Akhara
Akhara or Akhada (Sanskrit and Hindi: अखाड़ा, shortened to "khara" Hindi: खाड़ा) is an Indian word for a place of practice with facilities for boarding, lodging and training, both in the context of Indian martial artists or a "sampradaya" monastery for religious renunciates in Guru–shishya tradition. For example, in the context of the Dashanami Sampradaya sect, the word denotes both martial arts and religious monastic aspects of the trident wielding martial regiment of the renunciating sadhus. Etymology. The term "akhara", is a gender-egalitarian term, which means the "circle" or more precisely "the spiritual core", "congregation" or "league , it is similar to the Greek-origin word academy" and the English word "school", can be used to mean both a physical institution or a group of them which share a common lineage or are under a single leadership, such as the school of monastic thought or the school of martial arts. Unlike the gurukul in which students live and study at the home of a guru, members of an akhara although train under a guru but they do not live a domestic life. Some strictly practice Brahmacharya (celibacy) and others may require complete renunciation of worldly life. For example , wrestlers are expected to live a pure life while living at akhara with other fellow wrestlers, refraining from sex and owning few material possessions. In some languages such as Odia the word is officially transcribed as "akhada", by way of rendering the flapped sound as a "d". The Haryanvi and Khari Boli dialects shorten this to "khada" (खाड़ा). History. Foundation dates of martial akharas. Jadunath Sarkar documented the founding date of various akharas based on a 19the century manuscript provided to him by the Nirvani Akhara of Dashanami Sampradaya. Historical timeline. In its earliest usage, "akhara" referred to training halls  for professional fighters. Govind Sadashiv Ghurye translates the term as "military regiment". Ancient use of the word can be found in the "Mahabharata" (c. 400 BCE text describing 900 BCE era) epic which mentions Jarasandha's Akhara at Rajgir. Legendary figures like Parashurama and Agastya are credited as the founders of the early martial akhara in certain regions of India. Svinth (2002) traces press ups and squats used by South Asian wrestlers to the pre-classical era. Many of the popular sports mentioned in the Vedas and the epics have their origins in military training, such as boxing ("musti-yuddha ), wrestling (maladwandwa"), chariot-racing ("rathachalan"), horse-riding ("aswa-rohana") and archery ("dhanurvidya"). When the 8th-century philosopher Adi Shankaracharya (788–820 CE) founded the Dashanami Sampradaya, he divided the ascetics into two categories: Shastradhari (Sanskrit: शास्त्रधारी, lit. scripture-bearers) intelligentsia and Astradhari (Sanskrit: अस्त्रधारी, lit. weapon-bearers) warriors. Shankaracharya established Naga sadhus as an astradhari armed order. He also popularised the Char Dhams during the rein of Katyuri dynasty of Garhwal Kingdom. In 904 CE and 1146 CE, Niranjani Akhara and Juna Akhara were founded respectively. In 1398 CE, Timur massacred thousands of Sadhus of various Akharas and Hindus at Haridwar  mela after sacking Delhi to punish the Tughlaq Dynasty's Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughluq's perceived lack of brutality towards Hindus. In 1567 CE, Jogis (Giris) and Sannyasi (Puris) battled each other as detailed in the Tabaqat-i-Akbari, both are 2 of the 10 orders of Dashanami Akhara. Puris were outnumbered by 200 to 500 by Jogis, Akbar asked his soldiers to smear ash and join Puris to help them, this led to the victory of Puris, In 1657/1672 CE, Satnami revellion against Aurangzeb's persecution of Non-Muslims. In 1664 CE, Dashanami Akhara possibly battled Aurangzeb . In 1690 CE and 1760 CE, Akharas of Saivites and Vaishnava sects fought each other at Nashik mela (60,000 died) and Haridwar mela (1,800 died). In 1770-1820 CE, during Sannyasi rebellion against Company rule in India, Akharas played a key role specially the Dashanami akhara. In 1780 CE, the East India Company administration establish the sequence of order of procession for royal bathing by the akharas at Kumbh Mela to eliminate disputes. Today, akhara may be used for religious purposes or for the teaching of yoga and martial arts. Some of the noted Akhara organizations include Akhil Bharatiya Akhara  Parishad (All India Akhara Council), Nirmohi Akhara, Shri Dattatreya Akhara and Guru Hanuman Akhara. Akharas within Guru–Shishya traditional Sampradaya-Paramparas. Sampradaya is a particular system of belief and within it a particular guru's lineage is called "parampara". There are 3 distinct belief-system