Panth (also panthan, meaning "path" in Sanskrit), also called Sampradaya, is the term used for several religious traditions in India. A panth is founded by a guru or an acharya in guru-shishya parampara, and is often led by scholars or senior practitioners of the tradition. With the backdrop of the Sant and Bhakti movements in mediaeval India, the followings of various religious leaders began to take on a "panthic" identity, which was a very fluid label in the 17th century. However, later the panthic identities became structured and distinct, such as the followers of Nanak and Dadu, who became the Nanakpanthis and Dadupanthis. While the term panth is used sometimes interchangeably with the term saṃpradāya, a panth often is used to refer to religious movements from the Sant tradition.
Some of the major panths in India are: