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In the Hindu tradition of Vaishnava, the deity Lakshminarayan is a composite form of Vishnu and his female consort, Lakshmi.

“Muslims have imams, Christians have pastors, Hindus have gurus, so he’s essentially like a Vaishnava Hindu pastor,” Ms. Gabbard said.

“No house was deliberately set on fire by security forces,” said Vaishnava, the military spokesman, blaming it on the militants.

Vaishnava monks believe the way to salvation is through dance, drama and music.

For almost 40 years, the society has offered patrons daily prayer sessions based in Vaishnava Hinduism, which emphasizes bhakti devotion, an active involvement of devotees in worship through practices such as yoga and chanting.