In 2013 His Divine Holiness Nithyananda Paramashivam was declared as the Acharya Mahamandaleshwar and successor by the current head of the Atal Akhada Mahant Sri Sukhdevanandji Maharaj. Speaking on the occasion of HDH Nithyananda Paramashivam’s Avatara Dina Brahmotsava (Celebrations) he said:
“The Guru who disperses the darkness leads us towards light. Such Guru is higher than Paramatma because we do not know Paramatma (Supreme) we have not seen Paramatma we have not recognised Paramatma, but guru is in front of us. The Holiest being who is present here has come out of you. Lotus borns out of mud only. But the smell of mud is never there.The lotus has divine beauty and smell. So today I had the direct darshan of Satyam (ultimate Truth), Shivam (auspiciousness) and Sundaram (eternal joy). The other thing is that I am very happy to say this I am the Atal Peethadheeshwar, possibly in the womb of the future it is already stored but I announce that in the near future Swami Nithyananda ji will be felicitated as Acharya Mahamandaleshwar of Atal Peetha.”
~ Atal Akhada Mahant Sri Sukhdevanandji Maharaj
The Atal Akhada is the source of all the 13 Akhadas of which the Mahanirvani Akhada is also one. Acharya Mahamandaleshwar is the person who sets direction for the Akhada. His Divine Holiness Nithyananda Paramashivam being declared as the successor to the Atal Akhada makes him perhaps the only person to head not just one but two of the 13 major Akhadas.