Niranjani Akhara

The name of a subgroup of the Naga
class of Dashanami Sanyasis; a particular type of renunciant ascetic. The
Dashanami Sanyasis are devotees
(bhakta) of the god Shiva, organized
into different akharas or regiments on
the model of an army. Until the beginning of the nineteenth century the
Dashanami Sanyasis’ primary occupation was as mercenary soldiers,
although they also had substantial trading interests; both of these have largely
disappeared in contemporary times.
The Niranjani Akhara is one of the seven
main Dashanami Sanyasi akharas and
along with the Mahanirvani Akhara is
one of the most powerful. This power is
clearly shown by their respective positions in the bathing (snana) processions
at the Kumbha Mela festivals: in
Haridwar the Niranjani Akhara goes
first, followed by the Mahanirvani; at
Allahabad the order is reversed. In 1962
the Juna Akhara acquired the status of a
separate procession, rather than as a
subsidiary of the Niranjani Akhara.
According to the terms of the 1962
agreement, at Haridwar the Juna Akhara
would lead the Sanyasi processions for
the bathing on the festival of Shivaratri,
followed by the Niranjani and
Mahanirvani Akharas. The Niranjanis
would be first for the other two major
bathing days, followed by the Juna and
Mahanirvani Akharas. The Niranjani
Akhara’s ability to command the premier
position is based primarily on their local
strength: the Niranjani Akhara was quite
powerful in Haridwar, where it still owns
significant property. The Mahanirvani
Akhara, however, was based in
Allahabad. Another sign of the Niranjani
Akhara’s status is that it has as a subsidiary group, the Ananda Akhara.
All of the akharas have particular features that define their organizational
identity, especially specific tutelary
deities. The Niranjani Akhara’s tutelary
deity is Skanda, the son of the deities
Shiva and Parvati, and the celestial general commanding Shiva’s supernatural
army. Aside from serving as an identifying marker, the choice of a celestial warrior reflects the akhara’s influence and
former military strength.