Mahamandaleshvar

(“Great Lord of the Region”) Term of
respect given to a Mandaleshvar when
one of his disciples is chosen a
Mandaleshvar while the preceptor is still
living. Mandaleshvars are the learned
ascetics who lead the Naga akharas of
the Dashanami Sanyasis, a practice that
began in the nineteenth century. The
Dashanami Nagas are renunciant
ascetics who are devotees (bhakta) of
Shiva and who formerly made their
living as traders and mercenary soldiers. Their rough-and-ready qualities
made them effective soldiers, but gave
them little preparation for formal
argument with Christian missionaries.
Mandaleshvars were chosen from
among the more learned Paramahamsa
ascetics, so that the latter could provide
a more coherent and telling opposition;
he also serves as the Nagas’ teacher and
spiritual adviser. The enshrinement of
403
Mahamandaleshvar
a Mandaleshvar’s disciple is thus seen as
boosting his teacher’s prestige to an
even more rarefied state.