Page 52 - varanasi
P. 52
Vaishnavite Sadhus are devoted to Vishnu and are a later develop-
ment than the Shaivite. Commonly called Vairagi (detached ones),
they are members of various schools of Bhakti (devotion). They do
not emphasize the ascetic extremes of the Shaivites. Their com-
mon identifying mark is a white V drawn on the forehead, with an
added line in either white or red in the centre. They normally wear
white and carry beads of the tulsi (sacred basil). Unlike the com-
mon Hindu who is cremated, the Sadhu is buried, usually in the sit-
ting position. The burial site normally becomes a place of worship.
Curtsey : www.history-of-hinduism.blogspot.in
