The Alekh Cult: A Religion of the Masses.

R.N.Mishra

The Alekh cult which is also known as Mahima Dharma( Religion of Glory) is fast
acquiring the character of a religion in certain parts of central India drawing followers
from the masses and as well as from the elite groups. It is said to have been originated in
the later half of the 19th century from Mahima Gosain(the glorious saint) who lived in the
Kapilas Hill located in the erstwhile feudatory state of Dhenkanal in Orissa. Like all other
religious reform movements of the time, it emerged as a protest movement against the
evils of Brahmanism. Some of the religious and philosophical tenets of Adwaita Vedanta,
Buddhism and Jainism were woven into the cult which gained popularity among the
depressed sections of the society. The cult was based on condemnation of all religious
customs and manners of the well off sections of the society. The converts to this cult
numbered around 20 to 30 thousand in 1867 and their strength went on increasing further
in course of time.
A number of saints and ascetics have contributed to the growth, development and
propagation of the cult as a result of which it has numerous followers not only in the
states of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal in India but also in
some European countries. From a folk cult of the tribal and down trodden people of the
feudatory states of Orissa, it has developed into a broad based religion with devotees
spread far and wide.
Certain myths and beliefs are associated with Mahima Gosain, the originator and his
immediate follower Bhima Bhoi. The devotees attribute a good number of compliments
to Mahima Gosain. He is variously known as the Lord of Glory, The Indescribable
Master (Alekh Swami), the Indescribable nude saint (Alekh Abadhut) and the Great
Master etc. Local traditions relate to him as a saint, who wallowed in dust, who did not
take any food for 12 years while meditating on the hill-top, and then he lived on fruits for
another 12 years and on milk for a further period of 12 years. He is said to have directly
descended from the space and was never born unlike a human being. He is said to have
started his meditation on the Himalayas before coming to Orissa.
Bhima Bhoi who belonged to Khond tribe was his ardent follower. His devotional songs
are popular not only with the followers of the religion but also with the elite groups and
people in general. He is also regarded as the saint poet and has a place among the notable
Oriya poets. His works bring out the essence of his religious belief and guide the
devotees in their path of meditation. A few are of the opinion that in 1875 A.D. Bhima
Bhoi by a gift of divine grace himself proclaimed the novel injunctions of Mahima
Dharma. He is said to have hailed from a small village Gramadiha in Rairakhol feudatory
state. He took a Brahmin wife and had some children. He lived a major part of his life in
the village Khaliapali in the princely state of Sonepur till his death. At present the
devotees have built a beautiful temple in the village dedicated to his memory.

A follower of the cult.

Beliefs and Practices
It is regarded as a non-ritualistic religion unlike the Brahminism. It despises idol worship
and is said to have been based on Visuddha advait Darshan( pure non-dualistic
philosophy). It is against the otherworldliness propagated by the Vedic Religion. The
supreme Master, according to the followers, is without attributes, colour, shape,
destruction, beginning or end. He is identical with the void. In their temples there is no
idol and there is an opening at the top on which the devotees have to focus their attention.
Love for fellow beings and non-violence is the mainstay of the religion.

