In North India, the Ekadandi monks have been organizing themselves into yoga akhadas, generally known as Akhāḍas. In the 16th century, Madhusudana Saraswati organised a section of the Naga (naked) tradition of armed sannyasis in order to protect Hindus from the tyranny of the Mughal rulers. These are also called Gusain, Gussain, Gosain, Gossain, Gosine, Gosavi, Sannyāsi, Dasnāmi or Goswami in popular parlance.
Warrior ascetics could be found in Hinduism from at least the 1500s and as late as the 1700s, although tradition attributes their creation to Sankaracharya
Some examples of akhadas currently are the Shri Panchadashanam Juna Akhada of the Dashanami nagas, Shri Panchayati Mahanirwani Akhada, Shri Taponidhi Niranjani Akhada, Shri Taponidhi Anand Akhada, Shri Panchayati Atal Akhada, Shri Panchadashnam Awahan Akhada, Shri Pancha Agni Akhada and Shri Panchayati Akhada at Allahabad. Each akhada is divided into sub-branches and traditions. An example is the Datt Akhada of the naked sadhus of Juna Naga establishment.[web 8]
The Naga sadhus generally remain in the ambit of non-violence presently, though some sections are also known to practice the sport of wrestling. The Dasanāmi sannyāsins practice the Vedic and yogic Yama principles of ahimsā (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), aparigraha (non-covetousness) and brahmacārya (celibacy / moderation). The Dasanāmis are generally believed to be celibate, and grihastas or householder sannyāsis such as Lahiri Mahasaya and Bhupendranath Sanyal (Sanyal Mahāsaya) were a rarity.
The Naga sadhus are prominent at Kumbha mela, where the order in which they enter the water is fixed by tradition. After the juna akhada, the niranjani and mahanirvani akharas proceed to their bath. Ramakrishna Math Sevashram are almost the last in the procession.
Maha Shivratri is a Hindu festival celebrated every year in reverence of Lord Shiva. It is also known as padmarajarathri. Alternate common names/spellings include Maha Sivaratri, Shivaratri, Sivarathri, and Shivaratri. Shivaratri literally means the great night of Shiva or the night of Shiva. It is celebrated every year on the 13th night/14th day of the Maagha month of the Hindu calendar.
Source: Wikipedia.T
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