See godman (disambiguation) for other meanings of this term

A godman is a colloquial name for a particular type of charismatic Hindu ascetic who have a high-profile presence, are capable of attracting attention and support from Indian society, and make claims of spiritual attainments. They sometimes claim to possess paranormal powers, such as clairvoyance, or healing abilities. They are often outside the establisment and may not have taken initiation and associated with that, they tend to live in their own ashrams, instead of that of belonging to a religious order. Their success comes, often not from the strength of their parampara, but from their personal

References

All information in this entry is sourced by James G. Lochtefeld's The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism unless otherwise stated.

Bibliography

• Brent, Ludwig Godmen of India