The Genesis of Sanyasi Akhadas in battle of Rajasthan in the 8th Century ?
By Dr. Manish K Mokshagundam
The Battle of Rajasthan is a battle in the eighth century AD when the Hindu Rajput clans defeated the Muslim Arab invaders under Junaid (the successor of Mohammad Bin Qasim). Is extremely noted worthy because all sources (Hindu and Muslim) agree on the broad outline of the conflict and the result, there is no detailed information on the actual battle. There is also no indication of the exact places where these battles were fought
However, what is clear is that the final battle took place somewhere on the borders of modern Sindh-Rajasthan. Following their defeat the remnants of the Arab army fled to the other bank of the River Indus. I believe that this battle and subsequent skirmishes lead to the genesis of the Akhada formations. The history of the Akhadas also point to dating around the 8th Century AD, also the fact that they point to one Guru who started these organized fighting monks Shrimad Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya also lived during the same time
Adi Shankaracharya (788-820) and a few s set out to defend Hinduism, especially against the Muslim charge that Hinduism was idolatrous. Sankaracharya systematized the intellectual tradition of the Upanishads and started special armies to protect the Dharma by creating the Dasanami Sampradaya – the Akhadas are schools of Hindoo Monks where both Shāsrtras (Religious texts) as well as Shąstras (Weapon training) are taught. The Akhadas’ claim that, properly understood, Hindu rites help simple folk along the path to a pure and transcendent belief in one God and to an absolute truth beyond sensory experience. Shrimad Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya gave a new impetus to orthodox Brahminism. He traveled throughout India, founding many religious schools, and he became a most revered Hindu leader. He imagined a unified reality and described Hinduism as about the realization of a single god in all things
Therefore one may be compelled to believe that the efforts of Shrimad Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya in organizing religious fighting corps and the circumstances demanding a unified Hindu force to counter the Muslim invasions could have triggered off the creation of Akhadas as we see them today. It is these Akhadas that we see participating in the Kumbha Mela to bath and fight get the first opportunity to the Shahi Snans i.e., the Royal Baths. the next KUmbh Mela in Haridwar 2010 will also witness these Akhadas and Holy Hindu Sanyasis and Hindu Naga Babas taking the Holy dip in the sacred waters of the holy river Ganga
