Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism, and Smartism are the four main sects of Hinduism. Other than these, Ganapatya, Hari-Hara, and Saura are other popular Hindu sects. Each sect (except Smartism) believes in a separate god as the Supreme Being and considers other gods as his/her creations. For example, Lord Vishnu is the supreme God in Vaishnavism, and Lord Shiva is the supreme God of Shaivites. These sects do not deny the existence or authority of other gods. In a sense, they are complementary to each other. Some sects are further divided into sub-sects and even “sub-sub-sects”.

Sects of Hinduism:

Smartism is new compared to Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism. These three sects are very ancient. Nowadays, most Hindus worship multiple deities. Therefore, we can say that Smartism is the most dominant sect.

Shaivism:

The followers of Shaivism believe that Lord Shiva is the Supreme God, and he created Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma. In general, Lord Shiva is believed to be the destroyer of the universe, but Shaivites believe that he is the creator, sustainer, and destroyer of this universe. It is believed to be a religion in itself. Most probably, it is the oldest of all the sects of Hinduism.

Shaivites mainly worship Lord Shiva in the form of a Shiva lingam, which is Hiranyagarbha, out of which this world was created and will be submerged at the end of time. Generally, Lord Shiva is considered the most powerful Hindu god, although Vaishnavites do not think so. The followers of this sect apply a Tripundra (three white horizontal lines of Bhasma) on the forehead.

The four main sub-sects of Shaivism are Shaiva Siddhanta, Virashaivism, Kashmiri Shaivism, and Gorakhnath Shaivism.

Important Scriptures: Shiva Purana, Linga Purana, Skanda Purana, Shiva Leelamrutha, Agamas, etc.

Festivals: Mahashivaratri.

Sacred Month: Shravana of the Hindu calendar.

Shaiva Siddhanta:

It believes in a dualistic philosophy where the ultimate goal of a person is to attain enlightenment through Lord Shiva’s grace. Once, it was popular all over India, but nowadays, it is mainly found in South India.

Texts: Tirumarai, 28 dualistic Agamas, Vedas.

Veerashaiva:

It is a major sub-sect of Shaivism and is very popular in Southern India. It was preached by five sages named Renukacharya, Darukacharya, Ekorama, Panditaradhya, and Vishwaradhya. Renukacharya taught it first to Sage Agastya.

Text: Siddhartha Shikhamani.

Lingayatism:

It is a sub-sect of Veerashaiva, but Lingayats think theirs is a separate religion. Lord Basaveshwara is the founder of Lingayatism. They believe Linga to be the Supreme God. They wear an Ishtalinga around their neck as an amulet and follow a non-vegetarian diet. Many of them belong to the weaver community.

Texts: Basava Purana, Vachana Sahitya.

Natha Sampradaya:

The roots of Natha Sampradaya are in the Siddha tradition. Yoga is one of its most important aspects. It was popularized by the nine saints known as Navnath. They greet others by saying Alakh Niranjan. It is mainly popular in Maharashtra and Gujarat in India and Nepal.

Main Texts: Navnath Bhaktisar, Agamas, etc.

Kashmir Shaivism or Trika Shaivism:

It is a nondualistic Tantric tradition of Shaiva-Shakta Tantra and was mainly popular in Kashmir, Maharashtra, and Odisha. It gives primacy to universal consciousness.

Texts: Tantric texts, Shiva Sutra, Agamas.

Pashupata Shaivism:

It is the oldest sub-sect of Shaivism and dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization. Lord Shiva is believed to be the founder of this sect.

Aghora Sampradaya:

Aghori is a Hindu sect of Sadhus, which believes in the fundamental beliefs of Hinduism, but in an abnormal way to achieve salvation. They are secluded from the main society because of their weird practices. Aghoris believe God exists in everything, whether it is dung or food. Nothing is unholy or inauspicious for them.

Vaishnavism:

It is one of the most important sects of Hinduism. Vaishnavites are the followers of Vaishnavism who believe that Lord Vishnu is the creator, sustainer, and destroyer of the world. His incarnations are also considered equivalent to him. It is the most prominent sect with about 640 million followers, according to a book by Brian J. Grim and Todd M. Johnson. It also has more sub-sects than Shaivism.

