Ramdwara (Devanagari रामद्वारा) means "the doorway to the ''Ram''" (i.e., to the name of God). It is a place of worship for the people who believe in Ramsnehi Sampradaya, which advocates chanting of "Ram" (राम).
[Page 324, Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Ahmedabad Government Central Press 1879 https://archive.org/stream/gazetteerbombay18enthgoog#page/n346/mode/2up] Ramsnehi means "People who love God". Their way of worshipping God is simple. People of all faiths, castes, sections etc. visit at the Ramdwaras.
[Page 24, Spiritual heritage of Rajasthan, Dinesh Chandra Shukla, Books Treasure, 1992 https://books.google.com/books?id=FhscAAAAIAAJ&q=Ramdwara+Shahpura&dq=Ramdwara+Shahpura&hl=en&sa=X&ei=DOUQUsGMH8TqrQfZmYCACQ&ved=0CEsQ6AEwBQ][Preface, Lakshya Ram Ji Maharaj, "Ram Rahasya Darshan" https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3bUXrI1MZN1ZjI0WHhnX2s4T3M/edit?usp=sharing] This concept of ''Ram'' or ''Rama'' is distinct from the
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
deity
Rama.
Origin of Ramsnehi
Ramsnehi Sampradaya is a spiritual and religious tradition originating in 1817
Vikram Samwat
Vikram Samvat ( IAST: ''Vikrama Samvat''; abbreviated VS) or Bikram Sambat B.S. and also known as the Vikrami calendar, is a Hindu calendar historically used in the Indian subcontinent. Vikram Samvat is generally 57 years ahead of Gregorian Calen ...
in Bhilwara city of Rajasthan by the
disciple of Swami Shri
Ram Charan Maharaj
Ram Charan ( hi, राम चारण) (1720–1799)Page 24, Spiritual heritage of Rajasthan, Dinesh Chandra Shukla, Books Treasure, 1992 https://books.google.com/books?id=FhscAAAAIAAJ&q=Ramdwara+Shahpura&dq=Ramdwara+Shahpura&hl=en&sa=X&ei=DO ...
who provided the spiritual and philosophical basis for the sect.
In present time, ''Ramsnehi Sampradaya'' has four major
monasteries. All are in
Rajasthan, India. They are in the following cities:
*Shahpura, Rajasthan
* Banwara, Rajasthan
*Sodha, Rajasthan
*Bhilwara, Rajasthan

Smaller Ramdwara centres are located at various places in states of
Gujarat,
Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
and
Delhi.
Swami Ji Shree
Ram Charan Ji Maharaj
Ram Charan ( hi, राम चारण) (1720–1799)Page 24, Spiritual heritage of Rajasthan, Dinesh Chandra Shukla, Books Treasure, 1992 https://books.google.com/books?id=FhscAAAAIAAJ&q=Ramdwara+Shahpura&dq=Ramdwara+Shahpura&hl=en&sa=X&ei=DO ...
came to
Shahpura from
Bhilwara and did
Tapasya
Tapas (Sanskrit: तपस्) is a variety of austere spiritual meditation practices in Indian religions. In Jainism, it means asceticism (austerities, body mortification); in Buddhism, it denotes spiritual practices including meditation and se ...
(deep meditation).
At the place where Swami Ram Charan Ji Maharaj's body was cremated, a giant Ramdwara has been built. This is now the chief Ramdwara of ''Ramsnehi Sampradaya''.
This Ramdwara is also called Ram Niwas Dhaam or Ram Niwas Baikunth Dhaam.
Construction

The Shahpura Ramdwara was sponsored by the then King of Shahpura, Maharaja Amar Singh, and his brother Chattra Singh.
It was built by constructors named Jarror Khan and Kushal Khan. This is also a great example of the brotherhood of
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
s and
Muslims in India.
All the marble stones used in construction were sourced from a place near the north border of nearby village named ''Kanti''.
There is a speciality in all used marble stones that each marble stone has a picture and stone mark on it as of Hindi (Devnagari) alphabets of the construction of word "Ram" (Lord Ram), bow, saint, India's map, sword, lion, monkey and other natural pictures.
The main (and base) structure of Shahpura Ramdwara is an octagon shaped shiny marble pillar which is about 12 feet long. This pillar is situated at the cremation place of
Ram Charan Maharaj
Ram Charan ( hi, राम चारण) (1720–1799)Page 24, Spiritual heritage of Rajasthan, Dinesh Chandra Shukla, Books Treasure, 1992 https://books.google.com/books?id=FhscAAAAIAAJ&q=Ramdwara+Shahpura&dq=Ramdwara+Shahpura&hl=en&sa=X&ei=DO ...
. This pillar is called the
Samadhi Stambh.
The floor above the pillar is called
Baradari (a kind of summer house with several open marble gates ). A rectangular stone is placed in the center of Baradari which is just over the main pillar.
