Traditions
16 major Hindu schools and lineages — the denominations, sects, and communities that practice Hinduism in distinct ways. From the great temple traditions of Shaivism and Vaishnavism to the bhakti movements and modern reform organizations.
15 traditions
Shaivism
Śaiva Mata
The family of traditions that revere Śiva as the supreme reality — encompassing the Vedic Rudra, the Āgamic temple traditions of South India, the non-dual Kashmir Shaivism, and the devotional Shaiva Siddhānta.
Vaishnavism
Vaiṣṇava Mata
The largest family of Hindu traditions, centered on the worship of Viṣṇu and his avatāras — comprising Sri Vaishnavism, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Madhva's Dvaita, Pushtimarg, and many regional traditions.
Shaktism
Śākta Mata
The tradition that recognizes the divine feminine — Śakti, Devī, the Goddess — as the ultimate reality, encompassing the fierce forms of Kālī and Durgā, the gracious Lakṣmī and Sarasvatī, and the tantric Śrīvidyā tradition.
Smartism
Smārta Mata
The tradition founded by Śaṅkara that worships five deities equally — Śiva, Viṣṇu, Devī, Gaṇeśa, and Sūrya — on the basis of Advaita Vedānta, maintaining the unity of the divine beneath its multiple forms.
Gaudiya Vaishnavism
Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava
The Bengali Vaishnava tradition founded by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, centered on the devotional (bhakti) worship of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and the practice of kīrtan — spread globally through ISKCON since 1966.
Śrī Vaishnavism
Śrī Vaiṣṇava
The South Indian Vaishnava tradition systematized by Rāmānuja, combining Sanskrit Vedānta with the Tamil devotional poetry of the Āḻvārs, practicing Viśiṣṭādvaita (qualified non-dualism) and the Āgamic temple tradition.
Madhva Sampradāya
Mādhva Sampradāya
The Dvaita (strict dualism) tradition of Madhvācārya, based at the Udupi Kṛṣṇa temple — asserting the absolute difference between Viṣṇu and the individual soul, with elaborate Āgamic temple worship and philosophical rigor.
Puṣṭimārga
Puṣṭimārga
The 'path of grace' founded by Vallabhācārya — an intensely devotional tradition centered on the worship of Kṛṣṇa as Śrīnāthji, treating the deity as a beloved child to be nurtured rather than a sovereign to be served.
Lingāyat / Vīraśaiva
Liṅgāyata
The reform tradition of Basavanna, rejecting caste, ritual mediation, and temple priesthood — each devotee wears an iṣṭaliṅga (personal Śiva emblem) around the neck as the direct, unmediated presence of the divine.
Nātha Sampradāya
Nātha Sampradāya
The tradition of the Nātha yogis — Matsyendranātha, Gorakhnātha, and their lineage — combining Haṭha Yoga, Tantra, and Śaiva philosophy into a path of liberation through the mastery of the body and prāṇa.
Daśanāmī Sampradāya
Daśanāmī Sampradāya
The monastic order established by Śaṅkara — organized into ten name-groups (Tīrtha, Āśrama, Vana, Araṇya, Giri, Parvata, Sāgara, Sarasvatī, Bhāratī, Purī) — the backbone of the Advaita Vedānta institutional tradition.
Ramakrishna Mission
Rāmakṛṣṇa Miśana
The humanitarian and spiritual organization founded by Vivekananda in honor of Ramakrishna, combining Practical Vedānta with social service — operating hospitals, schools, disaster relief, and Vedānta centers worldwide.
Vārkarī Sampradāya
Vārkarī Sampradāya
The great bhakti tradition of Maharashtra, centered on Viṭṭhala at Pandharpur — its sant-poets (Dnyaneshwar, Namdev, Eknath, Tukaram) composed abhaṅgas in Marathi that democratized devotion across caste and gender.
Trika (Kashmir Shaivism)
Trika Śaiva
The non-dual Tantric Śaiva tradition of Kashmir — centered on the recognition (pratyabhijñā) that the individual self is identical with the supreme Śiva — producing some of the most sophisticated philosophical and aesthetic texts in Sanskrit.
Swaminarayan Sampradāya
Svāminārāyaṇa Sampradāya
The Gujarati devotional tradition founded by Sahajanand Swami — known for strict discipline, social reform (abolition of sati, animal sacrifice), and spectacular temple architecture including BAPS Akshardham temples worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hinduism encompasses several major traditions, each with its own theology, scripture, and devotional practices. The four principal ones are Shaivism (devotion to Bhagwan Shiva as the supreme deity), Vaishnavism (devotion to Bhagwan Vishnu and his avatars, especially Bhagwan Rama and Bhagwan Krishna), Shaktism (devotion to Shakti, the divine feminine, in forms such as Mata Durga, Mata Kali, and Mata Lakshmi), and Smartism (a more eclectic tradition that reveres five or six deities and emphasises Advaita Vedanta philosophy).
The Guru-Shishya parampara is the sacred tradition of knowledge transmission from teacher (Guru) to student (Shishya). In Hindu tradition, the Guru is not merely a teacher but a living link to an unbroken lineage of wisdom stretching back to the Vedic seers. The relationship is considered one of the most sacred bonds in human life. The student serves, listens, and practises; the Guru transmits not just information but the transformative energy of realised wisdom.
The Varna system describes four broad categories of social function in Vedic society: Brahmana (those dedicated to learning and teaching), Kshatriya (those dedicated to governance and protection), Vaishya (those engaged in trade and agriculture), and Shudra (those engaged in service and craft). The Ashrama system describes four stages of life: Brahmacharya (student life), Grihastha (householder life), Vanaprastha (gradual withdrawal), and Sannyasa (renunciation). Together they formed a framework for a meaningful, dharmic life at both individual and social levels.
The Agamas are a vast body of Sanskrit texts providing detailed instruction on temple construction, icon installation, ritual worship (Puja), and the inner science of devotion. They are considered revealed texts in their own traditions and stand alongside the Vedas as authoritative scripture. While the Vedas are broadly concerned with cosmology, ethics, and the nature of reality, the Agamas focus on the practical science of worship, initiation (Diksha), and the relationship between the individual devotee and the divine form.