Most of the sub-sects in this tradition focus on the worship of Lord Krishna, Lord Rama, and Radha. The followers of Vaishnavism apply a U-shaped Tilaka at the center of their forehead.

Texts: Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavat Purana, Vishnu Purana, Ramayana, Mahabharat.

Gaudiya Vaishnavism:

The popular Hare Krishna Movement belongs to this sect of Vaishnavism. Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was the founder of this sect. He was a combined incarnation of Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha. The followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism are strict vegetarians. Lord Krishna, Goddess Radha and their incarnations are considered the supreme forms of God.

Texts: Bhagavata Purana, Bhagavad Gita, and other Vaishnavite texts.

Manipuri Vaishnavism:

It is a sub-sub-sect of Vaishnavism and the regional form of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. They do not worship Lord Krishna alone but as Radha-Krishna.

Nimbarka Sampradaya:

Nimbarka, a yogi and philosopher, founded this sect in the 7th century. It advocated dualistic non-dualism. It is also known as Kumara Sampradaya, Hamsa Sampradaya, and Sanakadi Sampradaya.

Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya:

The Sri Vaishnava community consists of both Brahmans and non-Brahmans. It existed along with larger Purana-based Brahmanic worshippers of Vishnu, and non-Brahmanic groups who worshipped and felt possessed by non-Vishnu village deities. The Sri Vaishnavism movement grew with its social inclusiveness, where emotional devotionalism to the personal god (Vishnu) has been open without limitation to gender or caste.

Rudra Sampradaya:

The followers of this sect believe that Rudra, i.e., Lord Shiva, was the first Vaishnava, and he imparted the knowledge to mankind that was given to him by Lord Vishnu.

Warkari Sampradaya:

The Warkari sampradaya is a non-Brahmanical bhakti tradition which worships Panduranga, also known as Vitthal, a form of Lord Krishna. Vithoba is often depicted as a dark young boy, standing arms akimbo on a brick, sometimes accompanied by his wife, Rukhmini. The Warkari tradition is mainly popular in Maharashtra.

Ramanandi tradition:

The Ramanandi Sampradaya, also known as the Ramayats or the Ramavats, is one of India’s largest and most egalitarian Hindu sects, around the Ganges plain, and Nepal today. It mainly emphasizes the worship of Lord Rama as well as Lord Vishnu directly and other incarnations. Most Ramanandis consider themselves to be the followers of Ramananda, a Vaishnava saint in medieval India. Philosophically, they are part of the Vishishtadvaita tradition.

Odia Vaishnavism:

The Odia Vaishnavism (a.k.a. Jagannathism) – the particular cult of the god Jagannath as the supreme deity, an abstract form of Lord Krishna, originated in the Early Middle Ages. Jagannathism was a regional state temple-centered version of Krishnaism, but can also be regarded as a non-sectarian syncretic Vaishnavite and all-Hindu cult. The notable Jagannath temple in Puri, Odisha, has become particularly significant within the tradition since about 800 CE. 

Mahanubhava Sampradaya:

Shri Chakradhar Swami founded the Mahanubhav Panth in the 13th century. They consider Lord Krishna to be the only God. It is also called “JaiKrishni Panth.” They are strict vegetarians and follow the Bhagavad Gita staunchly. As it originated in Maharashtra, most of its followers are in Maharashtra, but there are many followers of this sect in North India also. It was a very popular sect in the 13th century during the Yadava dynasty in Maharashtra.

Sahajiya and Baul tradition:

Since the 15th century, in Bengal and Assam, Tantric Vaishnava-Sahajiya flourished, inspired by Bengali poet Chandidas, as well as related to Baul groups, where Krishna is the inner divine aspect of man and Radha is the aspect of a woman.

Ekasarana Dharma:

Srimanta Sankardev propagated the Ekasarana Dharma in the Assam region of India. It considers Krishna as the only God. Satras are institutional centers associated with the Ekasarana dharma.

Radha-Vallabha Sampradaya:

The Radha-centered Radha-Vallabha Sampradaya, founded by the Mathura Bhakti poet-saint Hith Harivansh Mahaprabhu in the 16th century, occupies a unique position among other traditions. Radha is worshiped as the supreme deity in its theology, and Krishna is in a subordinate position.

