Ani is a shortened version of the Sanskrit word anika, which means "army," according to legend.
- The Bairagi Nagas, ascetic merchants and mercenary warriors who were devotees (bhakta) of the deity Vishnu, were a significant organizational division.
- The Digambara, Nirmohi, and Nirvani are the three Bairagi anis now in existence.
- These anis were formerly real combat units, but nowadays these differences are mostly used to establish bathing (snana) order in the Kumbha Mela bathing processions.
- The Digambaras are the most significant of the three anis, and they take priority over the others at the Kumbha Mela.
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