In Indian religions, a sant is a holy or dedicated religious person. He or she is thus equivalent to a s dh (fem., sadhv ). More specifically, Sant traditions are those in which a succession of styles and teachings have been developed and transmitted. Of these, one is the V rkar movement of Pa harpur in Mahara ra. But more usually the Sant tradition refers to a succession of religious teachers and devotees in N. India whose influence was extensive from the 15th to 17th cents., and persists to the present day. The Sant tradition also refers to itself as Nirgu a Sa prad ya (see NIRGU A ; SA PRAD YA