a corps of learned men who could help
to revitalize Hindu life. Each of the divi-
sions is designated by a different
name—in this case, giri (“mountain”).
Upon initiation, new members are
given this name as a surname to their
new asceticnames, thus allowing for
immediate group identification.
Aside from their individual identity,
these ten “named” divisions are collect-
ed into four larger organizational
groups: Anandawara, Bhogawara,
Bhuriwara, and Kitawara. Each group
has its headquarters in one of the four
monastic centers (maths) supposedly
established by Shankaracharya. Each of
the four groups is also associated with
one of the four Vedas—the oldest Hindu
sacred texts, a different geographical
quarter of India, a different great utter-
ance (mahavakya), and a
different ascetic quality. The Giri
Dashanamis belong to the Anandawara
group, which is affiliated with the Jyotir
math in the Himalayan town of
Joshimath.
Giridhara
(“mountain-lifter”) In Hindu mythology,
a youthful and heroic form of the god
Krishna. According to the story, as a
young man Krishna observes that the
village elders make yearly offeringsto
Indra, the god of the storm. After some
persuasion, Krishna manages to con-
vince the elders that instead of making
offerings to Indra, who is too far off in
heaven to do them any good, they
should offer them instead to Mount
Govardhan. This mountain looms over
their village as a symbol of their pros-
perity, and since Krishna’s devotees
(bhakta) consider this mountain to be
another form of Krishna, he is actually
persuading the elders to make offerings
to him. Indra is furious when he discov-
ers what has happened, and unleashes a
violent storm that threatens to wash
away the village and destroy all the
inhabitants. To protect the villagers and
their cattle from harm, Krishna lifts up
Mount Govardhan, and holds it over
their heads as an umbrella to protect
them from the rain. After seven days,
Indra admits defeat, and Krishna
emerges as the hero of the village. This
Giridhara
Jain temple in Girnar. Settled atop a hill, Girnar is an ancient site
that is sacred to both Hindu and Jain religious communities.