Following in the footsteps of the great sages before him, he decided to circumbulate the motherland and visit all the sacred sites in India. In his life time, Shri Vallabhacharyaji completed three and a half such journeys around India.

Impressing learned pundits and scholars around India, Vallabhacharyaji came to the South Indian Empire of King Krishnadev-rai. The court at Vidyanagar was debating the merits of various Vedic philosophies. The heated debate seemed at a dead-lock and no-one seemed to have answers that would satisfy the king. Shri Vallabhacharyaji came in to the debate at this point and within seven days won the arguments for his philosophy of Shudhadviata.

Immensely impressed by the young man’s intelligence and clarity of thought, the assembled pundits and the Krishnadev Rai announced him as an "Acharya" and gifted much gold to Shri Vallabhacharyaji. Ever mindful of the dangers of hoarding wealth, Shri Vallabhacharyaji gave away a bulk of the wealth to the assembled brahmins. A portion was sent to his uncle to settle the debts incurred by his father, a small portion was set aside to care for his ageing mother and out of the thousands offered to him, he only kept seven coins for making jewellery for the icons in his shrine.

Later, when in central India, Vallabhacharyaji had a vision of the Lord requesting him to come over towards the Vraj in western India. Vallabhacharyaji arrived in Vraj during the holy month of Shravan. The Lord revealed himself to him on the 11th day of the bright fortnight of Shravan and gave him the sacred mantra for initiating people in to the "Pushti Marg", the Path of Grace. Later, Shri Vallahacharyaji went to the sacred mountain, "Govardhan" in the heart of Vraj, and the Lord revealed himself in a physical form on this mountain.

In accordance with the Lord’s wishes, he set up a small shrine for the Lord and requested his old teacher, Shri Madhevendra Yati, to carry out the worship of the Lord whilst he carried on with his pilgrimage. Later, Shri Vitthal-Nathji of Pandharpur in Maharastra, commanded Vallabhacharyaji to marry, so that a great spiritual lineage could be set up through him. Lord Vittal-Nathji also expressed a wish to be born in the family of the great Acharya. Vallabhacharyaji married Shrimati MahaLakshmiji and sired two great sons, Shri GopiNathji and Shri VitthalNathji (later known as Gosaiji).

After his marriage, Vallabhacharyaji set up his household at two places - Adel, near the holy confluence of Ganges, Jamuna and the Sarasvati rivers - and at Charnat neat Varanasi.

Vallabhacharyaji taught his disciples to develop a very intensely personal relationship with God. Be this in the form of parent - child, friends, lovers etc. These relationships should not be tainted by any selfish motives. Not even the motive to "see" what the God looks like in all his glory ! The Lord will do as He sees fit. IF he wants to show Himself, He will. Who are we to demand such a boon ? The main idea being, one should not ask anything of the Lord.

Just before the birth of his elder son, he had a vision that Balarama and Krshna (as toddlers) coming to play with him on the banks of the river Yamuna. From than on, he regarded Balarama and Krshna as his children and worshipped them accordingly. Though housed at Adel, the increasing duties of the dynamic Acharya required him to keep a household at Varanasi and Vraj in addition to the house at Adel. Shri Mahaprabhuji recited the Shrimad Bhagvat Puran at 84 sacred sites around India. Spread out from the heights of the Himalaya, at KedarNath, to the Southern-most tip of India at Rameshwara. Of all the sacred sites He visited, Shri Vallabh was also a regular visitor to Jaggannanth Puri, Dwarka and Dakor.

At the Lord’s request, the Vallabhacharyaji decided to construct a proper temple for the Shri Nathji on Mount Govardhan. Though he passed a plan for a flat roofed temple, the Lord desired to have a traditional spire on top of his inner sanctum. The plan was revised three times, and each time the Lord changed the plan to include a spire. Eventually, a spired temple arose on top of the mount Govardhana.

Soon, Shri Vallabhacharyaji had many talented disciples working in the new temple dedicated to "Indra Damanji / Deva Damanji". Some of his famous disciples include the great poet saint Surdasji, Kumbhandasji, Parmanandadasji, Krishnadas adhikari etc. The Lord at Mount Govardhan has since been refereed to as Govardhan-Nathji, Gopalji and later Shri Nathji.

