A vibrant kaleidoscope of
Sanatan Dharma
will come alive during Prayagraj Maha Kumbh. This pristine celebration of life & faith will also lay out a Sangam of ‘akharas’. Though this Sanskrit word means a wrestling arena, in its deeper layers, it carries many microcosms.
Shailvee Sharda
takes a peep into the fascinating world.
It was the curse of Durwasa that paved the way for Samudra Manthan and Kumbh traditions. “Once eminent but short-tempered Maharishi Durwasa cursed the Gods and deprived them of their powers. Demons capitalised the opportunity to establish their reign over heaven. Aggrieved gods urged Lord Vishnu to help who said that lost fortunes were lying in deep layers of the ocean and advised for Samudra Manthan to regain them,” says Prof Madan Mohan Pathak, faculty in astrology at Central Sanskrit University, Lucknow citing references from Bhagwat and Vishnu Puranas. “Amrit Kumbh (vessel containing elixir of immortality) was among the 14 gems that surfaced. Desirous gods and demons entered into a tug-of-war over it. Vishnu — disguised as the enchantress Mohini — intervened and whisked the Kumbh away. As he took it heavenwards, few drops of Amrit fell in rivers of Haridwar, Ujjain, Nashik and Prayag. Over time, belief that those who bathe in these rivers in a cosmic moment will embrace purity, auspiciousness, and immortality gave birth to Kumbh rituals,” adds Pathak.
Akharas: Arena of Guardians of Religion
In Sanskrit, ‘akhara’ means a wrestling arena, but on a closer look – they are an entire microcosm existing inside the protected walls of Mathas that become visible during Maha Kumbh. “Akharas speak for a kind of social order within the ecosystem of a ‘matha’ or ‘ashram’ (an educational premises for seers) that shouldered the responsibility of protecting the traditions of Sanatan Dharma,” explains Rana PB Singh, retired professor in cultural geography at Banaras Hindu University (BHU). Vedic scholar and author Mahant Mithlesh Nandini Sharan of Ayodhya notes that ‘it is tough to trace the exact origin of ‘akharas’ and calls them ‘a living proof of Sanatan tradition’. “Tradition of ‘akharas’ is as old as religion itself. When seers established ‘mathas’, they often faced challenges from demons who disrupted their religious practices and rituals. Therefore, many seers raised a martial wing for protection of Sanatan Dharma. Naturally, those guarding the seers had to be physically fit, and the place where they practised their skill was described as akhara,” Mahant Mithlesh says adding, “Without Akharas, Kumbh would just be a religious fair.”
Adi Shankaracharya & Dasnami Order
Virtuous seer Adi Shankaracharya – who anchored consolidation of Sanatan traditions in the 8th century when it had been divided into various warring sects – is described as the father of the present form of Kumbh rituals.
In ‘A History of Dasnami Naga Sanyasi’, author Jadunath Sarkar notes ten seer groups present in the 8th century – namely Giri, Puri, Bharti, Ban, Aranya, Parbat, Sagar, Tirtha, Ashram, and Saraswati – were aligned to four ‘Mathas’ established by Adi Shankaracharya
While ‘Puri’, ‘Bharti’ and ‘Saraswati’ branches were attached to Sringeri Matha (South), ‘Ban’ and ‘Aranya’ orders were lined up with Govardhan Matha in Jagannath Puri (East). The ‘Giri’, ‘Parbat’ and ‘Sagar’ were sent to Joshi Matha (North) while ‘Tirtha’ and ‘Ashram’ branches were assigned to Sarada Math at Dwarka (West). He also marked the jurisdiction and character of each ‘matha’ and connected them in a ritualistic protocol, way of life and even titles.
In present times, the seven Shaivite Akharas namely Mahanirvana, Atal, Niranjani, Anand, Juna, Avahan, and Agni belong to the Dasnami order.
Of Ramananacharya & Vaishnava Akharas
The 14th century saw the birth and rise of Ramanandacharya. Born in Kanyakubja Brahmin family of Varanasi, Ramanda walked the Vaishnava path. An early and key proponent of the Bhakti movement, he is also seen as a social reformer who accepted disciples without discriminating on lines of gender, class or caste. Doyens like Kabir, Ravidas, Bhagat Pipa and so on are dubbed as his disciples who are known to be belonging to the Ramanandi order. Three main akharas of the Kumbh align themselves with Ramanandacharya. In his paper titled, ‘Akhara System in Kumbh Mela: An Epitome of Hindu Mythology’, published in the International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research, HS Bhakuni, a faculty member in the department of history at MB Govt PG College Uttarakhand notes that the Vaishnava sect is grouped into Digambara, Nirmohi and Nirvani. The unique identity of these ‘akharas’ is visible in their flags, rituals and way of dressing. Their naga sanyasis wear white.
