Achal Gaccha, also known as theVidhipakṣa orAnchal Gaccha (Hindi:अचलगच्छ or अंचलगच्छ) is one of the four existingGacchas and one of the 84gacchas of theŚvetāmbaraMurtipujaka sect ofJainism.[1][2] It was founded byAcharya Aryarakshitsuri in 1079 CE in response to the laxity that had crept into monasticism. Except for some minors differences, the rules and rituals of Achal Gaccha are similar to all the other existinggacchas of the Śvetāmbara Murtipujaka sect.[3][4][5]
Currently, Acharya Kalāprabhasāgarsuri is thegacchadhipati of Achal Gaccha who was declared as Gunodayasāgarsuri's successor after his demise in 2020. Acharya Kalāprabhasāgarsuri was formally coronated as thegacchadhipati of Achal Gaccha in 2022 inMulund.[6]
Achal Gaccha was founded byAryarakshitsuri in the 11th century CE. Aryarakshitsuri, upset with the wrong practices prevalent in monkhood during that time, decided to reform thesangha and eradicate malpractices and laxity.[8] He, therefore, started investing efforts towards the goal, but when it seemed impossible to perform reforms successfully, he decided to performsallekhana atopPavagadh Hill. Legends say that Aryarakshitsuri was praised bySimandhara inMahavideha Kshetra. Upon hearing this, demigoddessChakreshvari visited Aryarakshitsuri and requested him to give up his vow ofsallekhana. On the next day, a lay follower named Yashodhan came to pilgrimage toPavagadh, where he offered alms to Aryarakshitsuri. Pleased with the monk's lifestyle and wisdom, he became his first lay disciple. Aryarakshitsuri reformed thesangha and enlisted the rules and rituals of the newly formedgaccha.[9] The group of monks who followed Aryarakshitsuri's rules then came to be known as theVidhipakṣa Gaccha.[10][11]
After the reforms, severalacharyas of othergacchas such asShankheshwar Gaccha,Nanak Gaccha,Vallabhi Gaccha,Nadol Gaccha, andBhinmal Gaccha accepted the practices of Aryarakshitsuri and merged their order into theVidhi Pakṣa Gaccha.Jhalori Gaccha,Jhadapalliya Gaccha,Aagam Gaccha,Poornima Gaccha, andSadhupoornima Gaccha partially accepted the practices of theVidhi Pakṣa Gaccha.[2][12] There were a total of 3,517 ascetics in Aryarakshitsuri's order after his reforms. Out of these, 2,202 were monks, and 1,302 were nuns.[13][14]
Another legend that explains howVidhipakṣa Gaccha came to be known as 'Achal Gaccha'. Once,Sidhharāj Jaysingh, the then king ofGujarat, was performingPutra-Kāmeshti Yagya, aHoma to be blessed with a male child. A cow died due to a snake bite at the place where the homa was going on. To successfully complete the homa, it was important for the cow to come out alive. Ministers suggested seeking help fromAryarakshitsuri. The king agreed and requested his help. Aryarakshitsuri, upon seeing this as an opportunity to promoteJainism by helping the king, agreed to it. He entered the cow's body with his magical powers and made the cow walk out of the place. Pleased, the king then named Aryarakshitsuri's order as 'Achal Gaccha' (transl. the one who stayed firm on his words).[2]
In 1154 CE, Hameer, the king of Ratanpur, and his son Jesangde, along with their family, had accepted the12 vows ofŚrāvaka from Aryarakshitsuri and had become lay followers of Achal Gaccha. Jesangde had two other names "Sakhatsangh" and "Malde". His descendants can be identified with surname "Malde" in theOswal community. Apart from that, the ancestors of Sahashguna-Gandhi andVadera clan were also lay followers of Achal Gaccha.[20]
