A tale of two Hindu sects

A scholar explores why two 18th century movements challenging key tenets of Hindu worship face very different fates in modern India

In the first half of the eighteenth century, India was witness to two significant developments that over the next many years would leave a deep mark on the evolution of the Hindu religion.

In 1802, the Saurashtra region saw the birth of a new Hindu religious sect — Swaminarayan Sampraday — which under the leadership of Sahajanand Swami departed from Hindu rituals and other caste-based practices. Instead of subscribing to Hindu beliefs, it reposed complete faith in the supremacy of the self that personified god.

A few decades later, a new religious movement grew roots in Bengal, branching away from