Mahant

A mahant /məˈhʌnt/ is a religious superior, in particular the chief priest of a temple or the head of a monastery.[1] The Hindi word mahant is from Prakrit mahanta-, from Sanskrit mahat "great".[2] Other titles for the word Mahant, serving in the context of a well known religious place, include priest or pundit, being generally always a Brahmin, gyani, or pastor. In other branches of Hinduism, the mahant is an ascetic who is the head and leader of the temple and has religious responsibilities as a preacher.[3]

Amongst the Sikhs, mahants stood for hereditary managers who controlled Sikh gurdwaras until the formation of SGPC in 1920s. [4]

Notes

  1. ↑ New Oxford American Dictionary (2nd ed., 2005), p. 1020.
  2. ↑ Webster's Third New International Dictionary, p. 1361.
  3. ↑ Raymond Brady Williams (2001). An Introduction to Swaminarayan Hinduism. Cambridge University Press. p. 239. ISBN 052165422X.
  4. ↑ Mahant

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