The Juna Akhara is the largest of the orders of sannyasis, renouncers who are devotees of Shiva. The sadhus who come for the Kumbh generally stay in tents in camps called chavni, a term generally applied to military cantonments which is an indicator of the martial role that the naga sannyasis used to play. The Junas' camp is situated right on Railway Road in Hardwar, the main street running through town. I went to see the camp on 25 March 1998. This page includes no photographs, because I didn't have the chance to take any in the Juna Akhara camp. The naked naga sannyasis are famous for not liking to have to their picture taken, and they are infamous for being erratic and even a little dangerous if crossed, a combination which led me to leave my camera in its case.
The camp of the Juna Akhara appeared to me to cover an area of perhaps two or three football fields, but it was hard to get an idea of the area of the place, because I was walking around in circles. I walked between lines of tents. In most there was at least one person, several in some. In almost every tent the dhuni was burning, the fire. Offerings are made in this fire, but it is also used for heat and cooking.
I saw some naga sadhus, but not many. Definitely less than one in ten. There was a steady stream of people walking through the camp who appeared not be be sadhus. Many of the tents had householders sitting in them. Most of the tents had signs on them, so clearly the sadhus in them want to make it possible for someone to find them. When I was wandering in the Agni Akhara's camp next door to the Junas', I eventually came to what appeared to be women's tents. I didn't walk there. No one else was either. The people walking between the men's tents included a few women, but they were quite few.
I saw televisions in a couple of the tents, one was on and several people were watching it. The tents were of varying size and quality. So apparently each occupant or group of occupants provided its own tent. The Akhara owns the land (and in a desirable location, too). The Mela administration of the state of Uttar Pradesh provides them with electricity and water free of charge. The akhara itself then arranges how its members will live in the camp.
The Kumbh is famous for spectacular displays of asceticism. I saw Khare Maharaj in the Juna camp. His name means the Standing King and he is said to have remained standing for several years without ever sitting or lying down as a kind of self-mortification. He had a sort of swing hanging from the top of his tent which he could lean upon when he was too tired to stand. I also saw the a man with a withered hand, who never lowers his arm. Pictures of him have been published in Amar Ujala, the local newspaper.
Sources: My own observations of the Juna Akhara Camp in Hardwar on 25 March 1998.
Copyright J. E. Llewellyn 2001. Updated 4 September 2002.