Tulsidas did not establish a formal sampradāya in the strict institutional sense, yet his life and teachings gradually gave rise to what came to be known as the Tulsi sect. At the heart of this development was his unwavering emphasis on exclusive, loving devotion to Rama as the supreme manifestation of the Divine. Through the Ramcharitmanas and related works, he articulated a path of bhakti that was emotionally compelling, theologically clear, and centered on Rama as saguna Brahman and on the salvific power of Rama’s name and grace. Within the broader Ramanandi Vaishnava fold, this particular configuration of Rama-bhakti formed a recognizable devotional stream that many came to identify with his name.

A decisive factor in the formation of this stream was his choice of language and audience. By composing the Ramcharitmanas in Awadhi rather than Sanskrit, he opened the scriptural tradition to those who were not part of the scholastic elite. Regular public recitation, exposition, and singing of this text became characteristic practices, so that the Ramcharitmanas functioned as both scripture and liturgy for his followers. This vernacular scripture, together with his other compositions such as hymns to Rama and Hanuman, provided a shared textual and devotional core that helped crystallize a distinct identity.

Equally important was the ethical and social vision embedded in his works and exemplified in his life. Tulsidas consistently upheld virtues such as humility, compassion, truthfulness, and detachment from ego, while affirming that intense devotion could be fully lived within ordinary household life. The well-known account of his transformation from attachment to his wife to single-minded dedication to Rama became a paradigmatic narrative of turning worldly love toward God. His own simplicity, renunciation, and steady remembrance of Rama offered a concrete model for aspirants, encouraging communities to see themselves as walking a specific Tulsi-mārga shaped by both devotion and dharmic conduct.

Over time, this devotional current took on more visible form through institutions and communal practice. Temples, āśrams, and centres of worship emerged where recitation of the Ramcharitmanas, singing of his compositions, and adherence to his theological and ethical emphases became the norm. Within the larger Ramanandi tradition, those who treated his works as primary scripture and adopted his formulations of Rama-bhakti coalesced into a sub-tradition that later came to be spoken of as the Tulsi sect. In this way, his life as a saintly devotee and his accessible, grace-centered theology provided both the spiritual substance and the social pattern for a distinct devotional lineage devoted to Rama.