mark on her forehead 's Kamakhya Temple for the
Ambubachi Mela Hinduism Shaiva sadhus are renunciants devoted to
Shiva, and
Vaishnava sadhus are renouncers devoted to
Vishnu (or his avatars, such as Rama or Krishna). The Vaishnava sadhus are sometimes referred to as
vairagis. Among the Shaiva sadhus, the
Dashanami Sampradaya belong to the
Smarta Tradition. They are said to have been formed by the philosopher and renunciant
Adi Shankara, believed to have lived in the 8th century CE, though the full history of the sect's formation is not clear. Among them are the
Naga subgroups, naked sadhu known for carrying weapons like tridents, swords, canes, and spears. Said to have once functioned as an armed order to protect Hindus from the
Mughal rulers, they were involved in a number of military defence campaigns. Generally in the ambit of non-violence at present, some sections are known to practice
wrestling and
martial arts. Their retreats are still called
chhaavni or armed camps (akhara), and mock duels are still sometimes held between them. Female sadhus (
sadhvis) exist in many sects. In many cases, the women that take to the life of renunciation are widows, and these types of sadhvis often live secluded lives in ascetic compounds. Sadhvis are sometimes regarded by some as manifestations or forms of the Goddess, or Devi, and are honoured as such. There have been a number of charismatic sadhvis that have risen to fame as religious teachers in contemporary India, e.g.
Anandamayi Ma,
Sarada Devi,
Mata Amritanandamayi, and Karunamayi.
Jainism The Jain community is traditionally discussed in its texts with four terms:
sadhu (monks),
sadhvi or aryika (nuns),
sravaka (laymen householders) and
sravika (laywomen householders). As in Hinduism, the Jain householders support the monastic community. The
sadhus and
sadhvis are intertwined with the Jain lay society, perform
murtipuja (Jina idol worship) and lead festive rituals, and they are organized in a strongly hierarchical monastic structure. There are differences between the
Digambara and
Śvetāmbara sadhus and sadhvi traditions. ==Festive gatherings==