Yogi Heroes and Poets

This book provides a remarkable range of information on the history, religion, and folklore of the N th Yogis. A Hindu lineage prominent in North India since the eleventh century, N ths are well-known as adepts of Hatha yoga and alchemical practices said to increase longevity. Long a heterogeneous group, some N ths are ascetics and some are householders; some are dedicated to personified forms of Shiva, others to a formless god, still others to Vishnu.
The essays in the first part of the book deal with the history and historiography of the N ths, their literature, and their relationships with other religious movements in India. Essays in the second part discuss the legends and folklore of the N ths and provide an exploration of their religious ideas. Contributors to the volume depict a variety of local areas where this lineage is prominent and highlight how the N ths have been a link between religious, metaphysical, and even medical traditions in India."