Naga Sadhus: Brave warriors who helped Maharana Pratap defeat Mughals

Who are Naga Sadhus, brave warriors who helped Maharana Pratap defeat Mughal army: Tombs of Chapli Talab are constant reminder of their bravery

Naga Sadhus are generally called the military sect of Sadhus. They have a total of seven Akharas, which are divided like military regiments.

Naga Sadhus: Brave warriors who helped Maharana

Prayagraj Mahakumbh-2025 is about to begin. 13 Akharas of saints from across the country will participate in it. Naga Sadhus are usually the center of attraction during every Mahakumbh, because their world is so mysterious that very few people know about them. Naga Sadhus are generally called the military sect of Sadhus. They have a total of seven Akharas, which are divided like military regiments.

These Akharas of Naga Sadhus are – Panchdashnami Jun Akhara, Niranjani Akhara, Mahanirvani Akhara, Atal Akhara, Agni Akhara, Anand Akhara and Awahan Akhara. Naga Sadhus are ascetics, but when needed, they do not shy away from taking up arms to protect the nation and religion. Naga Sadhus are also well versed with weapons. There are many such famous stories related to Naga Sadhus where they picked up weapons to defend Dharma.

It is said that when Maharana Pratap of Mewar was fighting against Mughal invader Akbar, Naga Sadhus also supported him. The war in which Naga Sanyasis supported Maharana Pratap was fought between Chapli talab and Ranakada Ghat in Rajasthan. The Mughals were defeated in this war. The tombs of the sacrificed sanyasis are still present there.

In 1666, Aurangzeb’s army attacked the Haridwar Kumbh as part of its campaign against Hinduism. During that time, Naga Sanyasis gathered the sadhus and saints and fought and drove away the invading army. Similarly, in 1751, Ahmed Ali Bangas attacked during the Prayagraj Kumbh. At that time, 50 thousand Naga Sanyasis forced Bangas’ army to flee.

When Aurangzeb attacked the Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, these sanyasis took up arms to protect the temple. These sanyasis saved Varanasi from Aurangzeb. There was a fierce battle between Aurangzeb’s army and these sanyasis which led to a lot of bloodshed. Seeing the skills of the Naga sanyasis with weapons, Aurangzeb passed an order banning them from keeping weapons.

The Naga sadhus of Jun Akhada also stopped the Afghan invader Ahmed Shah Abdali from looting Mathura-Vrindavan in 1757 AD. Due to this, Abdali’s dream of looting Gokul remained a dream. The Naga sadhus also fought a fierce war with the Nizam of Junagadh in Gujarat. In this war, the Naga sadhus defeated the Nizam and his army.

The Naga Sadhus also fought against the British. The Sanyasi war against the British is very famous in Bengal. Bangla poet Bankim Chandra Chatterjee has written about this in his book ‘Anand Math’. The song Vande Mataram from this book is our national song today. Naga Sadhus have also been a part of the struggle for the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya.

How to become a Naga Sadhu:

To become a Sanyasi of the Akhara, one has to fulfill a resolution lasting 12 years. The person who takes this resolution is called Brahmachari. During celibacy, the person is taught the rules and traditions of the Akhara. During this, one has to serve the Guru. When 12 years of Brahmacharya is completed, then in the upcoming Kumbh, one is initiated as a Naga Sadhu.

Initially, initiation of Sanyas is given by the Guru. All things are worn on the body by chanting mantras etc. After this, Vijay Sanskar is performed. In Vijay Sanskar, the person taking Sanyas is cut off from worldly attachments by performing Pind-daan and other sacrifices. After receiving Aahuti Diksha, the process of becoming a Naga Sanyasi begins.

During this Sanskar, all the sadhus are gathered under the Dharma Dhwaj and then initiation of Naga Sadhu takes place. During this, a separate Guru is appointed, who is a Digambar. After this, Nagas are put on duty in the Akharas. Naga Sadhus usually carry trident, sword, conch in their hands and wear Rudraksha around their neck and body.