ascetics. The Dashanami Nagas are
devotees (bhakta) of the god Shiva,
organized into akharas, or regiments,
on the model of an army. Until the
beginning of the nineteenth century, the
Nagas’ primary occupation was as mer-
cenary soldiers, although they also had
substantial trading interests; both of
these occupations have largely disap-
peared in contemporary times.
The Avahana akhara is one of the
seven main Dashanami Naga akharas,
but for organizational purposes it is
considered a subsidiary of the Juna
akhara. Its name, which means “sum-
mons,” supposedly comes from its sta-
tus as the first organized asceticgroup,
formed in response to the call from the
philosopher Shankaracharyato revital-
ize Hindu society.
Avalon, Arthur
Pen name of Sir John Woodroffe.
Avani
Fifth month of the Tamil solar year,
which usually falls within August and
September. This month corresponds to
the northern Indian solar month of
Simha (the zodiacal sign of Leo). The
existence of several different calendars
is one clear sign of the continuing
importance of regional cultural pat-
terns. One way that the Tamils retain
their culture is by preserving their tradi-
tional calendar. Tamil is one of the few
regional languages in India with an
ancient, well-established literary tradi-
tion. See also Tamil months, Tamil
Nadu, and Tamil language.Avatar
(“descent”) In Hindu mythology, the
descent (of a deity), but more colloqui-
ally the incarnation, of a deity on earth.
The concept of avatars has been best
developed by the devotees (bhakta) of
the god Vishnu, who perceive him as
taking a specific form to help the world.
Examples of avatars can be found for
other divinities as well.
Hindus draw a distinction between
full avatars, which have the complete
power of the deity, and partial incarna-
tions, or anshavatars. Vishnu has ten
full avatars, each of whom has appeared
to restore the cosmic balance when theAvalon, Arthur
The ten avatars of the god Vishnu. In Hindu mythology, Vishnu has appeared on earth in different forms:
Fish, Tortoise, Boar, Man-lion, Vamana (dwarf ), Parashuram, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and Kalki.