The Baradari has 108 small pillars which make 84 open gates.
The construction was done in different phases.
Monks of Ramdwara
The
monks of ''RamSnehi Sampradaya'' are identical by their dressing code. They wear a robe coloured a very light pink. After taking oaths, monks can not return to their family and must treat the whole world equally and fairly, without any prejudices. They are supposed to follow all the defined rules strictly.
Way of worship and belief
Ramsnehis believe in the name of God (Ram राम) and do not believe in
idolatry
Idolatry is the worship of a cult image or "idol" as though it were God. In Abrahamic religions (namely Judaism, Samaritanism, Christianity, the Baháʼí Faith, and Islam) idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than the A ...
. A Ramsnehi only follows the simple and easily defined rules. Ramsnehis just do
Darshan of the chair of current
Acharya and monks. They pay respects to all the previous (departed) acharyas and saints as well.
Ramsnehis remember the name राम (Ram, a name of the Lord). Three main pillars of the ideology are:
*Have the Name of God (राम) in your Heart
*Have mercy for every living being
*Be ready to serve any needy person
Spiritual succession (leaders) in Ramsnehi Sampradaya
The following are the Acharyas who successively led the Ramsnehi Sampradaya after Ram Charan:
[Page 29 (of pdf), Ramsnehi Bhaskar, March 2005 https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3bUXrI1MZN1LVQ4R1RvYlQzQkU/edit?usp=sharing]
#
Ram Jan
Ram Jan was the first acharya of the Ramsnehi Sampradaya, after the foremost guru Ram Charan Maharaj. He formalized the sampradaya on the principles given by his guru.
Ram Jan also commissioned the construction of the ''Ram Niwas Dham'', the mai ...
#Dulhe Ram
#Chatra Das
#Narain Das
#Hari Das
#Himmat Ram
#Dilshudh Ram
#Dharam Das
#Daya Ram
#Jagram Das
#Nirbhay Ram
#Darshan Ram
#
Ram Kishor
#
Ram Dayal
Ram Dayal is the current head of the Ramsnehi Sampradaya (headquarters Shahpura, Bhilwara).Website of Ramsnehi Hospital
Dayal was born on 26 September 1956 in Indore.
He was accepted as a disciple by Bhagatram Ramsnehi (based in Chittorgarh) ...
(present)
Ram Dayal
Ram Dayal is the current head of the Ramsnehi Sampradaya (headquarters Shahpura, Bhilwara).Website of Ramsnehi Hospital
Dayal was born on 26 September 1956 in Indore.
He was accepted as a disciple by Bhagatram Ramsnehi (based in Chittorgarh) ...
is the present Acharya.
Gallery
file:frontbaradari.JPG, Baradari Picture From Front
file:ramdwara2.JPG, Another View of Ramdwara
file:doorwaytoSS.jpg, Door Way to ''Samadhi Stambh''
file:SamadhiStambh.JPG, ''Samadhi Stambh''
See also
*
Shahpura, Bhilwara
Shahpura is a town, near city of Bhilwara and tehsil headquarters in Bhilwara district in the Indian state of Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geog ...
References
{{reflist
Sources
*Sant LakshyaRam (
Vikram Samwat
Vikram Samvat ( IAST: ''Vikrama Samvat''; abbreviated VS) or Bikram Sambat B.S. and also known as the Vikrami calendar, is a Hindu calendar historically used in the Indian subcontinent. Vikram Samvat is generally 57 years ahead of Gregorian Calen ...
2015 ). Preface of ''Ram Rahasya Darshan'', Ram Niwas Dham Trust, Bhilwara
''Ram Rahasya Darshan'' is a small compilation of Swami Ram Charan Ji's works, prepared by the late Sant Shree LakshyaRamJi.
*Capt. G. E. Westmacott, ''Some account of a sect of Hindu Schismatics in Western India, calling themselves Ramsanehis or friends of God'', Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, February, 1835 (pages 65–82
*http://vijayvargia.com/maharaj.pdf
*Svāmī Rāmacaraṇa, jīvanī evaṃ kr̥tiyoṃ kā adhyayana, Mādhavaprasāda Pāṇḍeya, Hindī Sāhitya Sammelana, 1982 - On the life and works of Swami RamCharan, 1719-1798, founder of the Ram Snehi sect in Vaishnavism.
A few prayers of Ramsnehis:
*http://vijayvargia.com/aartishrimaharajji.pdf
*Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Volume 9, Part 1, Government Central Press 1901
*Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Ahmedabad, Government Central Press 1879
Anti-caste movements
Bhakti movement
Hindu denominations
Hindu monasteries in India
Hindu new religious movements
Hindu religious orders
Nirguna worship traditions
Tourist attractions in Bhilwara district
Vaishnava sects
1817 establishments in British India