One of the ten
divisions of the Dashanami Sanyasis, who are renouncers and Shiva worshipers
(bhakta).
Shankaracharya, a ninth-century philo sopher, is said to
have founded the Dashanamis in order to create a corps of scholarly men who
might assist rejuvenate Hindu life.
Each division is given a separate name, such as sagara
("ocean" in this example).
This name is given to new members as a surname to their new
ascetic names at the time of initiation, allowing for quick group
identification.
These 10 "named" divisions are organized into four
broader organizational categories, apart from their unique identities.
Each group, as well as other religious organizations, has
its headquarters at one of the four monastic centers (maths) allegedly founded
by Shankaracharya.
The Anandawara sect, which is linked with the Jyotir math in
the Himalayan town of Joshimath, is home to the Sagara Dashanamis.
