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A ceremonial procession of Akharas marching over a makeshift bridge over the Ganges river, during the Kumbh Mela at Allahabad, 2001

In Hinduism, Akhara (also akhada, literally "wrestling arena") is an organization of the different sects of Sadhus Vairaghis yogis or Hindu Renunciates.^[1] Its history dates back to the circa 2500 BC when Adi Shankaracharya ^[1] established seven Akharas(possibly 10 as they are also known as Dasnaami), Mahanirvani, Niranjani, Atal, Avahan, Agni and Anand Akhara. Some yogis link these akharas to Gorakhnath rather than to Shankaracharya. Today there are 3 major Akharas (Mahanirvani, Niranjani and 3 minor Akharas (Atal affiliated with Mahanirvani, Anand affiliated with Niranjan. Furthermore there is one small Brahmachari Akhara named Agni. There also numerous minor Akhara's usually set up by disciples as an affiliate to the major group or sometimes due to disagreements on succession or Gurudev of an Akhara.

Akharas are divided into different types according to the concept of God they worship. Shaiva Akharas for followers of Lord Shiva, Vaishnava or Vairagi Akhara for followers of Lord Vishnu and Kalpwasis for followers of Lord Brahma.

An Akhara is divided in 8 davas (divisions) and 52 marhis (centres). Each Marhi is governed by a Mahant. The top administrative body of the Akhara is Shree Panch (the body of five), representing Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti and Ganesha. It is elected on every Kumbh Mela and the body holds its post for 4 years.

The biggest Akhara - based on the number of Sadhus then Niranjani and then Mahanirvani. The first person in the Akhara is the Acharya Mahamandaleshwar, followed by other Mahamandaleshwaras, Mandaleshwaras and Shree Mahants. (All can be considered Gurudevs in their own right).

Traditionally during the Kumbh Mela, the Naga Sadhus, and the 'Akharas', lead and initiate the bathing rituals, before the general population steps in.^[2][3]

The martial Akhara[link]

Unlike the stereotypical image of the passive, mystical sannyasi, the Dasnami Nagas were and to some extent still are known for their military exploits. Their akharas became centers for training in martial arts and weaponry. Ghurye goes so far as to translate akhara to mean “military regiment,” because the Dasnami Nagas were involved in various military campaigns at different times (1953: 116; cf. also Farquhar 1925; J. Ghose 1930; Lorenzen 1978). ^[4]

Basic purpose behind setting up of akharas was to form a band of religious warriors (Dharma Sainiks) who would protect and safeguard the Dharma from social evils.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Akharas at Kumbh Mela at Britannica.com.

Guru Hanuman (Devanagari: गुरु हनुमान) (1930–1999) was a legendary wrestling coach of India who coached many medal-winning wrestlers. He was awarded the prestigious Dronacharya Award in 1987, the highest recognition for a sports coach in India, and the Padma Shri in 1983.^[1]

Early life[link]

Guru was born as Vijay Pal on 15 March 1930, in Chirawa in Rajasthan state. He did not attend school, but began wrestling at the local village akhada from an early age. He moved to Delhi in 1954 to set up a shop near Birla Mills in Subzi Mundi, but instead became a wrestler and soon gained popularity in the field.^[2][3]

Career[link]

The Indian industrialist K. K. Birla gave him land to set up Akhara at in Malkaganj, Subzi Mandi (Old Delhi), thus 'Birla Mills Vyayamshala' was born around 1955, which in time became the Guru Hanuman Akhara.

Both as a wrestler and as a coach, Guru Hanuman was a legend as he created a template for modern Indian wrestling, by mixing traditional Indian wrestling style, pehlwani with international wrestling standards. In time he coached almost all of India's freestyle international wrestlers.^[4] Three of his disciples Sudesh Kumar, Prem Nath and Ved Prakash won gold medals at the Cardiff Commonwealth Games in 1972. Other notable disciples, Satpal and Kartar Singh won gold medals in Asian Games in 1982 and 1986 respectively. Eight of his disciples got the highest Indian sporting honour Arjuna award.^[3]

He was a bachelor and vegetarian. He died in a car crash on 24 May 1999, near Meerut, on his way to Haridwar.^[5]

On August 9, 2003, a statue of Guru Hanuman was unveiled at the Kalyan Vihar Sports Stadium, in New Delhi,by former Delhi Chief Minister, Madan Lal Khurana,^[6]

Guru Hanuman Akhara[link]

This is a wrestlers training centre called akhara in traditional Hindi dialect. It was established in 1925 near Roshanara Park in north Delhi and it soon became the epicenter of Indian wrestling. Situated in the Old Delhi region, this akhara is said to have produced some of the brightest Indian wrestlers.

The young wrestlers training there have an unshakeable belief that the land is blessed. So much that even when the government offered to provide a larger land with better training facilities, most of the wrestlers refused to shift out of the dilapidated buildings. However, due to lack of space, a modern gymnasium was built by the government at some distance from the akhara which is used by the trainees. The akhara is named after Guru Hanuman and currently trains about 200 wrestlers under the guidance of Maha Singh Rao.

References[link]

• Guru Hanuman
• Guru Hanuman Profile

External links[link]

• Moses Of The Mats: Guru Hanuman Outlook
• Guru Hanuman Akhara wikimapia

Baba Deep Singh (Punjabi: ਬਾਬਾ ਦੀਪਸਿੰਘ ਸ਼ਹੀਦ Hindi: बाबा दीप सिंह जी शहीद ) (1682–1757) is revered among Sikhs as one of the most hallowed martyrs in Sikhism and as a highly religious person. He is remembered for his sacrifice and devotion to the teachings of the Sikh Gurus.

