Akhara

An akhara (Sanskrit and Hindi: अखाड़ा, sometimes shortened to khara) is an Indian word for a place of practice with facilities for boarding, lodging and training. It can either refer to a training hall used by Indian martial artists or a monastery for religious renunciates. In the context of the Dashanami Sampradaya sect, the word denotes a regiment. 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).

Similar to the English word school, the term akhara 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. Unlike the gurukul in which students live and study at the home of a guru, members of an akhara do not live a domestic or homely 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, refraining from sex and owning few material possessions.

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 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. When the 8th-century philosopher Adi Shankaracharya founded the Dashanami Sampradaya, he divided the ascetics into two categories: Astradhari (Sanskrit: अस्त्रधारी, lit. weapon-bearers) or warriors and Shastradhari (Sanskrit: शास्त्रधारी, lit. scripture-bearers) or intelligentsia. The former referred to the Naga sadhus, an armed order created by Shankaracharya to act as a Hindu army. These highly militant sadhu used to serve as mercenaries and thus were divided into akhara or regiments. Although they still carry weapons, the modern Naga sadhu rarely practice any form of fighting aside from wrestling. 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.

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