Atit

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This article is an extract from

THE TRIBES and CASTES of BENGAL. By H.H. RISLEY, INDIAN CIVIL SERVICE, OFFICIER D'ACADÉMIE FRANÇAISE. Ethnographic Glossary. CALCUTTA: Printed at the Bengal Secretariat Press. 1891. .

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Atit

Atith, from Sansk. atit, one who has passed away from worldly interests, or from atithi, a guest, a temporary dweller upon earth, a title of religious mendicants, practically synonymous with Sannyasi, q.v. The term is applied to both Vaishnavas and Saivas, and does not appear to be capable of very precise definition. As used in Behar, it includes two classes of persons-Sannyasi Atits, who adopt a purely ascetic and celebate life, and transmit their property to their pupils (chelfts) by a sort of spiritual succession and Gharbari Atits, whose manner of life is that of ordinary houesholders. The latter group, indeed, whatever may have been its original mode forrmation, whethe: by descent fr.om Sannyasi Atits who broke their vows and marned, or otherwIse, does not now diner materially from any ordinary occupational caste. The term is also colloquially applied to a person going on a journey who puts up on the way either at a shop or house of some resident, whose guest he becomes. Sannyasi Atits are divided into four classes bearing different titles :-(1) Bharati, from BM.rat or Hadwar, (2) Giri , (3) Puri, and (4) Arun. They are distinguished by wearing a head gear of an ochre colour dyed in geru (red ochre), and. a necklace o,f :rudraksha, called kanthi. They abstain from ammal food ana Wine, and wander about from oue chellt or disciple to another, teaching mantras. The Gharbari Atits do not admit outsiders into their groups, follow the Hindu law of inheritance, and perform the sraddh. They are sometimes cultivators, holding from zemindars rent-free jagir, many of which were not improbably granted to their ancestors ou the ground of their being Sannyasis.

Atith

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Synonyms: Gosain, Sanyasi [Bihar and/or Jharkhand] Samjasi [W. Crooke] Groups/subgroups: Aranya, Bharati, Bharti, Gharbhari, Giri, Jatil, Jatti, Parvat, Puri, Sanyasi [Bihar and/or Jharkhand] Subgroups: Gharbari Atit, Girnam, Lakshan or Saranband, Sanyasi Atit [H.H. Risley] Titles: Arun, Bharati, Giri, Puri [H.H. Risley] Surnames: Ban, Bharati, Giri, Jatil, Jatti, Parvat, Puri [Bihar and/or Jharkhand] Gotra: Bharadwaj, Gautam, Kashyap, Katyayini, Koushik, Sandilya, Vasisht, Vatsa [Bihar and/or Jharkhand] Exogamous units/lineages (vans, khandan): [Bihar and/or Jharkhand]