Pranami Sampraday
Encyclopedia
Pranami Sampradaya / Shree Krisha Pranami Dharma / Nijanand Sampradaya is a community which has the followers of Supreme God "Raj Ji"(Satchidanand). Raj ji is also concerned as "The Last Imam Mendhi" in Muslims and "Budh Nisklank Avatar" in Hindus. Lord Krishna in his age of 11 years and 52 days is also worshiped in their religion.
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 taught them "Tartam Mantra". His followers later came to be known as Sunder Sath or Pranami.
The credit of spreading the Pranami religion further, goes to his able disciple and successor, Mahamati Prannathji ( Mehraj Thakur ) (1618–1694), who was son of Keshav Thakur, Diwan
of Jamnagar
State. He traveled throughout India to spread the religion. He also composed a work called Kuljam Swarop that has writings in six languages - Gujarati, Sindhi, Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Hindi and also words of many other prevalent languages. His work called Kuljam Swarup a.k.a Qulzam Swarup and Mehar Sagar, which is now the main text of religion. He also attended Kumbh Mela
at Haridwar
during his lifetime and met several saints and religious leaders of his time, who were impressed by his knowledge and power.
Maharaja
Chhatrasal (1649–1731) of Bundelkhand
, was an ardent disciple of Mahamati Prannathji and a follower of Pranami Dharma. Their meeting took place in Mau
in 1683, a place near Panna
. His nephew Dev Karanji who had met Prannath, earlier in Ramnagar
, was responsible for this meeting. Chhatrasal was highly impressed of Prannathji and became his disciple. When Maharaja Chhatrasal came to meet him, he was going for a battle against Mughal
s. Prannath gave him his own sword and covered his head with a scarf, saying, "You will always be victorious. Diamond mines will be discovered in your land and you will become a great emperor." His prophecy came true and even today Panna region
is famous for their diamond mines. Prannath was not only the religious Guru of Chhatrasal; but he guided him too in political, social, and economic matters. It was by being granted the boon of finding diamonds in Panna by Swami Prannath that Maharaja Chhatrasal became prosperous.
Pramani Dharma refrains from idol worship. They recite hymns and verses from their holy book Kuljam Swarup a.k.a. Kulzam Swarup, to whom they worship and even the usual partaking of consecrated water (amiras), together with food offering or prasad, is not considered an essential part of ritual worship in the tradition.
In their, temples, which are dedicated to Krishna
but do not have his idols, ladies and gents sit in separately to listen to the recitation of fragments of their holy scripture and singing devotional songs to the accompaniment of harmonium, drums (tabla and dholak) and small brass cymbals (manjiras).
The religion is also called ad-mixture of Hindu & Muslim faiths due to certain aspects of both religion involved in their scripts and rituals and recitation from holy Quran and holy Bhagavat Gita both being done at their temples.
can be found in States of Gujarat,Rajasthan,Uttar Pradesh,Madhya Pradesh and Punjab in India chiefly. There are followers and temple of Pranami in Nepal, America, Canada, also.
History
The founder of the sect, Shri Devchandra Maharaj (1581–1655), was born in Sindh province in Umarkot village in a Kayastha|Kayasth family. 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 BhujBhuj
Bhuj is a city and a municipality in Kachchh district in the state of Gujarat, India.-History:It was established by Rao Hamirji in 1510 and was made the state capital by Rao Khengarji I in 1549. Its foundation stone as state capital laid formally on Vikram Samvat 1604 Maagha 5th...
in Kutch and later to Jamnagar
Jamnagar
Jamnagar is a city and a municipal corporation in Jamnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The city was built up substantially by Maharaja Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji in the 1920s, when the district was known as Nawanagar. The district lies just to the south of the Gulf of Kutch and is...
. 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
Vedanta
Vedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...
knowledge and Bhagwatam
Bhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
in simple language intelligible to lay persons irrespective of social class and religious differences, and taught them "Tartam Mantra". His followers later came to be known as Sunder Sath or Pranami.
