member of an order of religious ascetics in India that venerates the Hindu deity Lord Śiva (Shiva). Kānphaṭa Yogis are distinguished by the large earrings (earring) they wear in the hollows of their ears (kān-phaṭa, “ear split”). They are sometimes referred to as tantric (esoteric) sannyāsins (ascetics), because of their emphasis on the acquiring of supernatural powers in contrast to more orthodox practices of devotion and meditation. They are followers of Gorakhnāth (Gorakhnath) (Gorakṣanātha), who is said to have lived in the 12th century or even earlier, and are also known by the name Gorakhnāthīs or Nāthapanthīs. The ideology of the Kānphaṭa Yogis incorporates elements of mysticism, magic, and alchemy absorbed from both Śaivite (Hindu) and Buddhist esoteric systems, as well as from Haṭha Yoga.