Pranami Sampradaya:

The Pranami Sampradaya (Pranami Panth) emerged in the 17th century in Gujarat, based on the Radha-Krishna-focused syncretic Hindu-Islamic teachings of Devchandra Maharaj and his famous successor, Mahamati Prannath.

The followers of this sect consider Lord Krishna and Allah both to be Supreme. Mastani (the wife of Bajirao I) was a follower of this sect.

Swaminarayan Sampradaya:

The Swaminarayan Sampradaya was founded in 1801 in Gujarat by Sahajanand Swami from Uttar Pradesh, who is worshipped as Swaminarayan, the supreme manifestation of God, by his followers. The first temple was built in Ahmedabad in 1822.

Ramsnehi Sampradaya:

The followers of this sect believe that Ram (not Lord Rama) is the Supreme Being. They are not idol worshippers and advocate chanting of Ram.

Haridasa Sect:

Achalananda Vitthala founded this sect. The followers of this sect believe in Vitthala, a form of Lord Krishna, as the Supreme God. It is more prevalent in Karnataka than Maharashtra, where the Warakari Sect is dominant.

Pushtimarga Sect:

Vallabhacharya was the founder of this sect. Once, when he visited Pandharpur, Vitthala ordered him to get married so he could be born as his son. His second son was recognized as a manifestation of Vitthala and named Vitthalnath, also known as Gusainji.

Kaumaram Sampradaya:

The followers of this sect believe Lord Muruga Kartikeya is the Supreme God and is superior to the Trinity. The followers of this sect are called Kaumaras.

Shaktism:

The Shakta Pantha is a major Hindu denomination that believes in Goddess Shakti as the Supreme Being. It is perhaps the only sect currently that considers a female as the supreme godhead. The followers of this sect worship many goddesses as forms of the goddess Shakti. The Shaktas believe that the Divine Female is the creator, sustainer, and destroyer of the world. She is also the progenitor of Lord Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Tantra is a prime aspect of this sect of Hinduism. It is mainly popular in the North-Eastern region of India, including but not limited to West Bengal, Odisha, and Assam.

The followers of this sect apply a vertical red Tilaka on the forehead.

Texts: Devi Mahatmya, Tantric scriptures, Shakta Upanishads, etc.

Festivals: Navaratri, Vasant Panchami, Lakshmi Puja, etc.

Smartism:

Unlike Shaivism and Vaishnavism, Smartism advocates worship of multiple gods and goddesses. It advocates worship of Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, Lord Ganesha, God Surya, and the goddess Shakti. Adi Shankaracharya (8th CE) was the founder of this sect of Hinduism. Its roots go back to the 3rd century BCE. It is mainly based on Smriti scriptures: Puranas, Smritis, Vedangas, Itihasa, etc. According to Smartism, the Brahman is the Supreme God, and all the other gods are his manifestations. Smartas follow the Advaita (nondualistic) philosophy.

Harihara Sect:

It is one of the lesser-known sects of Hinduism. This sect was perhaps an attempt to solve the disputes between Shaivites and Vaishnavites. The followers of this sect believe in the god Hari-Hara, a combination of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu, as the Supreme Being.

Ganapatya Sect:

The followers of this sect of Hinduism worship Lord Ganesha as the Supreme Being. The worship of Lord Ganesha was part of Shaivism, but a separate sect dedicated to him perhaps began between the sixth and ninth centuries. The followers of this sect apply a red-circle Tilaka on the forehead.

Texts: Ganesha Purana.

Festivals: Ganesh Chaturthi, Anant Chaturdashi.

Saura Sect:

The Saura sect has its base in the Vedas. The followers of this sect believe that Lord Surya is the Supreme God. Surya worship is a very ancient Hindu practice. Very few followers remain of it now, although it was very popular in ancient times. In the Mahabharata, it is mentioned at one place that Yudhishthira encountered 1000 Saurite Brahmins with 8000 followers.

Texts: Saura Samhita, Samba Purana.

Conclusion:

Although there are many sects in Hinduism, their main aim is to reach God, i.e., attain salvation. They believe in separate gods as supreme, but they do not deny the existence of other gods.

If you have more information about the sects of Hinduism, please mention it in our comment section.

Reference: Wikipedia