Mahanirvani Akhara or Shri Panchayati

Akhada Akhara or Akhada (Hindi: अखाड़ा, romanised: ''Akhāṛā'') 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 ...

Mahanirvani (श्री पंचायती अखाड़ा महानिर्वाणी in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

and

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

) is a

Shaivite Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the supreme being. It is the second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million Hindus, found widely across South Asia (predominantly in ...

shastradhari (spiritual script bearer)

. It is one of the three major (of seven total) shastradhari akhadas in

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

tradition.

Introduction

Although according to tradition the heritage of Mahanirvani Akhada is ten thousand years old, it was formally organized in 748 CE.A history of Dasnami Naga Sanyasis http://dspace.wbpublibnet.gov.in:8080/jspui/handle/10689/9526 In that year, a group of seven sadhus of Atal Akhada performed

tapas Tapas () are appetisers or snacks in Spanish cuisine. They can be combined to make a full meal and are served cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or hot (such as , which are battered, fried baby squid; or , spicy potatoes). In some bars ...

(intense spiritual disciplines) at a place called

Gangasagar Gangasagar is a village and a gram panchayat in the Sagar CD block in the Kakdwip subdivision of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Legend According to regional legend, Kardama made a pact with Vishnu, in ...

. They received the

darshan Darshan, a Sanskrit word meaning "sight" or "viewing", may refer to: Ceremony and religion * Darshan (Indian religions), the auspicious sight of a divine image or holy person; also a school of Hindu philosophy * Darshan (Judaism), a Scriptural ...

(divine vision) of the saint

Kapila Kapila () (7th-6th-century BCE), also referred to as Cakradhanus, is a Vedic sage in Hindu tradition, regarded the founder of the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy., Quote:"Kapila (fl. 550 BC), Vedic sage and founder of the system of Samkhya, ...

Mahamuni. With his blessings, they revived the naga tradition, officially naming it Mahanirvani Akhada near Neel Dhara in

Haridwar Haridwar (; ; formerly Mayapuri) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district. The city is s ...

. Even today, the chief

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

(upaasyadev) of the Mahanirvani Akhada is the legendary saint Kapila Mahamuni. It was formally organized by

Adi Shankaracharya Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (, ), was an Indian Vedic scholar, philosopher and teacher (''acharya'') of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scant, and his true impact lies in hi ...

during his lifetime.

References

Hindu movements Shaivism {{Hinduism-stub