is the name given to the faith and practices of those Hindus who hold Vishnu ("the all pervasive one") and the goddess Lakshmi as supreme deities. The Sanskrit term Vaishnava means "follower of Vishnu."

Devotion to Vishnu seen in the Vedas and later Sanskrit literature, amalgamated with the worship of many local deities and texts, eventually gave rise to the Vaishnava faith. Vaishnavas also worship Vishnu's many incarnations, especially his appearances as Rama and as Krishna, as well as his manifestations in iconic form in several temples. These manifestations in temples are considered to be actual incarnations of Vishnu in a worshipable form. In addition, many Vaishnavas also revere various poet-saints and theologians whom they consider to be paradigmatic devotees. There are several traditions of Vaishnava theologies, but a Vaishnava does not have...