Early Period
The Encyclopaedia of Śaivism by Swāmi Parmeshwarānand (pg 82) states: "Farquhar informs us that both these expressions, 'Ekadandi' and 'Tridandi' occur in the Mahābhārata. We have not been able to trace the former of these".
However, the Ekadandis existed in the Tamil country in the Pandya and Pallava period but being wandering monks, they were not settled in the brahmadeyas or settlement areas for Brahmins. The book Heritage of the Tamils: temple arts (pg 154) by Shanmuga Velayutham Subramanian informs us of the existence of tax free bhiksha-bogams for feeding the Ekadandi ascetics in the ancient Tamil country. Another book The Pandyan Townships : The Pandyan townships, their organisation and functioning by R. Tirumalai, informs us that "there appears to have been no sectarian segregation of the Saivite (Ekadandi) and Srivaishnava (Tridandi Sannyāsins)".
According to the book Socio-religious, Economic, Literary Condition of Bihar by Bhagwati Charan Verma, Ekadandis and Tridandis were active in Eastern India, and appear to have existed there during the Gupta Empire.
Read more about this topic: Dashanami Sampradaya
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