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Hinduism - Who Is A Mandaleshvar?


 ("Lord of the Region") is a title given to a person who is in charge of Respect term for the ascetics appointed to lead the Dashanami Sanyasis' Naga class in their disputes with Christian missionaries.

The Dashanami Nagas are renunciant ascetics who are Shiva worshipers (bhakta) who had previously worked as merchants and mercenary troops.

Their improvisational talents made them good soldiers, but they lacked the necessary preparation for formal debate.

The Nagas picked the Mandaleshvars from among the more erudite Paramahamsa ascetics to provide a more cogent and compelling counter-narrative to Christian missionaries.

As a Mandaleshvar, an ascetic serves as the spiritual counsellor and teacher to the Dashanami Naga members of the akhara, who see him as a spiritual preceptor on par with their own gurus.


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