A wandering holy man All night, they travelled south. At dawn, they came to the banks of a river. Kanthaka crossed it in one leap. Once across, Siddhartha said, “We’re safe here. Let us stop and rest.” Siddhartha took his sword and cut off his princely locks. Then he exchanged his royal clothes for the garment of a hunter who was passing by. He handed his hair and royal ornaments to Channa saying, “Return to the palace with Kanthaka and give these to the king. Tell him that what I am doing is for the benefit of all beings.” Siddhartha was twenty-nine years old. From then on he was known as the sage, Gautama.