Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad

The Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP) is one of the organizations of Hindu sants and sadhus in India, headquartered in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, and functioning as an umbrella council for thirteen monastic orders, or akharas, within Hindu tradition. It was established in 1954 following a fatal stampede at that year's Allahabad Kumbh Mela, formed to unite the participating akharas for better management of major pilgrimage gatherings, an effort led by Anantpuri Maharaj, secretary of the Mahanirvani Akhara, with each member akhara contributing two officials to the governing council. The organization brings together three categories of akharas, seven Shaiva groups devoted to Shiva, three Vaishnava groups devoted to Vishnu, and three Udasi and Nirmala akharas, with the Juna Akhara as its largest member; it has been led by Mahant Ravindra Puri since October 2021. The ABAP coordinates religious activities, manages Kumbh Mela logistics, and maintains spiritual traditions as a leading Hindu leadership organization. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/