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Spiritual Heroes, Miracle Tales, and Rāmsnehī Foundations: Constructing Hagiographies of a Rajasthani Sant

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Abstract

In 1982, a Rāmsnehī sant named Vintiram wrote a Hindi prose biography of his lineage’s founder, Rāmcaraṇ of Shahpura (1720–98), quoting liberally from previous hagiographical verse. Although the late verse narratives showcase miracles, the earliest presents a believable story about a sant from a mercantile caste attracting initial followers among people of similar backgrounds, who spread their new sect through caste networks and make strategic political interventions. The paper examines the significance of Rāmcaraṇ as a sant in post-Mughal Rajasthan and Vintiram’s representation of him to his own contemporaries.

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  1. Department of Asian Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA

    Daniel Gold

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  1. Daniel Gold
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Correspondence to Daniel Gold.

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Gold, D. Spiritual Heroes, Miracle Tales, and Rāmsnehī Foundations: Constructing Hagiographies of a Rajasthani Sant. Hindu Studies 22, 497–515 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11407-018-9241-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11407-018-9241-5

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