Mahānubhāvs belong to a bhakti movement that has its origins in 13th-century Maharashtra and still survives today. Other names of the group include Mahātmās, Paramārg, Jai Krishni Panth, and Bhaṭmārg. In the 16th century, Mahānubhāv teachings spread to the Punjab and beyond, with monasteries being established in Lahore, Peshawar, and even, it is rumored, Kabul. Today, many of the heads of Mahānubhāv monasteries in Maharashtra are Punjabis.

The founder of the Mahānubhāvs was Ca…