Nagas are not ordinary Sadhus but ferocious warrior monks also called as Gosai. In order to be a Naga Sadhu disciple needs to go through a long and difficult process which is not very easy. It takes one almost 6 years just to get included in the Naga Pnantha. During the tenure the disciple is not permitted to wear anything but a Langot (traditional Indian underwear).
They relinquish the Langot at Kumbhmela after taking their final vow. A disciple has to remain Bramhachari for a long time then he is termed as Mahapurush and then Avdhoot. The final ritual includes Pind-dan and Dandikarma of his own and thus renouncing attachment from all worldly feelings and relations.
Naga Sadhu History
History of Naga Sadhus dates back to the time of Adi Guru Shankaracharya who was born in 5th century B.C. During the period the condition of Indians was not so good in either contexts. India was continuously facing foreign infiltration and chaotic conditions were pervaded across the country. Conditions were also not so good on religious grounds too. To make the situation better it required concrete and appropriate measures.
Sri Shankaracharya established four Mathas which are 1. Jyotishpeeth Badrikashram 2. Dwarika Shardapeeth 3. Shringeri peeth 4. Govardhan Peeth . He established the current form of Sanatan Dharma. Question still remained who was going to protect Dharma and Temples on the warrior front? Warrior sects of Sadhus of different religious communities (Shaiv, Vaishnav etc.) were created.
Mathas were formed that focused on making warrior monks and were called as Akhadas.
Akhadas were obliged to protect Math, Mandir and Shradhalu (devotees). Naga Sadhus have fought many times against foreign invasion. After horrific incidents at Mathura-Virindawan when Ahmad Shah Abdali infiltrated Gokul he was confronted by Naga Sadhus and Abdali had to turn back.
In the year 1280 under the leadership of Mahant Bhagvanandgiri 22,000 Naga Sadhus rescued the temple of Kankhal from invading army.
In era of 1664-1669 it was Naga Sadhus who protected the Kashi Vishwanath temple from multiple attacks by Mugal Ruler Aurangzeb Alamgir.
13 Akhadas of Naga Sadhus
After independence Akhadas abolished their military character. At present there are 13 major Akharas in which Mahants are the highest authorities. There are 7 Shaiv, 3 Vaisnav and 3 Udasin Akhadas. 13 Akhadas are illustrated as :-
1. Shri Panchayati Taponidhi Niranjani Akhada:- This Akhara was established in 826 A.D at Gujrat, Mandvi. Their Isht Dev ( primary deity) is Kartikswami or Sri Kartikeya. In this Akhara, Digambar, Sadhu, Mahant and Mahamandaleshwar are there.
It also has its branches in Prayagraj, Ujjain, Haridwar, Trayambkeswar and Udaypur. Its also beleived that at present this Akhara has maximum numbers of highly educated Sadhus with Masters and Ph.D degrees.
2. Shri Junadatt Akhda or Juna Akhada:- It is also called as Bhairav Akhada. The actual name of this Akhada is Bhairav Akhada, the name was changed after unfortunate annihilation of Sadhus of Bhairav Akhada by Nizam Of Junagadh. There was a conflict between Bairav Akhada and Junagadh, when the ruler of Junagadh failed in battle field he poisoned the Sadhus after inviting them for a treaty.
This Akhada was established in 1145 A.D at Uttarakhand Karnaprayag. Isht Dev of the Akhada is Sri Dattatrey. The central headquarters of the Akhada is at Banaras, Hanuman Ghat.
3. Shri Mahanirvan Akhada:- This Akhada was established in 681 A.D however, there is controversy behind the birth place of the Akhada it is beleived by a few that the birth place of this Akhada is Baidyanathdham, Jharkhand while others have the opinion that it is Haridwar near Nil Dhara. It has its branches in Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain, Trayambakeshwar, Omkareshwar and Kankhal.
4. Shri Atal Akhada:- This Akhada was established in 569 A.D in the Gondwana province of that time. The Isht Dev of this Akhada is Sri Ganesh. The primary peeth of the Akhada is at Patan but it also has its branches in Kankhal, Haridwar, Prayagraj, Ujjain and Trayambakeshwar.
5. Shri Avahan Akhada:- It was established in 646 A.D . Ishta Dev of Akhada is Sri Dattatrey and Gajanan. The center of Akhada is Kashi but it has Ashram at Rishikesh too.
6. Shri Anand Akhada:- Its establishment dates back to 855 A.D. It has its center at Banaras. It has its branches at Prayagraj, Haridwar and Ujjain.
7. Shri Panchagni Akhada:- It was established in 1136 A.D. Ishta Devi of the Akhada is Gayatri and center is Kashi. It also has its branches in Prayagraj, Haridwar, Trayambakeshwar and Ujjain.
8. Shri Naagpanthi Gorakhnath Akhada:- This was established in 866 A.D at Ahilya-Godavari Sangam by Peer Shivnath Ji. The primary deity is Shri Gorakhnath.
9. Shri Vaishnav Akhada:- This Balanand Akhada was established in 1595 at Darganj Shri Madhyamurari.
10. Shri Udasin Panchayati Bada Akhada:- This was established by Sri Chandracharya Udasin. It has its branches at Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain, Trayambakeshwar, Bhadauni, Kankhal, Sahebganj, Multan, Nepal and Madras.
11. Shri Udasin Naya Akhada:- This was established in 1710. It was established by Sadhus who got differentiated from Bada Akhada. It has its branches in Haridwar, Ujjain and Trayambakeshwar.
12. Shri Nirmal Panchayati Akhada:- This is an Akhada with maximum number of Sikh Sadhus. Sri Gurugranth Sahab is the book of worship in this Akhada. It has its branches in Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain and Trayambakeshwar.
13. Nirmohi Akhada:- It was established in 1720 A.D by Ramanandcharya. Math and temples of this Akhada are in U.P, Uttarakhand, M.P, Rajasthan, Gujrat and Bihar.
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