Nirmala

(“free from defilement”) With the
Udasis, one of the two Hindu ascetic
communities tracing its origins to the
Sikh community. According to one tradition, the Nirmala sect was established
by the tenth Sikh guru, Gobind Singh.
On the whole, the Sikh tradition has not
endorsed asceticism, but rather an
active life in the world. The Nirmalas
have a large ascetic center in the northern Indian sacred city of Haridwar,
where they run a primary school. As a
community, the Nirmalas are known far
more for learning and study than asceticism or yoga. At the Kumbha Melas, the
Nirmalas bathe last of all, after the
Sanyasis, Bairagis, and Udasis.