Vishnuswami

Viṣṇusvāmī was a Hindu religious leader. He is primarily known for having started the Rudra sampradaya. There are almost no sources on the life of Viṣṇusvāmī. The dates of Viṣṇusvāmī's life are unknown, but scholars conjecture he lived circa the 13th century. Viṣṇusvāmī's own works do not survive, and thus little is directly known of his theological positions. His students also unknown, and his lineage did not continue uninterrupted.

By the time of Vallabha the sect was barely in existence and a man named Vilvamaṁgala was the ācārya. When Vallabha won the śāstrārtha in Vidyanagara, he became the ācārya of the school and greatly promoted its ideas.