The remaining three akharas – grouped as Udasin – are linked to Sikhism. The word udasin means neutral or unbiased. Scholars noted that the followers of the udasin order keep Guru or teacher as the supreme being on the thought that one cannot achieve God without the guidance of guru. They also picked ‘service’ as the means of salvation while ditching the elaborate and complex rituals. They came up in the 18th century and members associated with them remain committed to service. Within the akharas, they follow religious rituals only to get close to their Guru who would eventually help them sail through.
The 1954 Stampede & Birth of Akhara Parishad
On Mauni Amavasya Snan of independent India’s first Kumbh, held in 1954, an unprecedented crowd of pilgrims reached the Sangam. The religious euphoria lost its bounds, failed the crowd control measures and led to a stampede claiming around 800 lives and leaving over 2,000 people injured. An official probe into the incident led to the formation of Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP). Since then, it has been playing an important role in organising Kumbh Melas. Presently, ABAP includes representatives of all 13 akharas and serves as the apex body of monastic orders. It takes important decisions on Kumbh Mela, and addresses matters related to monastic orders. It also solves disputes (if any) between them.
Sanyasin & Kinnar Akharas —
Within the larger structure of Juna Akhara, a Maai Baara was created at the turn of the century. Many women ascetics who completed their 12 years penance were ordained in 2013 Kumbh. At that time, women ascetics urged their leaders to replace ‘baara’ with ‘akhara’ as the former meant an enclosure. Thus, Sanyasin Akhara was born.
Kinnar Akhara – the sect of transgender community – also came up in the Ujjain Kumbh of 2016. In Kumbh Mela of 2019, some 2,000 transgender monastics and seers participated under the banner of Kinnar Akhara.Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, said that she founded the ‘akhara’ to unite transgenders, sort out their issues, eliminate misconceptions, inform people about their rights besides spreading a message among masses about the position the transgenders hold in Sanatan Dharma. In 2019, they were accepted as part of Juna Akhara.
Initiation, Rank & Hierarchy
Jadunath Sarkar noted that the four great ‘mathas’ of Dasnami orders have adopted certain rules of affiliation and organisation. Akharas don’t take sanyasis directly. They must first enrol in a ‘Marhi’ (initiation centre). Many marhis combine to form an akhara.
Within each order, monks are graded according to their spiritual progress into –Kutichak, Bahudak, Hansa and Paramhansa.
A Kutichali ascetic renounces the world to live in a forest. He cannot travel or beg and must survive on unasked donations. Bahudah is the wandering mendicant who cannot stay in a place for more than three days. He collects alms in kind and cannot accept cash.
Renunciant Bhakuni must have followed the above for at least 12 years of practice.
There is no minimum age to become a sanyasi.
With penance relating to control over speech, thoughts and action, sanyasis earn titles like Hansa and Paramhansa and the right to hold the Dand (seen as an embodiment of God) who also have rules and regulations. For instance, an ekdandi seer cannot bow only before their mother and no one else including God.
All ‘akharas’ have their own Naga Sadhus and Hatha Yogis as well.
A small act of indiscipline may lead to compulsory fast or chanting while a moderate may mean withdrawal of ration supplies. Grievous ones may invite expulsion for a limited time and extreme ones may mean expulsion for life.
Management of Akharas:
Versions of the Sannyas Upnishad are used to manage the akharas through spiritual leaders and an administrative unit.
The spiritual chief is called ‘Mahamandaleshwar’ who can have a council consisting of ‘Mandaleshwar’ and ‘Mahant’.
When Akharas grew in strength, the need for many mahamandaleshwars was felt which paved the way for the overarching Acharya Mahamandaleshwar.
The administrative body managing the ‘akhara’ is called ‘panch’ (also linked to Adi Shankaracharya’s Panchyatan Padhyati in which five gods – namely Ganesh, Vishnu, Shiva, Durga and Surya are invoked).
The panch comprises five persons running the show with ‘Sabhapati’ as president and mahants as members. Ranks below ‘Mahant’ include ‘Karbaris’, ‘Thanapati’, ‘Sachvis’, ‘Pujaris’, ‘Kotwals’ and ‘Kotharis’ who are elected in Kumbh Mela.
