Akhara
Akhara or Akhada (
Etymology
The term akhara, is a gender-egalitarian term,
In some languages such as Odia the word is officially transcribed as akhada, by way of rendering the flapped [ɽ] 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.[citation needed]
- Dashanami Sampradaya has 10 akharas, 6 of which are ancient akharas. The manuscript cited by Sarkar details the genealogy of head of 6 akharas. According to this manuscript, the six military akharas were founded in the following years, Dashanami military kharas had prohibition against eating meat or taking of narcotics:[6]
- 547 CE, Avahan Akhara
- 646 CE, Atal Akhara
- 749 CE, Nirvani Akhara
- 904 CE, Niranjani Akhara
- 1146 CE, Juna Akhara which was originally called "Bhairavi Akhara"
- 1856 CE, Anand Akhara
- Bairagi or Vairagi. Among the Bairagi, those who became part of the military akharas were organised in the 7 akharas founding dates of most of which are unclear. Each of the akhara accepted members from all 4 sects of Vaishnavism. Bairagi military akharas generally did not follow the prohibition against eating meat or taking of narcotics. Vaishnavism has following four major sects and 7 martial akharas:[6]
- subsects or paramparas
- Sri founded by Ramananda
- Brahma founded by Madhava
- Ridra founded by Vishnusuvamin
- Sanakadi founded by Nimbarka
- Martial akharas - total 7:
- subsects or paramparas
- Jaipur State and martial naga sadhus used employed to enforce the payment of taxes. In 1793, Dadupanthis and Jaipur State had an agreement under which Dadhupanthis provided 5000 armed soldier sadhus to defend the Jaipur State. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Dadupanthis acted as auxiliaries who assisted the East India Company forces.[6]
- mughals, most notably against Aurangzeb. Banda Singh Bahadur, also called Banda Bairagi, who fought against Mughals was originally a Vaisnavite Bairagi.[6] Udasiare a Sikh martial akhara.
- Partial list, please help expand.
Historical timeline
In its earliest usage, akhara referred to training halls for professional fighters.
Svinth (2002) traces press ups and squats used by South Asian wrestlers to the pre-classical era.[10] 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).[11]
When the 8th-century philosopher
In 904 CE and 1146 CE,
In 1398 CE,
In 1567 CE,
In 1657/1672 CE, Satnami revellion against Aurangzeb's persecution of Non-Muslims.[6][7]
In 1664 CE, Dashanami Akhara possibly battled Aurangzeb.[6]
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).[13]
In 1770-1820 CE, during
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.[13]
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: three sampradayas are Vaishnava, Shavite and Advait
- Vaishnava sampradaya: has 4 major Guru–shishya traditional paramparas
- Ramanujacharya,
- Madhva Sampradaya parampara of guru Madhvacharya,
- Vallabhacharya
- Nimbarka
- Vaishnava sampradaya: has 4 major Guru–shishya traditional paramparas
- Shaivite sampradaya: has 6 major Guru–shishya traditional paramparas
- Siddha Sampradaya of Shaiva Siddhanta)
- Meykandar Sampradaya[17][18] parampara of guru Meykandar (now known as Saiva Adheenams of Shaiva Siddhanta in South India)
- Trika Sampradaya (also known as Ragasya Sampradaya and Trayambaka Sampradaya)[21][22] parampara of guru Durvasa and Vasugupta who follow Kashmir Shaivism[23]
- Lingayat Sampradaya parampara
- Srouta Sampradaya parampara
- Shaivite sampradaya: has 6 major Guru–shishya traditional paramparas
- Hindu monastic tradition of Ekadandi sannyasins (wandering renunciates carrying a single staff)[24][25][26] generally associated with the Advaita Vedantatradition.
