Vallabha, also known as Vallabhacharya or Vallabha Sampradaya was a Telugu philosopher and the founder of the Pushtimarg, a sect of Vaishnavism particularly popular in the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh. He was born in 1479 as an incarnation of Agni, to a Hindu Brahman family whose roots were from the Andhra region of Southern Indian. However, at the time of his birth, his family was residing in Varanasi.
From his early childhood, Vallabha showed a keen interest in studying the Vedas and the Upanishads. As a youth, he traveled the country for more than 20 years, becoming a prominent leader of the Bhakti movement, centered around devotion towards Lord Krishna. In today’s scenario, the followers of Pushtimarg worship Shrinathji (a form of Krishna as a 7-year-old child). Their principal shrine is located at the Shrinathji Temple in Nathdwara, a town located approx 50 kilometers away from Udaipur City in Rajasthan.
Vallabhacharya is regarded as an Acharya (an expert in religious matters) and a Guru (spiritual guide or teacher) in the Hindu Vaishnava tradition, primarily because of his philosophy of Shuddha Advaita (pure non-dualism) and his interpretation of the Vedanta philosophy. He discarded the traditions of asceticism as a way to attain liberation and suggested that one can attain Moksha through unwavering devotion towards Krishna, instead. Initially, Vallabhacahrya wanted to remain celibate but Vithoba of Pandharpur (his guru) insisted him to get married and live the life of a Grihastha (householder). He told him that Shrinathji himself would be born as his second child. Vallabha obeyed his guru and married Mahalaxmi. He became the father of two sons – Gopinathji and Vitthalnathji (Gusainji). Vitthalnath became his father’s successor, followed by his seven sons.