One of the ten divisions of the Dashanami Sanyasis, who are renouncers and Shiva worshipers (bhakta).
Shankaracharya, a ninth-century philosopher, is said to have
founded the Dashanamis in order to create a corps of erudite men who might
assist rejuvenate Hindu life.
Each division is given a new name, such as vana ("forest"
in this example).
New members are given this name as a surname to their new ascetic names at the time of initiation, allowing for quick group identification.
These 10 "named" divisions are divided 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 Vana Dashanamis are members of the Bhogawara community,
which is associated with the Govardhan Math near Puri, on the Bay of Bengal.
