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{{short description|Hindu sect}}
[[File:Ram Nami in Chhattisgarh.jpg|right|thumb|A member of the Ramnami sect in Chhattisgarh in 2013, with tattoos and shawl]]
[[File:Ram Nami Couple.jpg|right|thumb|A Ramnami couple]]
The '''Ramnami Samaj''' is a [[Hinduism|Hindu]] sect founded by Parasuram in the 1890s that worships the god [[Rama|Ram]]. Living mainly in [[Chhattisgarh]], its adherents tattoo the word "Ram" on their bodies and wear shawls with the word "Ram" printed on it and headgear made of peacock feathers. Estimates of the group's population range from about 20,000 to more than 100,000.

==History==
Parasuram, born in 1870s into [[Chamar]] caste at Charpora village according to anecdotal accounts, is believed to be the first person to tattoo the word "Ram" on his forehead{{sfn|Mitra|2017}} in the 1890s and is considered to be the sect's founder.{{sfn|Shafi|2017}} Parasuram tattooed himself as an act of defiance after being denied entry to a temple because of his caste.{{sfn|Shafi|2017}} Majority of its followers belonged to Chamar community but later Brahmin, Banik, Kurmi, etc all joined the movement.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Indian|first=The Logical|date=2017-12-14|title=In The Name Of Ram|url=https://thelogicalindian.com/story-feed/awareness/ramnami/|access-date=2021-04-16|website=thelogicalindian.com|language=en}}</ref> According to Ramdas Lamb, the sect is a continuation of the 15th century [[Bhakti movement]]{{sfn|Mitra|2017}} and an offshoot of the region's [[Satnampanth]].{{sfn|Kohli|2016}}

In 1910, the Ramnamis won a court case against upper caste Hindus over the right to use the name of the god Ram.{{sfn|Dam|2019}} As late as the 1980s tattooed followers were denied entrance to temples because their tattoos "gave away their caste."{{sfn|Shafi|2017}}

==Practices==
The sect's adherents do not drink or smoke, chant the name of Ram everyday,{{sfn|Abidi|2016}} tattoo the word "Ram" on their body, and wear a shawl with the word "Ram" printed on it and a headgear made of peacock feathers. Those with full body tattoos are knows as "''purnanakshik''" and are mostly in their seventies; the younger generations of Ramnamis are no longer tattooed, fearing that they might be discriminated against and denied work because of the tattoos.{{sfn|Mitra|2017}} Ramnamis gather every year for a three-day [[Bhajan Mela]] at the end of the harvest season in December–January in the village of Sarsiwa in [[Raipur district]] where they erect a ''[[jayostambh]]'' (a white pillar with the name of Ram inscribed on it) and chant from the ''[[Ramcharitmanas]]''.{{sfn|Mitra|2017}}

==Demographics==
Since Ramnamis are listed simply as Hindus in official records, accurate demographic data is unavailable but elders estimate their population to be no more than 20,000 based on the attendance at the annual Bhajan Mela;{{sfn|Mitra|2017}} although others estimate it to be more than 100,000.{{sfn|Abidi|2016}} Ramnamis live primarily in villages along the [[Mahanadi river]] in [[Chhattisgarh]], but some adherents also live in border regions of [[Maharashtra]] and [[Odisha]].{{sfn|Mitra|2017}}

==References==
===Notes===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite web|url=https://widerimage.reuters.com/story/tattoos-faith-and-caste|title=Tattoos, faith and caste|date=14 January 2016|last=Abidi|first=Adnan|website=[[Reuters]]|access-date=13 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171121034417/https://widerimage.reuters.com/story/tattoos-faith-and-caste|archive-date=21 November 2017|url-status=live}}
*{{cite web|url=https://telegraphindia.com/culture/in-search-of-ram-the-death-of-wisdom-tradition-and-philosophy/cid/1721222|title=In search of Ram: The death of wisdom, tradition and philosophy|date=22 November 2019|first=Abhirup|last=Dam|website=[[The Telegraph (Kolkata)|The Telegraph]]|access-date=13 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191123125524/https://www.telegraphindia.com/culture/in-search-of-ram-the-death-of-wisdom-tradition-and-philosophy/cid/1721222|archive-date=23 November 2019|url-status=live}}
*{{cite web|url=https://hindustantimes.com/india/the-god-of-small-things-the-last-few-with-ram-inked-on-their-bodies/story-6P8A41opJeugW9meDZDiLO.html|title=The God of Small Things: The last few with Ram inked on their bodies|website=[[Hindustan Times]]|date=14 May 2016|first=Namita|last=Kohli|access-date=13 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170727034226/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/the-god-of-small-things-the-last-few-with-ram-inked-on-their-bodies/story-6P8A41opJeugW9meDZDiLO.html|archive-date=27 July 2017|url-status=live}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=STw9LQtx89oC|title=Rapt in the Name: The Ramnamis, Ramnam, and Untouchable Religion in Central India|last=Lamb|first=Ramdas|date=29 August 2002|publisher=[[State University of New York#SUNY Press|SUNY Press]]|isbn=0791453855}}
*{{cite web|url=https://ruralindiaonline.org/articles/in-the-name-of-ram/|title=In the name of Ram|date=30 November 2017|website=[[People's Archive of Rural India]]|first=Joydip|last=Mitra|access-date=12 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003045135/https://ruralindiaonline.org/articles/in-the-name-of-ram/|archive-date=3 October 2019|url-status=live}}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2016/12/ram-tattoos-india-dalit-community-161229064408316.html|title=In the name of Ram: Tattoos in India's Dalit community|website=[[Al-Jazeera]]|date=16 January 2017|last=Shafi|first=Showkat|access-date=12 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181109192028/https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2016/12/ram-tattoos-india-dalit-community-161229064408316.html|archive-date=9 November 2018|url-status=live}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
*[https://www.sahapedia.org/ramnami-community-chhattisgarh Ramnami Community of Chhattisgarh] on [[Sahapedia]]

[[Category:Hindu denominations]]
[[Category:Hinduism in Chhattisgarh]]

Ramnami Samaj - Revision history

imported>Ira Leviton: Fixed a typo found with Wikipedia:Typo_Team/moss.