Overview that was made by Heliodorus 110 BCE after his conversion to
Bhagavata monotheism. Krishnaism originates in the first millennium BCE, as the theological system of the
Bhagavad Gita, initially focusing on the worship of the heroic
Vāsudeva Krishna in the region of
Mathura, the "divine child"
Bala Krishna and
Gopala-Krishna. It is closely related to, and find its origin in,
Bhagavatism. . Krishnaism is a non-Vedic tradition in origin, but it further developed its appeal towards orthodox believers through the syncretism of these traditions with the
Mahabharata epic. In particular Krishnaism incorporated more or less superficially the Vedic supreme deity Vishnu, who appears in the
Rigveda. Krishnaism further becomes associated with
bhakti yoga in the Medieval period. , circa 190–180 BCE. This is "the earliest unambiguous image" of the deity.
Ancient traditions. Northern India Krishnaite theology and cult originate in the first millennium BCE in the
Northern India. The theology of the
Bhagavad Gita (around 3rd–2nd centuries BCE) was the first Krishnaite theological system, if, according to
Friedhelm Hardy, to read Gita as itself and not in the light of the
Mahabharata frame with Vishnu-focussed doctrine. The fully developed concept of Krishna as an
avatara of Vishnu emerged around the 4th or 5th century CE to reconcile earlier Krishna traditions with Vaishnava theology. Earlier texts portray Krishna as divine, but not yet clearly defined as avatara of an unmanifest Vishnu. As Krishna says: Early Krishnaism already flourished several centuries BCE with the cult of the heroic
Vāsudeva Krishna in and around the region of
Mathura, which, several centuries later, was amalgamated with the cult of the "divine child" Bala Krishna and the Gopala traditions. While Vishnu is attested already in the
Rigveda as a minor deity, the development of Krishnaism appears to take place via the worship of Vasudeva in the final centuries BCE. But, in accordance with
Dandekar, the "Vasudevism" marks the beginning of Vaishnavism in whole. In other words, Krishnaism, according to Dandekar, is not an offshoot of Vaishnavism, but, on the contrary, the cult of Vishnu and his avatars is the later transformation of Krishnaism-Bhagavatism. This earliest phase was established in the time of
Pāṇini (4th century BCE) who, in his
Astadhyayi, explained the word
vasudevaka as a
bhakta (devotee) of Vasudeva. At that time, Vāsudeva was already considered as a demi-God, as he appears in Pāṇini's writings in conjunction with
Arjuna as an object of worship, since Pāṇini explains that a
vāsudevaka is a devotee (
bhakta) of Vāsudeva. A branch which flourished with the decline of
Vedism was centred on Krishna, the deified tribal hero and religious leader of the Yadavas. Worship of Krishna, the deified tribal hero and religious leader of the Yadavas, took denominational form as the
Pancaratra and earlier as
Bhagavata religions. This tradition has at a later stage merged with the tradition of
Narayana. The character of
Gopala Krishna is often considered to be non-Vedic. By the time of its incorporation into the
Mahabharata canon during the early centuries CE, Krishnaism began to affiliate itself with
Vedism in order to become acceptable to orthodoxy, in particular aligning itself with Rigvedic Vishnu. At this stage that Vishnu of the
Rig Veda was assimilated into Krishnaism and became the equivalent of the Supreme God.
Early medieval traditions. Southern and Eastern India 's
murti in
Sundaravarada Perumal temple. By the
Early Middle Ages, Krishnaism had risen to a major current of Vaishnavism. According to
Friedhelm Hardy, there is evidence of early "southern Krishnaism", despite the tendency to allocate the Krishna-traditions to the Northern traditions.
