Vaishnavism is the branch of Hinduism in which Vishnu or one of his avatars (i.e., incarnations) is worshipped as the supreme God and is a monotheistic faith.
The distinction between this branch and others is made by those who study religion. However it may not always be clear to practising Hindus who often take freely from the practices of the different branches. It is likely that a majority (75-80%) of today's Hindus would consider themselves Vaishnava, if pressed to make a distinction. Of the remainder, most would probably consider themselves Saivites.
Vaishnavites, like Saivites, believe that there is only one God, who simultaneously permeates all creation and exists beyond it, being both immanent and transcendent. The concept is in contrast with many Semitic religious traditions, where God is seen as transcendent only. As all other Hindu denominations, Vaishnavism acknowledges the existence of many lower Gods under the Supreme One. These Gods are encompassed by Him, seen as either as manifestations of the Supreme Being or as powerful entities who are permeated by Him, as is all Creation.
Vishnu and Shiva are sometimes visualized as a single divinity named Harihara.
Vaisnavism in greater Bengal even stretches to embrace marginal figures such as Satya Pir, who is equated with Satya Narayana in recognition of the consonance and harmony of select Islamic religious ideals with Vaisnava standards.
The sudden popularity was a rejuvenation of Vaisnavism already in place, the attraction of a new mode of worship that favoured the development of emotional life in a way that enabled the devotee to vicariously participate in the primal activities of Krishna's love of the cowherd girls and his other exploits in eternal Braj.
Today Vaisnavism in the region is dominated in urban areas by large, well-endowed institutions conjoined to temples, and which maintain loose networks of affiliates throughout the rural parts of the country.
In 1776, the devoted Vaisnav, Rajrishi Bhagyachandra, established the Govindaji temple and inaugurated the divine idol of Radha Krishna and began to worship the Lord with his consort in the Royal Palace.
After the king Charairongba, Vaisnavism was highly developed, in the middle of the 18th century, in the reign of king Garibniwaj Pamheiba.
But, the deep-rooted Vaisnavism still remains to be the major religion of this land when some people of the Meiteis and majority of the tribal people of this land converted into Christianity.
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