Akhara, Akhada, is a Hindu organisation of different sects of Sadhus, Sanyasi, Yogis, Vairagis, etc. The history of Akhadas dates back to 2500 BC, the era of Sankaracharya, who established seven Akharas as Dasnaami, Mahanirvani, Niranjani, Atal, Avahan, Agni and Anand Akhara.
As per some other legends, Akaras were set up by Gorakhnath and not Shankaracharya.
Presently, there are three major Akhara Sampradaya – Saivas Sanyasi Akhada, Vairagi Vaishnava Akhadas and Udasin Sampradaya Akhadas.
Most of the Akhara groups are established and being operated in North Indian states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, etc.
Allahabad, Varanasi, Junagadh, Faizabad, Vrindavan, Haridwar, Rishikesh, etc. are major towns where Akharas are established and operated from.
| Sampradaya | Name Of Akharas | Adrress of Akharas |
|---|---|---|
| Saivas Sanyasi Akhada | Shri Panchayati Akhada Mahanirvani | DaraGanj Prayag Allahabad |
| Shri Panch Atal Akhada | Chaak Hanuman KatuhaPura Kasi Varanasi | |
| Shri Panchayati Akhada Niranjani | 47/44 Mori Daraganj Prayag | |
| Taponidhi Shri Anand Akhada Panchayati | Swami Sagaranad Asharm Trikamsevar Nashik | |
| Shri Panchadashnam Juna Akhada | Bada Hanuman Ghat kasi,Varanasi | |
| Shri Panchadashnam Ahvan Akhada | D 17/122 Dashasmeva ghat kasi,Varanasi | |
| Shri Panchadashnam PanchaAgni Akhada | Talhati Girinagar po Bhavnath junagar(GJ) | |
| Vairagi Vaishnava Akhadas | Shri Digambarani Akhada | Samalaji Khaka chauka mandir Sambar Kantha GJ |
| Shri Nirvani Akhada | Shri Ahyodhya ji Hanuman Gadi Faizabad | |
| Shri Nimrohiani Akhada | Shri Nimrohiani Akhada Dhir Samir mandir vanshivat virndavan |
|
| Udasin Sampradaya Akhadas | Shri Panchayati Bada Udasin Akhada | Krishna Nagar Kiidganj Allahabad, |
| Shri Panchayati Akhada Naya Udasin | Kankhal Haridwar | |
| Shri Nirmal Panchayati Akhada | Sita ghat road kankhal Haridwar |