One of the ten divisions of the Dashanami Sanyasis, who are renouncers and Shiva worshippers (bhakta).
- Shankaracharya, a ninth-century philosopher, is said to have founded the Dashanamis in order to create a corps of educated men who might assist revive Hindu life.
- Each division is given a distinct name, such as ashrama (“hermitage”) in this instance.
- New members are given this name as a surname to their new ascetic names at the time of initiation, allowing for quick group identification.
- Aside from their individual identity, these ten “named” divisions are divided into four larger organizational groups.
- Each organization, as well as other religious groups, has its headquarters in one of the four monastic centers (maths) allegedly founded by Shankaracharya.
- The Ashrama Dashanamis are members of the Kitawara community, which is connected with the Sharada Math in Dwaraka, near the Arabian Sea.
- The Ashrama division is regarded as a prestigious organization since it is one of the few that will only initiate brahmins (the other such divisions are the Saraswati Dashanamis, Tirtha Dashanamis, and part of the Bharati Dashanamis.)
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