Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part D (2025)

Kashi (Varanasi) revered as the spiritual capital of India has historically served as a vibrant centre for ascetics whose lives embody religious devotion, renunciation, social negotiation. This paper explores the socio-cultural world of 200 Sadhus residing in Kashi focusing on their identities, organizational structures, everyday practices and contemporary challenges. Employing an exploratory and descriptive design, data were generated through simulated interviews based on secondary sources and online materials and analyzed using thematic coding and narrative interpretation. The research situates Sadhus within broader sociological debates on religion, tradition, caste, urban modernity etc. highlighting their enduring significance in Indian society. The findings reveal a complex interplay between sectarian identity, guru-shishya hierarchy and caste dynamics that continue to shape Sadhu life. While asceticism symbolizes spiritual detachment, everyday practices show deep entanglement with society through ritual performance, alms, teaching, increasing reliance on digital platforms. Adaptation to urban modernity emerges in striking forms ranging from mobile connectivity to participation in political and social mobilizations. Challenges such as caste exclusion, gender marginalization of women ascetics, struggles of aged Sadhus underscore the contradictions between ideals of renunciation and practical realities of survival in an urban religious economy. The study contributes to the sociology of religion by offering a comprehensive understanding of asceticism in contemporary India. It demonstrates that Sadhus are not isolated renouncers but active agents negotiating between tradition and change. By documenting their voices, identities and lived experiences, this research paper opens new pathways for rethinking the social role of ascetics in modern religious landscapes.