The cult has two kinds of followers, the monks and the house-holders. It is also known as
Kumbhipatia religion .The founder of the religion created the first order of ninety-two
monks and gave them to wear the bark of a tree known as Kumbhi. The second order of
monks who wore the bark of the tree numbered more than a hundred. Subsequently,
another order of monks who wore a small piece of saffron cloth at the waist (kaupini) was
also admitted to the cult. As a result, depending on the type of apparel used by the monks,
there are two distinct groups. The status of the monk wearing the bark of the tree is
considered superior to that of the other group. They roam about the villages to propagate
their religion among the house-holders. They do not believe in the Indian caste system
and accept food from all. They, how ever, refrain from taking food from a king, a
Brahmin-priest, barber, fallen women and a washer man. For them, the king stands for
oppression, the Brahmin is the kings associate and an idolater, and the washer man,
barber and prostitutes partake of the sins of all. The followers of the religion get up early
in the morning before the sun- rise and pray to the rising sun. They wear clothes of
saffron colour, fall flat on the ground, keeping their head straight towards the rising sun
and stand up with folded hands looking at the sun repeatedly for sometime. They repeat
the same practice in the afternoon praying before the setting sun. They do not take any
food at night.
The Mahima Gadi Dham
The Mahima Gadi(exalted sacred abode) may be regarded as the central place of the
followers of the religion. It is located in Joranda in the district of Angul in Orissa. The
sacredness of the place lies in the fact that Mhaima Gosain left for his heavenly abode
while in meditation in 1876 at this place. No body could trace his mortal frame as he was
believed to have been directly merged with the void. It is said that the then ruling British
authorities under the orders of Queen Victoria excavated the place to find out his mortal
remains but failed to get any trace of them. The efforts to build a temple and a memorial
ashram were initiated by the ascetics and monks from 1876. At present the Mahima Gadi
Dham is located in a sprawling campus of nearly 80 acres of land. The Mahima Gadi
temple, the open temple (the temple with a void at the top), the temple for fire worship
and the ashram are situated at this site and a large number of pilgrims flock the campus
everyday to have a darshan and worship the fire that is kept permanently ablaze. The
different orders of ascetics, monks and the followers reside in the ashram and maintain
the daily routine of worship. The Mahima shrines are four in number known as Gadi
Mandir,Dhuni Mandir, Akhandbati Mandir and Ghanta Mandir. Women followers are not
allowed to reside in the campus but they can take part in the worship and pay their holy
visits to the site.
The element of protest and the process of integration
The cult originated as a form of protest against the rituals of Hinduism and its patrons.
The adherents viewed the erstwhile ruling chiefs (Raja) as a symbol of tyranny and
oppression. The Raja ruled the people with the support of the Brahmins and other higher
caste people and occupied the central place in all religious practices and was regarded by
people as Gods incarnation on earth. The cult precisely revolted against the social
organization rooted in hierarchy and based on gross inequality. It preached the message

of love and natural human equality. By the time of its inception, the followers of the cult
were very much aggressive against prevalent Hindu way of worship. A group of men and
women attacked the Jagannath temple at Puri with the avowed intention to lay violent
hands upon Jagannath and destroy the image. However, with the passage of time the cult
gained acceptability of the masses and more and more people of the higher castes were
drawn to the cult with hermitages spread far and wide. The exponents of the cult have
earned the reverence of the masses and their religious views have acquired wide
appreciation.
The Magha Mela(Winter Fair)
The Magha Mela is celebrated every year on the full moon day in the month of Magha
according to the Oriya calendar (between January and February).Devotees of the various
sects of the cult offer mass prayer at the fair in Joranda. It is meant for commemorating
the day on which Mahima Gosain,the godhead of the religion, attained salvation.
Thousands of monks and devotees throng the place. Thousands of sadhus,sanyasins and
devotees of both the sects such as the Kaupinidahri ( wearing loin clothes) and the
Bakaldhari (wearing the bark of tree) reach Joranda to offer their prayer for world peace.
The devotees pour tones of pure ghee on the sacred fire chanting Brahma Alekh or
Mahima Alekh The Fair reflects the ideals of Mahima Gosain who envisioned a
classless society free from exploitation of the weak and poor by the feudal ruling chiefs
and the landed gentry. His efforts also aimed at opposing the idea of large-scale
conversion of Hindus to Christianity during the British rule in India.

Worship at the main temple during the last Magh Mela(winter fair) in 2015.

At the moment, Joranda, formerly a nondescript village in central Odisha, reverberates

the message of love and universal brotherhood of Mahima Gosain on the occasion of
Magh mela(winter fair) every year. More and more people across the country and the
globe are drawn to the cult which believes in simple living, love and compassion for the
living beings and communal worship for world peace.
Padma Nilayam, Unit A3/1,Saraswati Vihar,PO:Shankarma,Sambalpur-768006