- Bhogavala parampara of guru Govardhana Pīṭhaṃ (Puriin Odisha)
- Bhūrivala parampara of guru Sureśvara at Sringeri Śārada Pīṭhaṃ (in Karnataka)
- Kitavala parampara of guru Dvāraka Pīṭhaṃ(Dwaraka in Gujrat)
- Nandavala parampara of guru Jyotirmathin Uttrakhand)
- Bhogavala parampara of guru
- Paramparās: 3 types (Daiva, Rishi and Manav)
- Daiva-paramparā
- Nārāyaṇa
- Sada Shiva
- Padmabhuva (Brahmā)
- Ṛiṣhi-paramparā
- Vaśiṣṭha
- Śakti
- Parāśara
- Vyāsa[note 2]
- Śuka
- Mānava-paramparā
- Gauḍapāda
- Govinda bhagavatpāda
- Śankara bhagavatpāda, and then Shankara's four disciples
- Padmapāda
- Hastāmalaka
- Toṭaka
- Vārtikakāra (Sureśvara) and others
- Daiva-paramparā
Two types of Akhara: Shashtradhari and Astradhari
When the 8th-century philosopher
- Shastradhari (Sanskrit: शास्त्रधारी, lit. scripture-bearers) intelligentsia.
- sadhus used to serve as mercenaries and thus were divided into akhara or regiments.[2] Akharas' act of self-defence of turning into armed monasteries of mystics,[27][2] also led to the unintended consequence of their sectarian fights among themselves turning into violent armed clashes at Kumbh Melas with disastrous consequence including numerous deaths,[28][29][30] which diminished only after the East India Company administration limited the warrior role of akharas.[31]Presently, Naga sadhu still carry weapons, but they rarely practice any form of fighting aside from wrestling.
Astra Martial Arts Akhara
In modern usage, akhara most often denotes a wrestling ground[2] 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.[33] 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
Langot
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:
- Haryana
In terms of national and international medals, Haryana is India's power house for the power sports due to its culture's focus on hard work, soldiery and sportsmanship.- Ch. Bharat Singh Memorial Sports School
at Nidani village in Jind district.[37] - Narayan Akhara & Yog Samiti at Khanda, India
- Ch. Pratap Singh Memorial Samiti Akhara
atKharkhoda.[37] - CCHAU Giri Center Akhara for Girls and Boys
at CCSHAU Giri Center in Hisar. - Hindu Public School Akhara for Girls and Boys
at Chaudhariwas village of Hisar district, in collaboration with Mahavir Phogat.[38][39] - Guru Ganga Ram Akhara
at Hansi - Guru Haripal Akhara
at Gurgaon, other akharas in the city are at Tripari, Sohna, Nathupur, Daultabad, Badshahpur and Farukhnagar[40] - Guru Leelu Akhara,
at Ladpur in Jhajjar district.[41][42] - Guru Shyam Lal Akhara,
at Arjangarh village of Gurgaon.[41] - Krishan Bhaproda Akhara in Bahadurgarh
- Hanuman akhara
at Hisar. - Lala Diwanchand Modern Wrestling Centre
at Chara village in Jhajjar district[37] - Mahabir Stadium Akhara for Girls and Boys at Mahabir Stadium in Hisar.
- Mahavir Singh Phogat Akhara for Girls and Boys,
at Balali village of Charkhi Dadri district, founded by Mahavir Singh Phogat, the father and coach of Olympian Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari, inspired from their hard work with help of its story line Amir Khan made a movie and made crores out of it Dangal - Purn Giri Akhara at Shamsukh village in Hisar district.
