Mahanubhav

(“Great Experience”) A regional religious
community, whose members are devotees (bhakta) of the god Vishnu, and
who are found mainly in the central
regions of the state of Maharashtra. The
Mahanubhavs were founded by
Chakradhar in the thirteenth century.
Under his influence the community has
rejected many aspects of “mainstream”
Hindu religious life: social distinctions
based on caste, the worship of images,
and the religious authority of brahmins.
The community is also noted for
espousing an ascetic way of life.
Although the Mahanubhavs are considered Vaishnavas, they acknowledge only
one God, whom they call Parameshvar
(“Great Lord”), and whom they conceive
as having had five incarnations. Two of
these incarnations are established figures in the Hindu pantheon, the god
Krishna and the deified ascetic
Dattatreya. The other three are sectarian figures: their founder Chakradhar,
Chakradhar’s guru, and his guru’s guru.
Their modern practice stresses pilgrimage, vows, and almsgiving. Nevertheless,
through much of Maharashtra there is a
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Mahanubhav
legacy of suspicion and mistrust of the
Mahanubhavs, perhaps rooted in their
anti-authoritarian history. For further
information see Anne Feldhaus, The
Religious System of the Mahanubhav
Sect, 1983.