The fame and respect for Shri Vallabhacharyaji grew with years. When his sons were old enough to manage the affair of the house and the sect, Acharya Shri renounced the world. Soon after, he immersed his earthly body in the holy waters of the Ganges.

The sect flourished in the able hands of Shri Vallabhacharyaji’s sons. Though GopiNathji was incharge for a very short time, he made significant contributions to the sect by creating new literary works (many are now lost or missing), bringing new disciples from the Sindha and Punjab and added to the treasury at Mount Govardhana. After his untimely death, VitthalNathji, popularly known as Shri Gosaiji, became the leader of the sect. His achievements have lead the course for the sect and it’s rich history of 500 years.

Apart from writing new treaties in Sanskrit, he also initiated four famous poet / singers to the divine court of Krshna. Now the temple at Mount Govardhan had eight excellent singers to entertain the Lord along with a large number of servants to manage the growing needs of the temple. He also changed the administration of the temple and handed-over the seva of the Lord to brahmins and Vraj-vasies of the Pushti sect rather than the Gaudia sect, as was done before.

Gosaiji’s political acumen and oratory won him admirers from far and wide. He had excellent connections at the Mogual court of Emperor Akber. Akbar’s chief wife, Maharani Jodha, was a disciple of Shri Gosaiji. The emperor was also a guest of the Gosaiji on several occasions. Many Imperial proclamations and decrees were made to honour the house of Shri Vallabhacharyaji. Several members of the Imperial court were members of the sect. The farsighted leader of this growing sect reciprocated by visiting the Imperial court on occasions. One of the seven sons of Gosaiji became a permanent member of the Imperial retinue and the cordial relations between the sect and the court carried over into the reign of Emperor Jahangir.

Gosaiji left a legacy of a very colourful sect. Mirroring the global mood of the "Enlightenment era", the divine court at Mount Govardhan adopted more exuberant lifestyle than in the days of Shri Vallabhacharyaji and Shri GopiNathji. Concerned about the future of the sect, Shri Gosaiji distributed the seven "svarupas" of the Lord to his seven sons and set up seven separate Havelies for them. Like the ocean (nidhi), these svarupas were THE source of position, power and authority for the Goswamies (Descendants to Shri Gosaiji). From this period onwards, these svarupas were referred to as "Nidhies" by the disciples of the Pushti Marg.

Since the establishment of the seven Nidhies, Pushti Marg followers have had the choice of nine different forms of the Lord they can worship and seven different "houses" of acharyas they can obtain initiation from. With the passage of time, the various Nidhies moved to various parts of India. Currently, they are variously based in the Vraj (Uttar Predesh), Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Shri Nathji, Lord lifting the Mount Govardhan. Currently in Nathadwara, Rajasthan.

Navnit Priyaji Baby Krshna with a ball of butter in his hand. Currently in Nathadwara, Rajasthan.

Mathuradhishji, Lord of Mathura, with four arms. Currently in Kota, Rajasthan.

Vitthal Nathji, Lord with arms on his hips, and accompanied by Swaminiji. Currently in Nathadwara, Rajasthan

Dwarikadhishji, Lord of Dwarka, with four arms. Currently at Kakaroli, Rajasthan.

Gokul Nathji, Lord of Gokul, the only Nidhi to still reside in the same Haveli that Shri Gosaiji originally built for him in Gokul, Vraj. The Lord has four arms and is playing flute to charm his devotees.

Gokul Chandramaji, Literally, the "Moon of Gokul", Currently in Kamavan, Vraj.

BalKrishanji, Another form of the baby Krshna with a butter ball in his hand. Currently in Surat, Gujarat.

Mandan Mohanji, Lord playing the flute during Rasa, accompanied by two gopies. Currently in Kamavan, Vraj.

Natvarlalji and Mukundraiji are also divine svarups who are worshipped as lesser known Nidhies.

The twin svarups of Shri Nathji and Navnit Priyaji were entrusted to the eldest son of Gosaiji. These svarupas are considered to be the most sacred and most important in pushti Marg. Since Gosaiji’s time, the Goswami in charge of worshipping these twin svarupas has been referred to as the Tilkayat, title originally given by the Moghul emperor. He is the first amongst his peers and is accorded deference and respect by all members of the Goswami family, regardless of his age. All descendants of Shri Vallabhacharyaji have the right to worship the Lord Shri Nathji and Shri Navnit Priyaji, but they will ask permission from the reigning Tilkayat as a matter of courtesy.