- Tau Devi Lal Stadium Akhara for Girls and Boys at Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Gurgaon.[40]
- Ch. Bharat Singh Memorial Sports School
- Kerala
- Parashurama Akhara
- Maharashtra
- Motibag Akhara, Gnagavesh Akhara, Shahupuri Akhara, ,Kolhapur , established by rajashri Shahu of kolhapur
- Chinchechi Talim Akhara,
at Shukrawar Peth or Pune, founded by Mhaskaji Damodar Pandit in 1773 during the Peshwa rule of Narayan Rao.[41] - Devlachi Talim Akara,
at Mahatma Phule Peth in Pune, founded by Samarth Ramdas in the 16th century.[41] - Hanuman Vyayam Prasark Mandal,
founded in 1914 at Amravati.[43] - Shree Laxminarayan Vyayam Shala,
founded in the 1930s at Arthur Road in Mumbai.[41]
- New Delhi
- Chandgi Ram Akhara,
founded by master Chandgi Ram in 1975, first women's wrestling akhara in India.[44] - Chhatrasal Akhara,
at Chhatrasal Stadium. - Guru Hanuman Akhara,
founded by Guru Hanuman in 1925 at Maujpur.[45] - Guru Jasram Ji Akhara,
founded in the mid 20th century.[41] - Guru Rajkumar Goswami Akhara[41]
- Chandgi Ram Akhara,
- Punjab
- Ranjit Akhara,
founded by Guru Hargobind (1595-1644 CE) at Akal Takht in Amritsar.[46]
- Ranjit Akhara,
- Uttarakhand
- Uttar Pradesh
- Tamil Nadu
- Agastmuni Akhara
- Orissa
- West Bengal
- Nashipur Akhara
Shashtra Monastic Akhara
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 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.[49] 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.[50]
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:
- Acharya Mahamandaleshwara, the Great leader and Teacher of the spiritual order of the God
- Mahamandaleshwara, the senior divisional leader of the spiritual order of the God
- Mandaleshwara, the divisional leader of the spiritual order of the God
- Sri Mahant, the senior spiritual leader
- Mahant, the spiritual leader or master. Each Matha (marhi) within the akhara is governed by a mahant
Sampradaya-based Classification of Akharas
At highest level, akhara are classified into one of the four different
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.[53]
- A. these akharas include the, an exclusive akhara of female sadahavi (saints), was included in Prayagraj Kumbh for the first time starting from 2013 as a subsidiary akhara of one of the existing akhara.
1. Niranjani Akhara and its subsidiary 2. Ananda Akhara,
3. Juna Akhara and its subsidiaries 4. Avahan Akhara and 5. Agni Akhara.[52][50]
6. Pari Akhara
7 - B. Bairagi Akhara (Hindi: बैरागी अखाड़ा) of the followers of Vishnu. Examples of such akharas include the
8. Mahanirvani Akhara (or simply Nirvani) and its subsidiaries 9. Atal Akhara,
10. Nirmohi Akhara and 11. Digambar akhara, and 12. Khalsa akharas.[52][50]
- C.
- D.
Still-extant Ancient Akharas
The still-extant seven
# | Akhara | Subsidiary Akhara | Sub-subsidiary Akhara |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Niranjani Akhara Founded in 904 CE[13] |
Ananda Akhara, attached to Niranjani Akhara | - |
2 | Juna Akhara Founded in 1146 CE[13] |
Avahan Akhara, attached to Juna Akhara | Agni Akhara, attached to Juna Akhara |
3 | Mahanirvani Akhara | Atal Akhara, attached to Mahanirvani 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
Akharas Sequence At Kumbh Mela's Shahi Snan
The monastic akhara and their Sri Pancha of various sects meet during the
The order of procession is
- Mahanirvani akhara with Atal akhara,
- Niranjani akhara with Anand akhara,
- Juna akhara with Ahvahan and Agni akhara,
- Nirvani akhara,
- Digambar akhara,
- Normohi akhara,
- Naya Udasin akhara,
- Bada Udasin akhara, and
- Nirmal akhara.
See also
Notes
- ^ The word commands much more respect and power in the Indian context than its translations in English does.
- Brahmasūtras
Further reading
Martial arts akhara
- Joseph S. Alter, 1992, The Wrestler's Body: Identity and Ideology in North India.
- Rudraneil Sengupta, 2016, Enter the Dangal: Travels through India's Wrestling Landscape.
- Saurabh Duggal, 2017, Akhada: The Authorized Biography of Mahavir Singh Phogat.
Monastic akhara
- Federico Squarcini, 2011, Boundaries, Dynamics and Construction of Traditions in South Asia.
- Leela Prasad, 2012, Poetics of Conduct: Oral Narrative and Moral Being in a South Indian Town.
- Monika Horstmann, Heidi Rika Maria Pauwels, 2009, Patronage and Popularisation, Pilgrimage and Procession.
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- ^ "The Wrestler's Body". Publishing.cdlib.org. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
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- ^ Guru hanuman akhara
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