What is "akhara"

n. 1 A member of an order of ascetic monks in parts of India 2 A monastery used by this order

An akhara ( Sanskrit and Hindi: अखाड़ा, sometimes shortened to khara) is an Indian word for a place of practice with facilities for boarding, lodging and training. It can either refer to a training hall used by Indian martial artists or a monastery for religious renunciates. In the context of the Dashanami Sampradaya sect, the word denotes a regiment. In some languages such as Odia the word is officially transcribed as akhada, by way of rendering the flapped sound as a d. The Haryanvi and Khari Boli dialects shorten this to khada (खाड़ा).

Similar to the English word school, the term akhara can be used to mean both a physical institution or a group of them which share a common lineage or are under a single leadership. Unlike the gurukul in which students live and study at the home of a guru, members of an akhara do not live a domestic or homely life. Some strictly practice Brahmacharya (celibacy) and others may require complete renunciation of worldly life. For example, wrestlers are expected to live a pure life, refraining from sex and owning few material possessions.

Akhara is an organization of the different sects of sadhu, Vairaghi, yogi or Hindu renunciates.

Akhara may also refer to:

• Akhara (album), the third album released by Panjabi Bhangra artist Kulwinder Dhillon
• Akhara, Bhogpur, a village in Panjab, India
• Akhada, a South Asian martial arts training hall