Sampradayas (Vaishnava, Shaivite and Dashanami sampradaya), each of which follows one of 3 types of Guru–shishya parampara lineage (Deva, Rishi and Manav parampara), each sampradaya-parampara may have several akharas of shastradhari (intellectuals) or astradhari (warriors), and larger akharas may have own one or more permanent mathas. Sampradaya (Sanskrit : सम्प्रदाय IAST "") translated as ‘tradition ’, 'spiritual lineage' or a ‘religious system’. It relates to a succession of masters and disciples, which serves as a spiritual channel, and provides a delicate network of relationships that lends stability to a religious identity. "Sampradaya" is a body of practice, views and attitudes, which are transmitted, redefined and reviewed by each successive generation of followers. A particular guru lineage is called "parampara". By receiving diksha (initiation) into the "guru–shishya traditional" "parampara" of a living guru, one belongs to its proper "sampradaya". One cannot become a member by birth, as is the case with "gotra", a seminal, or  hereditary, dynasty. In the traditional residential form of education, the shishya remains with his or her guru as a family member and gets the education as a true learner. In some traditions there is never more than one active master at the same time in the same "guruparamaparya" (lineage). Two types of Akhara: Shashtradhari and Astradhari. When the 8th-century philosopher Adi Shankaracharya founded the Dashanami Sampradaya, he divided the ascetics into two categories: Astra Martial Arts Akhara. Astra (HIndi: अस्त्र), the weapons or martial arts have a long tradition in India. The oldest recorded organized unarmed fighting art in  South Asia is malla-yuddha or combat-wrestling, codified into four forms and pre-dating the Vedic Period. Stories describing Krishna report that he sometimes engaged in wrestling matches where he used knee strikes to the chest, punches to the head, hair pulling, and strangleholds. Based on such accounts, Svinth (2002) traces press ups and squats used by South Asian wrestlers to the pre-classical era. In modern usage, "akhara" most often denotes a wrestling ground and is typically associated with kushti. For wrestlers, the akhara serves as a training school and an arena in which to compete against each  other. The akhara used by wrestlers still have dirt floors to which water, red ochre, buttermilk and oil are added. Aside from wrestling, other fighting systems are also taught and practiced in akhara, which are commonly named after their founder. Indian martial artists may still practice in regional versions of traditional akhara today, but these are often replaced with modern training studios outside India. Dangal. While akhara is a place where practicing martial artists lodge and train under a martial art guru, akhara is also usually an arena for the "dangal" organised among the competing sports person. While living at  akhara, pehlwan practice celibacy, stay smoke free and alcohol free and they eat nutrition tradition diet usually rich in milk, ghee, dried nuts and roti. "Dangal" is originally a Punjabi language word which means "Sparring or competition in akhara". Sparring is a form of training common to many combat sports which may vary in its precise form varies, but it is relatively 'free-form' fighting, with enough rules, customs, or agreements to make injuries unlikely. Langot. Langot (लंगोट) or langota (लंगोटा), also Kaupinam (कौपिनम) or kaupina (कौपिन), is a traditional style of Indian loincloth for men, worn as underwear in  dangal held in akharas. It is now mainly used by men when exercising and other intense physical games especially wrestling, to prevent hernias and hydrocele. Langota, mostly worn by wrestlers, is a sewn undergarment which covers the buttocks and groin. A kaupina, mostly worn by ascetics or by older men in many parts of India, is a similar but unsewn garment that does not cover the buttocks and instead it passes between the buttocks. Major Martial Arts Akharas. The major traditional Indian-origin martial arts akhara, mostly focused on wrestling and Pehlwani, by state include: Shashtra Monastic Akhara. "Shastra" (Sanskrit  and Hindi: शास्त्र) means treatise, scriptures or the school of thoughts based on those. There has been a long monastic tradition of obtaining "Shashtra Vidhya" (knowledge of Sashtras) in various Sampradaya schools of thoughts in Hinduism, where disciples could learn one or more of the following in a monastic setting: Hindu scriptures, Yoga Sashtra, Vastu shastra (architecture), Vaimānika Shāstra (ancient aerospace technology), Jyotiḥśāstra (astrology), Nadi Sashtra (fortune telling), Rasa shastra (medicine), Shilpa Shastras (arts