Pranami Sampradaya

Pranami Sampradaya, also known as Pranami (Those who bow down) or Pranami Panth is a Hindu sect which worships the god Krishna as the Supreme God. It is based on teachings of Mahamati Prannathji and Shri Devchandraji with their holy scripture as Shri Tartam Sagar. The Pranami sampradaya emerged in the 17th century in Western India, based on the teachings of Bhakti saints, Sri Devchandraji Maharaj and his foremost disciple Sri Mehraj Thakur (also known as Mahamati Prannathji or Prananathji, which gives this tradition the name). The Pranami Sampradaya is also known as the Nijananda Sampradaya, literally, 'nij' meaning, oneself or own and 'ananda' meaning bliss or joy. The Pranami sampradaya's teachings tries to bridge the gap between the Eastern religions and Western religions together stating that both the Eastern and Western religions talk about the same one almighty god. The founder of the sect, Shri Devchandra Ji Maharaj (1581–1655), was born in Amarkot in the Sindh province of India (present-day Pakistan). From early childhood, he showed saintly tendencies. At the age of 16, he renounced the world and left in search of Brahma-gyana (divine knowledge) to Bhuj in Kutch and later to Jamnagar. Devchandraji undertook the work of giving concrete shape and form to find a new stream of religion called Nijanand Sampradaya. He settled down in Jamnagar, where form he explained Vedas, Vedantic knowledge and Bhagwatam in simple language intelligible to lay persons irrespective of social class and religious differences, and awaken them to their real Self with the help of divine knowledge called "Tartam". His followers later came to be known as Sundarsaths or Pranami. The credit of spreading the Pranami sampraday goes to his dearest disciple and successor, Mahamati Shri Prannathji (Mehraj Thakur) (1618–1694), who was the son of Keshav Thakur, Diwan of Jamnagar State. He traveled throughout the Indian subcontinent and the Arabian world including Oman, Iraq and Iran to spread the ideals of religious harmony and interfaith understanding the vision of Tartam professes.