Mahasiddha is a term for someone who embodies and cultivates the "siddhi of perfection".
A siddha is an individual who, through the practice of sādhanā, attains the realization of siddhis, psychic and spiritual abilities and powers.
Mahasiddhas were practitioners of yoga and tantra, or tantrikas.
The Mahasiddhas are the founders of Vajrayana traditions and lineages such as Dzogchen and Mahamudra.
There is a symbiotic relationship between Tantric Buddhist communities and the Buddhist monastic university such as Nalanda .