The credit of spreading the Pranami religion further, goes to his able disciple and successor, Mahamati Prannathji ( Mehraj Thakur ) (1618–1694), who was son of Keshav Thakur, Diwan
Dewan
The originally Persian title of dewan has, at various points in Islamic history, designated various differing though similar functions.-Etymology:...
of Jamnagar
Jamnagar
Jamnagar is a city and a municipal corporation in Jamnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The city was built up substantially by Maharaja Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji in the 1920s, when the district was known as Nawanagar. The district lies just to the south of the Gulf of Kutch and is...
State. He traveled throughout India to spread the religion. He also composed a work called Kuljam Swarop that has writings in six languages - Gujarati, Sindhi, Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Hindi and also words of many other prevalent languages. His work called Kuljam Swarup a.k.a Qulzam Swarup and Mehar Sagar, which is now the main text of religion. He also attended Kumbh Mela
Kumbh Mela
Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage in which Hindus gather at the Ganges river.The normal Kumbh Mela is celebrated every 3 years, the Ardh Kumbh Mela is celebrated every six years at Haridwar and Prayag, the Purna Kumbh takes place every twelve years, at four places Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain,...
at Haridwar
Haridwar
Haridwar is an important pilgrimage city and municipality in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India...
during his lifetime and met several saints and religious leaders of his time, who were impressed by his knowledge and power.
Maharaja
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
Chhatrasal (1649–1731) of Bundelkhand
Bundelkhand
Bundelkhand anciently known as Chedi Kingdom is a geographic region of central India...
, was an ardent disciple of Mahamati Prannathji and a follower of Pranami Dharma. Their meeting took place in Mau
Mau
Mau , formerly Mau Nath Bhanjan , nearly 90 km from Varanasi is the powerhouse of textile weavers in Eastern UP, India. It is a small industrial town on the banks of Ghaghra . The Tamasa river flows through the city...
in 1683, a place near Panna
Panna, India
Panna is a city and a municipality in Panna district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is famous for its diamond mines. It is the administrative center of Panna District.- History :...
. His nephew Dev Karanji who had met Prannath, earlier in Ramnagar
Ramnagar, Varanasi
Ramnagar is a city and a municipal board in Varanasi district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Ramnagar has a fort known as Ramnagar Fort which is still the residence of King of Varanasi . He was known as Kashi Naresh meaning king of Kashi and is still regarded by old residents of the city of...
, was responsible for this meeting. Chhatrasal was highly impressed of Prannathji and became his disciple. When Maharaja Chhatrasal came to meet him, he was going for a battle against Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
s. Prannath gave him his own sword and covered his head with a scarf, saying, "You will always be victorious. Diamond mines will be discovered in your land and you will become a great emperor." His prophecy came true and even today Panna region
Panna District
Panna district is a district of the Sagar Division, within the Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The town of Panna is the district headquarter.-History:...
is famous for their diamond mines. Prannath was not only the religious Guru of Chhatrasal; but he guided him too in political, social, and economic matters. It was by being granted the boon of finding diamonds in Panna by Swami Prannath that Maharaja Chhatrasal became prosperous.
Texts
There are three main texts of the religion:-- Tartam Sagar
- Mehar Sagar
- Kuljam Swarup or Qulzam Swarup
Rites & rituals
The followers of pranami are not allowed to take alcohol,non-veg and any product which contains tobaccoo.Pramani Dharma refrains from idol worship. They recite hymns and verses from their holy book Kuljam Swarup a.k.a. Kulzam Swarup, to whom they worship and even the usual partaking of consecrated water (amiras), together with food offering or prasad, is not considered an essential part of ritual worship in the tradition.
In their, temples, which are dedicated to Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
but do not have his idols, ladies and gents sit in separately to listen to the recitation of fragments of their holy scripture and singing devotional songs to the accompaniment of harmonium, drums (tabla and dholak) and small brass cymbals (manjiras).
The religion is also called ad-mixture of Hindu & Muslim faiths due to certain aspects of both religion involved in their scripts and rituals and recitation from holy Quran and holy Bhagavat Gita both being done at their temples.
Distribution
Pranami Sampraday followers though a minority sect of an off-shoot HinduismHinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
can be found in States of Gujarat,Rajasthan,Uttar Pradesh,Madhya Pradesh and Punjab in India chiefly. There are followers and temple of Pranami in Nepal, America, Canada, also.