Among the Bairagis, besides the four Sampradayas or main orders,
there are seven Akharas. These are military divisions or schools for
training, and were instituted when the Bairagis had to fight with the
Gosains. Any member of one of the four Sampradayas can belong to any
one of the seven Akharas, and a man can change his Akhara as often as
he likes, but not his Sampradaya. The Akharas, with the exception of
the Lasgaris, who change the red centre line of the Ramanandis into
a white line, have no special sect-marks. They are distinguished by
their flags or standards, which are elaborately decorated with gold
thread embroidered on silk or sometimes with jewels, and cost two
or three hundred rupees to prepare. These standards were carried
by the Naga or naked members of the Akhara, who went in front and
fought. Once in twelve years a great meeting of all the seven Akharas
is held at Allahabad, Nasik, Ujjain or Hardwar, where they bathe and
wash the image of the god in the water of the holy rivers. The quarrels
between the Bairagis and Gosains usually occurred at the sacred rivers,
and the point of contention was which sect should bathe first. The
following is a list of the seven Akharas: Digambari, Khaki, Munjia,
Kathia, Nirmohi, Nirbani or Niranjani and Lasgari.
The name of the Digamber or Meghdamber signifies sky-clad or
cloud-clad, that is naked. They do penance in the rainy season
by sitting naked in the rain for two or three hours a day with an
earthen pot on the head and the hands inserted in two others so that
they cannot rub the skin. In the dry season they wear only a little
cloth round the waist and ashes over the rest of the body. The ashes
are produced from burnt cowdung picked up off the ground, and not
mixed with straw like that which is prepared for fuel.
The Khaki Bairagis also rub ashes on the body. During the four hot
months they make five fires in a circle, and kneel between them with
the head and legs and arms stretched towards the fires. The fires are
kindled at noon with little heaps of cowdung cakes, and the penitent
stays between them till they go out. They also have a block of wood
with a hole through it, into which they insert the organ of generation
and suspend it by chains in front and behind. They rub ashes on the
body, from which they probably get their name of Khaki or dust-colour.
The Munjia Akhara have a belt made of _munj_ grass round the waist,
and a little apron also of grass, which is hung from it, and passed
through the legs. Formerly they wore no other clothes, but now they
have a cloth. They also do penance between the fires.
The Kathias have a waist-belt of bamboo fibre, to which is suspended
the wooden block for the purpose already described. Their name
signifies wooden, and is probably given to them on account of this
custom.
The Nirmohi carry a _lota_ or brass vessel and a little cup, in which
they receive alms.
The Nirbani wear only a piece of string or rope round the waist, to
which is attached a small strip of cloth passing through the legs. When
begging, they carry a _kawar_ or banghy, holding two baskets covered
with cloth, and into this they put all their alms. They never remove
the cloth, but plunge their hands into the basket at random when
they want something to eat. They call the basket Kamdhenu, the name
of the cow which gave inexhaustible wealth. These Bairagis commonly
marry and accumulate property.
The Lasgari are soldiers, as the name denotes. [106] They wear three
straight lines of sandalwood up the forehead. It is said that on one
occasion the Bairagis were suddenly attacked by the Gosains when they
had only made the white lines of the sect-mark, and they fought as
they were. In consequence of this, they have ever since worn three
white lines and no red one.
Others say that the Lasgari are a branch of the Digambari Akhara,
and that the Munjia and Kathia are branches of the Khaki Akhara. They
give three other Akharas--Niralankhi, Mahanirbani and Santokhi--about
which nothing is known.