This book provides an account of the organisation, practices and history of the Dasanami-Sa^mnyasi¯s, one of the largest sects of sadhu-s ('holy men') in South Asia. According to tradition, the sect was founded by the legendary south-Indian philosopher Sa]nkaracarya, whose floruit was most probably around 700 ce. While the first three chapters of this book examine the sect's organisation and its various branches, the latter chapters explore its history.