Vaikhanasa

Vaikhanasa (Sanskrit: वैखानस, romanized: Vaikhānasa) or Vaikhanasagama (Sanskrit: वैखानसागम, romanized: Vaikhānasāgama) is a tradition of Hinduism that primarily worships Vishnu (and his associated avatars) as the Supreme God. The tradition draws its name from the philosophy propounded by its founder, Sage Vikhanasa.

Vaikhanasa is classified as a VaishnavaAgama, concerned with the performance of practices such as temple rituals. Its adherents are primarily the Brahmins who belong to the school of the Krishna YajurvedaTaittiriya Shakha and the Vaikhanasa Kalpasutra. It is principally monotheistic in its philosophy, whilst also incorporating elements that could be described as being panentheistic. Like the Pancharatra, it is well established in South India.