Naked Warrior of Kumbha: Naga Sanyasi

The Kumbh Mela is one of the most important largest religious fair in the world of the Hindus.

When we go to the Kumbha Mela and see a Naga (Naga in Sanskrit means mountain, people residing in and around mountains are known as Pahadi or Naga.) Sanyasi or Sadhu many questions come in our mind. Like why are they naked? Who is Naga Sanyasi? What is the Naga tribe? How does The training process of Naga Sanyasi happen? I  will provide some answers to all these questions.

The history of Naga Sanyasi is very old, the traces of legacy are found in Mohenjo-daro coins and images where Naga Sanyasi are shown worshiping Bhagwan Shiv in form of Pashupatinath. When Alexander stayed in India he also meet Naga Sanyasi.

Photo by Roshan Travel Photography

Their devotion for the people and motherland. Jainese Digambar tradition has roots to Naga rituals. When Ahmad Shah Abdali attacked Sanatan Dharma and Hindhu structure then 40,000 Naga Sanyasi fight under one Saffron flag to protect Hindu culture and Vedic tradition of India and defeated Abdali’s army.

The process to achieve Naga Sanyasi position is very difficult and the exercises are so hard that it cannot be compared to the most strenuous preparations of any army around the world. They live in the Akharas, which were established by Shankaracharya. They follow very strict discipline in their life. Naga Sanyasi are famous for being naked and proficient in martial arts. Local people belives Naga Sanyasi were born to protect Indian temples and monasteries from foreign invaders.

Kumbha Mela it is organized once in every three years rotationally at the religious destinations of Ujjain, Nashik, Haridwar and Allahabad (Prayagraj). Now I told the facts of this biggest holy gatherings of Hinduism, the Kumbh Mela attracts as many as 70 million pilgrims from around the world. They come here to attain salvation from the unending cycle of life and death, which is also known as moksha in the religion. It is represents the 12 days and 12 nights (significantly 1 day is equal to 1 human era) of the war between the Gods and Demons. It is believed that during the battle, some drops of the elixir fell on these four places on the earth, which have lent great powers to the water of the rivers flowing at these places. The main ritual of the Kumbh Mela is bathing on the banks of the sacred river Ganga in Haridwar, Sangam at Allahabad.

The Ardha Kumbh Mela is held after every six years, the Purna Kumbh Mela is held after 12 years and Maha Kumbh Mela takes place after 144 years When Sun enters Aries and Jupiter enters Aquarius. It’s repeated after very long gaps.