Tranquil Citadel

• Tranquil Citadel
• शान्तं दुर्गं
• القلعة الهادئة

Shaivism people in their religious attire.
Total population
3 2023
Founder
Sulav Chhetri
Regions with significant populations
Nepal
3
Religions
Hinduism
Scriptures
Bhagavad Gita
Languages
Predominantly spoken: Language English Newari Nepali Arabic Historical: Sanskrit

The Tranquil Citadels are a religious denomination within the Shiavism branch of Hinduism. It is a Micronation based group of Kingdom of Bhalam. The majority of the Tranquil Citadel community resides in Bhalam. It is the official religious sect of Hinduism in Bhalam.

The Tranquil Citadels are a close-knit community who follow the tenets of Hinduism. Their faith is based on the belief in one deity; Lord Shiva. Shiva is known as The Destroyer within the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity which also includes Brahma and Vishnu. In the Shaivite tradition, Shiva is the Supreme Lord who creates, protects and transforms the universe. In the goddess-oriented Shakta tradition, the Supreme Goddess (Devi) is regarded as the energy and creative power (Shakti) and the equal complementary partner of Shiva. Shiva is one of the five equivalent deities in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta tradition of Hinduism.

Etymology and nomenclature

The Tranquil Citadel, a term derived from the Latin "tranquillus" meaning calm or peaceful, encapsulates the essence of a serene and fortified place. The juxtaposition of "Citadel," with its connotations of strength and protection, adds a layer of security to the tranquility. This nomenclature suggests a harmonious balance between peace and resilience, creating an image of a stronghold that stands undisturbed amid the chaos. The etymology of Tranquil Citadel reflects a deliberate choice in language, aiming to evoke a sense of calm within the context of a resilient and steadfast sanctuary.

History

Tranquil Citadel are a subset of the Shaivism sect of the Hinduism. It is established as the official religion sect of Bhalam on 13 December 2023 by His Holiness Sulav Chhetri.

Beliefs and practices

Tranquil Citadel has same beliefs and practices as Shaivism which are as follows: Shaivism centers around Shiva, but it has many sub-traditions whose theological beliefs and practices vary significantly. They range from dualistic devotional theism to monistic meditative discovery of Shiva within oneself. Within each of these theologies, there are two sub-groups. One sub-group is called Vedic-Puranic, who use the terms such as "Shiva, Mahadeva, Maheshvara and others" synonymously, and they use iconography such as the Linga, Nandi, Trishula (trident), as well as anthropomorphic statues of Shiva in temples to help focus their practices. Another sub-group is called esoteric, which fuses it with abstract Sivata (feminine energy) or Sivatva (neuter abstraction), wherein the theology integrates the goddess (Shakti) and the god (Shiva) with Tantra practices and Agama teachings. There is a considerable overlap between these Shaivas and the Shakta Hindus.

Vedic, Puranik, and esoteric Shaivism

Scholars such as Alexis Sanderson discuss Shaivism in three categories: Vedic, Puranik and non-Puranik (esoteric, tantric). They place Vedic and Puranik together given the significant overlap, while placing Non-Puranik esoteric sub-traditions as a separate category.

Two female Shaiva ascetics (18th century painting)

• Vedic-Puranik. The majority within Shaivism follow the Vedic-Puranik traditions. They revere the Vedas, the Puranas and have beliefs that span dualistic theism style Shiva Bhakti (devotionalism) to monistic non-theism dedicated to yoga and meditative lifestyle sometimes with renouncing householder life for monastic pursuits of spirituality. The Yoga practice is particularly pronounced in nondualistic Shaivism, with the practice refined into a methodology such as four-fold upaya: being pathless (anupaya, iccha-less, desire-less), being divine (sambhavopaya, jnana, knowledge-full), being energy (saktopaya, kriya, action-full) and being individual (anavopaya).
• Non-Puranik. These are esoteric, minority sub-traditions wherein devotees are initiated (dīkṣa) into a specific cult they prefer. Their goals vary, ranging from liberation in current life (mukti) to seeking pleasures in higher worlds (bhukti). Their means also vary, ranging from meditative atimarga or "outer higher path" versus those whose means are recitation-driven mantras. The atimarga sub-traditions include Pashupatas and Lakula. According to Sanderson, the Pashupatas have the oldest heritage, likely from the 2nd century CE, as evidenced by ancient Hindu texts such as the Shanti Parva book of the Mahabharata epic. The tantric sub-tradition in this category is traceable to post-8th to post-11th century depending on the region of Indian subcontinent, paralleling the development of Buddhist and Jain tantra traditions in this period. Among these are the dualistic Shaiva Siddhanta and Bhairava Shaivas (non-Saiddhantika), based on whether they recognize any value in Vedic orthopraxy. These sub-traditions cherish secrecy, special symbolic formulae, initiation by a teacher and the pursuit of siddhi (special powers). Some of these traditions also incorporate theistic ideas, elaborate geometric yantra with embedded spiritual meaning, mantras and rituals.

Shaivism versus other Hindu traditions

Shaivism sub-traditions subscribe to various philosophies, are similar in some aspects and differ in others. These traditions compare with Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism as follows:

Comparison of Shaivism with other traditions

	Shaiva Traditions	Vaishnava Traditions	Shakta Traditions	Smarta Traditions	References
Scriptural authority	Vedas, Upanishads and Agamas	Vedas, Upanishads and Agamas	Vedas and Upanishads	Vedas and Upanishads
Supreme deity	Shiva	Vishnu	Devi	None (Considers Parabrahman to be so)
Creator	Shiva	Vishnu	Devi	Brahman principle
Avatar	Minor	Key concept	Significant	Minor
Monastic life	Recommends	Accepts	Accepts	Recommends
Rituals, Bhakti	Affirms	Affirms	Optional	Optional
Ahimsa and Vegetarianism	Recommends, Optional	Affirms	Optional	Recommends, Optional
Free will, Maya, Karma	Affirms	Affirms	Affirms	Affirms
Metaphysics	Brahman (Shiva), Atman (Self)	Brahman (Vishnu), Atman	Brahman (Devi), Atman	Brahman, Atman
Epistemology (Pramana)	1. Perception 2. Inference 3. Reliable testimony 4. Self-evident	1. Perception 2. Inference 3. Reliable testimony	1. Perception 2. Inference 3. Reliable testimony	1. Perception 2. Inference 3. Comparison and analogy 4. Postulation, derivation 5. Negative/cognitive proof 6. Reliable testimony
Philosophy	Dvaita, qualified advaita, advaita	Vishishtadvaita, Dvaita, qualified advaita, advaita	Shakti-advaita	Advaita, qualified advaita
Salvation (Soteriology)	Jivanmukta, Charya-Kriyā-Yoga-Jnana	Videhamukti, Yoga, champions householder life	Bhakti, Tantra, Yoga	Jivanmukta, Advaita, Yoga, champions monastic life

Office and administration

The office of the Maha'raja-dhiraja, known as Mulkaji, is the Head of the Tranquil Citadel.

The Tranquil Citadels is runned on the belief of equal distribution of power to all so it have different official posts.

There are several office posts which are as follows:

• Maha'raja-dhiraja
• Maha'-raja
• R'aja
• Mul'-kaji
• Ka-ji
• Jima'bwol
• Dew'-an
• Mukhi'ti-yar