dashnami sannyasin

dashnami sannyasin, Hindu Shaivite ascetic who belongs to one of the 10 orders (dashnami, “ten names”) established by the philosopher Shankara in the 8th century ce and still flourishing in India today. The 10 orders are Aranya, Ashrama, Bharati, Giri, Parvata, Puri, Sarasvati, Sagara, Tirtha, and Vana. Each order is attached to one of four monasteries (mathas), also established by Shankara, in the north, south, east, and west parts of India. They are Jyoti (Joshi) Matha (at Badrinath, near Haridwar, Uttar Pradesh state); Shringeri Matha (Sringeri, Karnataka state); Govardhana Matha (Puri, Orissa state); and Sharada Matha (Dwarka, Gujarat state). The heads of the monasteries are called mahants (the head of the Shringeri Matha is called jagadguru, “teacher of the world”); they continue to be consulted on points of doctrine and to be accorded the highest respect by Hindu laymen as well as by the ascetics who follow them.

Dashnami sannyasins typically wear ochre-coloured robes and, if they can obtain one, carry on their shoulders a tiger or leopard skin to sit on. They wear a mark (tilaka), ideally made with ash from a cremation fire, consisting of three horizontal bands across the forehead and on other parts of their body, and a necklace-rosary consisting of 108 rudraksha seeds. They allow their beards to grow and wear their hair loose about their shoulders or else tied in a topknot.

Some extreme dashnamis go about naked. They are called naga (“naked”) sannyasins and are the most militant among the ascetics. In the past the naga sannyasins on occasion engaged in battles with Islamic militants and with the naked ascetics of other Hindu sects.