recluse in a cottage near a cremation ground. After practicing sadhana (spiritual practice) for twenty years, he met his preceptor Bhagirathananda Saraswati in 1679 from Punjab . Bhagirathananda initiated Shivaram into sannyasa (monastic vows) and named him Ganapati Saraswati in 1685. Ganapati reportedly led a life of severe austerities and went