qalandar means A wandering ascetic Sufi dervish.
qalandar is pronounced /ˈkæləndɚ/.
Why “qalandar” is a great word
A wandering, antinomian mystic who renounces conventional religious formalities and social norms in pursuit of divine ecstasy. From Classical Persian قلندر (qalandar), possibly a re-borrowing through Arabic from an original Persian کلندر (kalandar, "a rough, uncouth man"), derived from Classical Persian کلند (kaland, kuland, "rough, unshaved, unsmoothed"). Unlike a dervish—often bound to a structured order with prescribed rituals—or a fakir—whose poverty serves devotional piety—the qalandar is the deliberate outcast, the ecstatic who shaves not his head but his obligations. He is the matted beard catching city soot, the single begging bowl that refuses distinction between halal and haram, the laughter in the mosque courtyard that knows all walls are temporary. The qalandar walks not toward paradise but through it, having already abandoned the map.
Etymology
From Classical Persian قلندر (qalandar), possibly a re-borrowing through Arabic of original Persian کلندر (kalandar) "a rough, uncouth man" from Classical Persian کلند (kaland, kuland) "rough, unshaved, unsmoothed".
noun
- A wandering ascetic Sufi dervish.
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