Ramanand Swami, born as Rama Sharma in Vikram Samvat 1795 (1738 AD) to a Brahmin family in Ayodhya, was believed to be the incarnation of Uddhava, a close friend of Krishna. He founded and led the Uddhav Sampraday, adopting the Vishishtadvaita doctrine of Vaishnavism, which was first introduced by Ramanuja several centuries earlier. During his travels to Srirangam in southern India, Ramanand Swami claimed that Ramanuja initiated him in a dream and appointed him in his line as an acharya. Ramanand Swami then travelled to Saurashtra in the west to spread the philosophy of Ramanuja. He passed away in 1858, leaving the leadership of the Uddhav Sampraday to Swaminarayan.

Swaminarayan was a young boy named Ghanshyam Pande who left his home at the age of 11 after the death of his parents. He embarked on a journey across India, which lasted for seven years, one month and eleven days. During his travels, he adopted the name Nilkanth Varni. He searched for an ashram or sampradaya that adhered to the correct understanding of the four primary schools of Hinduism, namely Vedanta, Samkhya, Yoga, and Pancaratra. To find such an ashram, he asked five questions on the basic Vaishnava Vedanta categories. It is known that Swaminarayan was a disciple of Ramanand Swami.