A great spiritual leader, Ramananda lived as an ascetic before settling in Varanasi to study Vedic texts and the Philosophy of Ramanuja. He was fifth in succession in the lineage of Ramanuja, but his determination to ignore caste distinction led to a break with the philosopher`s other followers. With 12 disciples he founded his own sect, the Ramanandis, who practiced devotion to Rama. His teachings banned intercaste dining and the strict rule that all teachings and all texts must be in Sanskrit.