WRESTLE MANIA: KUMBH STYLE

The world's biggest congregation, the Ardh Kumbh Mela which begins in Allahabad on Wednesday, is never complete without the Akhada sadhus.

An akhada (a place where a wrestling bout is held) is usually a place for wrestlers, but at the Kumbh, the players are none other than the sadhus.

The goal of the akhadas, some more than 1,500 years old, is to protect the Hindu religion.
“There are 13 akhadas in all in our country. The first few akhadas were set up Shankaracharya,” says Mahant govindachrya Bhramachari, Agni Akhada.

The biggest of the akhadas is the Juna akhada which has more than 60 lakh sadhus. Of all the sadhus, the Naga sadhus are the most popular and visible as they are more aggressive and carry weapons.
“We'll retaliate with weapons if the need arises,” says Mahant Rajabharti of Juna Akhada.

Life at an akhada is a sharp contrast of colour and austerities. If you walk inside and take a look, you can spot a sadhu wearing 21,000 rudraksh beads. He says he has come way from the mountains, and claims to survive on herbs. But here he teaches how to prepare marijuana pipes.

Inside the akhada, one stumbles upon sadhus of foreign origin too. But what do they like most about life in akhadas? “There is a feeling of togetherness, guru, life,” says Arjun Bharti of Aawahan Akhada.

The story if akhadas is actually incomplete without the colours. You feel an extremely overpowering energy once you walk inside. The sadhus inside the akhadas may be worshipping different deities and incarnations. But their aim is the same – purity of mind and purity of soul.