South Indian texts show close parallel with the Sanskrit traditions of Krishna and his gopi companions, so ubiquitous in later North Indian text and imagery. Early writings in
Dravidian culture such as
Manimekalai and the
Cilappatikaram present Krishna,
his brother, and favourite female companions in the similar terms. Devotion to southern Indian Mal (
Tirumal) may be an early form of Krishnaism, since Mal appears as a divine figure, largely like Krishna with some elements of Vishnu. The alvars, whose name can be translated "sages" or "saints", were devotees of Mal. Their poems show a pronounced orientation to the Vaishnava, and often Krishna, side of Mal. But they do not make the distinction between Krishna and Vishnu on the basis of the concept of the avatars. At this period emerged one of key texts for Krishnaites, the
Bhagavata Purana, that promotes
bhakti (devotion) to Krishna. In it one reads: Another notable bouquet of glory of Krishna was the poems in Sanskrit, possibly by
Bilvamangala from
Kerala, the
Balagopala Stuti ("The Childhood of Krishna") and the
Shree Krishna Karnamrutam (also called
Lilasuka, "Playful parrot"), that later became a favorite text of the Bengali acharya
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
High and late medieval traditions in
Udaipur, Rajasthan. This is the most important period, as it was at this time that Krishnaism acquired the form in which its traditions exist today. The
bhakti movement of the high and later Middle Ages Hinduism emerges in the 9th or 10th century, and is based (its Krishnaite form) on the
Bhagavata Purana,
Narada Bhakti Sutra, and other scriptures. In North and East India, Krishnaism gave rise to various Medieval movements. Early Bhakti Krishnaite pioneers include a
Telugu-origin philosopher
Nimbarkacharya (12th or 13th century CE), the founder of the first Bhakti-era Krishnaite
Nimbarka Sampradaya ( Kumara sampradaya), and his an
Odisha-born friend, poet
Jayadeva, author of
Gita Govinda. Both promoted
Radha Krishna to be the supreme lord while the ten incarnations are his forms. Nimbarka more than any other acharyas, gave Radha a place as a deity. Since 15th century in
Bengal and
Assam flourished
Tantric variety of Krishnaism—
Vaishnava-Sahajiya linked to the Bengali poet
Chandidas, as well as related to it
Bauls—where
Krishna is the inner divine aspect of man and
Radha is the aspect of woman. Chandidas'
Shrikrishna Kirtana, a poem on Krishna and Radha, depicts them as divine couple, but in human love. The other 15th–16th centuries Bhakti poet-
sants –
Vidyapati,
Meera Bai,
Surdas,
Swami Haridas, as well as
Narsinh Mehta (1350–1450), who preceded all of them, also wrote about Radha and Krishna love. The most emerged Krishnaite guru-acharyas of 15th–16th centuries were
Vallabhacharya in
Braj,
Sankardev in
Assam, and
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in
Bengal. They developed their own schools, namely
Pushtimarg sampradaya of Vallabha,
Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Chaitanya Sampradaya (rather, Chaitanya was an inspirator with no formal successors), with Krishna and his chief consort and
shakti Radha as the supreme god, and
Ekasarana Dharma tradition of Sankardev who worship only Krishna, that started under the influence of the Odia cult of Jagannath. In the Western
Indian state of
Maharashtra, saint poets of the
Warkari tradition such as
Dnyaneshwar,
Namdev,
Janabai,
Eknath, and
Tukaram promoted the worship of
Vithoba, a local form of Krishna, from the late of the 13thcentury until the late 18thcentury. Before the Warkari sampradaya, Krishna devotion (Pancha-Krishna, i.e. five Krishnas) became well established in Maharashtra due to the rise of
Mahanubhava Panth founded by the 13th-century
Gujarati acharya
Chakradhara. Both schools, Warkari and Mahanubhava, venerated Krishna and his wife
Rukmini (Rakhumai). In 16th century in
Mathura region, offshoot of Krishnaism is established as
Radha Vallabha Sampradaya by the
Braj-language poet-sant
Hith Harivansh Mahaprabhu and who emphasized devotion to Radha as the ultimate supreme deity. ==Modern times==