A Hindu religious ascetic who has renounced worldly life to pursue spiritual liberation.
What sadhus do
Sadhus renounce family, possessions, and conventional employment, often wearing ochre robes and ash, and dedicate themselves to spiritual practice. They travel between pilgrimage sites, sit in meditation, perform rituals, and teach interested seekers along the way.
Training path
Becoming a sadhu typically involves initiation by a guru into one of the recognized orders such as the Dashanami Sampradaya, Naga, Vaishnava, or Aghori. Initiation includes a ritual death of the prior identity and acceptance of a monastic name and lineage.
Work setting
India’s pilgrimage cities such as Varanasi, Haridwar, Rishikesh, and Pushkar host large sadhu populations. The Kumbh Mela festival, held cyclically every three years at four rotating sites, gathers millions of sadhus from across the subcontinent.
Find more professions by letter
Sadhu starts with S and ends with U. Browse other professions along the same letter.
Professions that contain a letter from "Sadhu":