Samadhi Shrine

Burial place of a deceased ascetic. Part
of the process of ascetic initiation is the
initiate’s ritualized death, in which he
(or far more rarely, she) performs his (or
her) own funeral rites, followed by
rebirth with a new name and a new
identity. Consequently, upon the physical death of an ascetic the funeral rites
(antyeshthi) are not performed, since
the ascetic is (ritually speaking) already
dead. The body is often disposed of by
being weighted down with rocks and
thrown into a river, but well-known and
powerful ascetics are often buried, usually in a sitting position as if in meditation. Such people are often buried in
places associated with their presence
during their lives—whether a room,
building, or particular outdoor site. In
popular wisdom such ascetics are
believed not to be dead but only rapt in
deep meditation (samadhi). The
samadhi shrines of very renowned
ascetics often have shrines built over
them, which can become places of pilgrimage for those seeking the ascetic’s
continuing blessings (ashirvad).