He was the first jathedar(Head) of Damdami Taksal^[1] a 300 years old religious school of the Sikhs^[2] which was allegedly founded by last Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh^[1][3][4][5](although no research or historical document supports this was founded by Guru Gobind Singh ^[6]).

His name is also found as Deep Singh (without the "Baba" honorific) and Baba Deep Singh Ji.

Early life[link]

Baba Deep Singh was born in 1682 to a Sikh couple, Bhagata(father) and Jioni(mother).^[7] He lived in the village of Pohuwind in the district of Amritsar.^[8]

He went to Anandpur on the day of Vaisakhi in 1699, where he was baptized as Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh. Deep Singh took Khande di Pahul or Amrit Sanchar (ceremonial initiation into Khalsa). As a youth, he spent considerable time in close companionship of Guru Gobind Singh. He started learning weaponry, riding and other martial skills. From Bhai Mani Singh, he began learning, reading and writing Gurmukhi and the interpretation of the Gurus' words. After spending two years at Anandpur, he returned to his village in 1702 and married and settled down. He was summoned by Guru Gobind Singh at Talwandi Sabo in 1705, where he helped Bhai Mani Singh in making copies of the Guru Granth Sahib. Before departing for Deccan, Guru Gobind Singh installed him as the caretaker of Gurdwara Damdama Sahib^{[citation needed]}.

Warrior[link]

Misldar[link]

In 1709, Baba Deep Singh joined Banda Bahadur during the assaults on the towns of Sadhaura and Sirhind. In 1733, Nawab Kapur Singh appointed him a leader of an armed squad(jatha). On the Vaisakhi of 1748, at the meeting of the Sarbat Khalsa in Amritsar, the 65 jathas of the Dal Khalsa were reorganized into twelve Misls. Baba Deep Singh was entrusted with the Leadership of the Shaheedan Misl.

The Demolition of the Harimandir Sahib[link]

In April 1757, Ahmad Shah Durrani raided Northern India for the fourth time. While he was on his way back to Kabul from Delhi with precious booty and young men and women as captives, the Sikhs made a plan to relieve him of the valuables and free the captives. The squad of baba Deep Singh was deployed near Kurukshetra. His squad freed a large number of prisoners and raided Durrani's considerable treasury. On his arrival in Lahore, Durrani, embittered by his loss, ordered the demolition of the Harimandir Sahib. The shrine was blown up and the sacred pool filled with the entrails of slaughtered cows. Durrani assigned the Punjab region to his son, Prince Timur Shah, and left him a force of ten thousand men under General Jahan Khan.

Baba Deep Singh, aged 75-years old, felt that it was up to him to atone for the sin of having let the Afghans desecrate the shrine. He emerged from scholastic retirement (he had been making copies of the Guru Granth Sahib), and declared to a congregation at Damdama Sahib that he intended to rebuild the temple. Five hundred men came forward to go with him. Deep Singh offered prayers before starting for Amritsar: "May my head fall at the Darbar Sahib." As he went from hamlet to hamlet, many villagers joined him. By the time baba Deep Singh reached Tarn Taran Sahib, ten miles from Amritsar, over five thousand peasants armed with hatchets, swords, and spears accompanied him.

Martyrdom - Two Versions[link]

According to the Sikh legend, Baba Deep Singh had vowed to avenge the desecration of the Golden Temple by the Afghan army. In 1757, he led an army to defend the Golden Temple. The Sikhs and the Afghans clashed, in the battle of Amritsar, at the village of Gohalwar on November 11, 1757,^[9] and in the ensuing conflict Baba Deep Singh was decapitated.^[10]

Version One[link]

The first version has it that Deep Singh continued to fight after having been decapitated, slaying his enemies with his head in one hand and his sword in the other.^[10] In this version, only upon reaching the sacred city of Amritsar did he stop and finally die.^[11] This tale recalls the words of the first Guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji:

Shouldst thou wish to play the game of love,
come unto my Path with thy head on thy palm.
And, once you step unto this path,
You may well give up thy head, rather than the cause.^[12]

Version Two[link]

In the other version it is said "Fighting bravely Singhs pushed the army back and reached village Chabba where General Attal Khan came forward and inflicted a blow on Baba Deep Singh ji which made his neck lean to one side. A Sikh reminded him, "You had resolved to reach the periphery of the pool." On hearing the talk of the Sikh, he supported his head with his left hand and removing the enemies from his way with the strokes of his double-edged sword with his right hand, reached the periphery of Harmindar Sahib where he breathed his last. The Singhs celebrated the Bandhi-Sor Divas of 1757 A.D. in Harminder Sahib".^[13]

The Sikhs recovered their prestige by defeating the Afghan army and the latter were forced to flee.^[14]

The spot where the legend Baba Deep Singh's head fell is marked in the Golden Temple complex, and Sikhs from around the world pay their respects there. Baba Deep Singh's 30 kg^{[citation needed]}Khanda (double-edged sword), which he used in his final battle, is still preserved at Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, one of the five centers of temporal Sikh authority.

See also[link]

• Nawab Kapur Singh
• Misl

References[link]

External links[link]

• Baba Deep Singh
• Shaheed Baba Deep Singh