VAIRAGIN

in Hinduism, a religious ascetic who worships principally one or another form of the god Vishnu. Vairagins generally wear white robes, in contrast to the ochre-coloured robes worn by Saiva ascetics, and are also differentiated by their tilak (sect mark on the forehead), which is never made of ash and is always vertical in design. Most vairagins, when not wandering or on pilgrimage, reside in monastic communities called sthanas (spots or places); but the naga (naked) vairagins, who are also the militants among the Vaisnava ascetics, form their own groups, called akharas. In the past, battles between groups of naked ascetics belonging to different sects centred mainly on bathing and processional rights during pilgrimage assemblies, such as the Kumbha Mela.