and craft), Natya Shastra (dance, drama and performing arts), Tantra, Para Vidya (Higher scholar), Madhu-vidya (knowledge of bliss), and so on. Organization of Monastic Akhara . According to some texts, an akhara is governed by the sacred body of five "Sri Pancha" and organized into 52 Matha (Sanskrit: मठ) or "Marhi" (Hindi: मढ़ी). Many assume 52 "Marhi" to refer to 52 lineages but they refer to 52 Desas (countries). These 52 Marhis are divided into 8 "Davas" corresponding to 8 directions. The maths are permanent centres of monastic practice with physical structures, led by a "mahant" or spiritual leader. Though not all akharas follow this structure, mainly due to the insufficient size. For example, smaller akhara, some as small as having only one marhi, may be  set up either as a subsidiary affiliate to a larger and more established older akhara group or occasionally an independent akhara due to the disagreements over succession. Akharas can march as subsidiary akhara under the current preferential order of sequence in the "Shahi Snan" during "Kumbh Mela" or they are given the last place if their claim for the independent akhara is approved by the authorities. Sri Pancha. According to the texts, the top administrative body of each of the akhara is the "Sri Pancha" (sacred body of five), representing Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti and Ganesha. It is elected by  consensus from among the Mahants of Matha or "Marhi" (Sanskrit: मठ and Hindi: "मढ़ी ") that make up an akhara on every Kumbha Mela and the body holds its post for 4 years. It is a concept similar to centuries-old Indian republican consensual elective system of Panchayat (at an individual village level) and Khap (grouping of the related villages within a union). Among the five elected "Sri Pancha" of the akhara, they hold the following positions in the decreasing order of seniority, all of which can be considered guru in their own right: Sampradaya-based Classification of Akharas. At highest  level, "akhara" are classified into one of the four different Sampradaya (philosophical denominations) based on their traditional systems: Each sampradaya has several paramparas (lineages), each started by a guru based on the guru-shishya tradition. The subsidiary status is as per the traditional "Shahi Snan" preferential sequence of procession, though time to time several subsidiary akharas have unsuccessfully tried with authorities to have this sequence altered as the number of their followers grew. Initially there were only 4 akharas based on the sampradaya (sect), which have split into subsidiary akharas due to differences in the leadership and expansion in the  followership. In January 2019, there were 13 akharas that are allowed to participate in Prayagraj Kumbh Mela and they have formed the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad with 2 representatives from each of the 13 akharas to manage the akhara-related affairs across all kumb melas and across the nations. Still-extant Ancient Akharas. The still-extant seven Shastradhari or monastic Hindu akhara founded by the 8th-century philosopher Adi Shankaracharya (also the founder of four Mathas) can be classified, in terms of affiliation and the number of followers, as three major akharas, three minor akharas under major akharas and one  smaller akhara under the major akhara: The akhara with the most sadhu is "Juna Akhara", followed by "Niranjani Akhara" and "Mahanirvani Akhara". Among these, today, three are considered major akhara (Juna, Niranjani and Mahanirvani) and three minor akhara (Avahan affiliated with Juna, Ananda affiliated with Niranjani and Atal affiliated with Mahanirvani). The 7th, small Brahmachari (celibate) akhara named Agni is also affiliated with Juna Akhara. Akharas Today. There are numerous other still-extant akharas, founded by the disciples of the existing akharas, that are usually loosely or directly aligned under one of the existing akhara lineage. The Akhil Bharatiya Akhara  Parishad (ABAP) (Hindi: अखिल भारतीय अखाड़ा परिषद, transliterated as All India Akhara Council), founded in 1954, is the apex organisation of 13 akharas of Hindu Sants (saints) and Sadhus (ascetics) representing the largest followership in India. These are entitled to the special privilege of the "Shahi Snan" at Kumbh Mela and Ujjain Simhastha mela in a pre-determined sequence. Akharas Sequence At Kumbh Mela's Shahi Snan. The monastic akhara and their Sri Pancha of various sects meet during the Kumbha Mela. The Naga sadhu and the various akhara traditionally lead and initiate the bathing rituals before the general population  steps in. The order of procession is Further reading. Martial arts akhara Monastic akhara