Real Life Account from the Magha Mela in Allahabad

If you are still wondering about the title yes there is a Magh Mela that happens in Allahabad every year even if there is a Kumbha Mela happening in any of the other 3 places in India…

The main reason for people visiting Allahabad is to take a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam. It is believed that taking a bath here washes away ones sins and grants liberation (Moksha).The Triveni Sangam is the confluence of three of the most revered rivers of India – The Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. We had decided to take a bath here during the Magh Mela which is the annual festival of Allahabad held during the months of Jan-Feb. It is also known as the ‘Mini Kumbh’ as it gets converted to the ‘Maha Kumbh Mela’ every 12 Years. Every day hundreds of people come to take a bath in the purifying waters of the Sangam. But the number increases manifold during this time of the year. This year, though, the Mela held special significance due to the occurrence of Makar Sankranti on the 14th Jan and the coincidence of Mauni Amavasya following the Grahan (Solar eclipse) on the 15th. We were to bathe on these two special days. On both the days my experience was more or less the same except that on the 15th, we had waited for the eclipse to get over to take the bath.

I was a bit apprehensive since I had heard that about 10-20 lakh pilgrims will be taking a bath at the Sangam on the 2 days combined. Finally on the 14th - The Makar Sankrant Day, braving the cold (around 5-8 deg. Cel), I prepared myself both mentally as well as physically to proceed for the Snan (holy bath/dip) at 7 a.m. My mother was the most excited of us, leading and guiding us from the front. The boats which are the most popular mode of transport to the Sangam were closed by the government to avoid unwanted local crowd. We, therefore, hired a cycle rick who dropped us some good 2-3 kms away from the Sangam at a place known as the Minto Park, as vehicles beyond this point were not allowed. Rest of the distance everyone had to cover on foot. From that place, till the eyes could see and beyond, the entire stretch of land leading up to the Sangam, resembled an enormous sea of pilgrims and I could sense my apprehensions come true. But my notions were soon dispelled as I walked the 2 km long journey.

While walking I could see many people carrying sacks containing their belongings, I guess, on their heads walking for miles, having come from all over India. There were people of all ages, genders, babies clinging to their parents, saffron and yellow clad sadhus (sages), and policemen shouting instructions to the devotees. I saw stalls selling everything from tea, fruits, chats, prasads, flowers, diyas even plastic bottles to fill the water of the holiest of the holy. There were puppet shows for the kids, an amusement park, shops selling clothing items like dress materials from Surat, sarees from Banaras, traditional footwear and jewelry from Rajasthan and much more.

The ‘Bhule Bhatke Shivir’ (Lost and Found Camp) loudspeakers were continuously blaring out new names of the people who had got separated from their near and dear ones. I saw people holding onto whatever piece of clothing they could get their hands on of their relatives so that they don’t get separated. The famous hindi film cliché ‘Mele mein bichda hua bhai’ dawned on me and I found the grip of my hand on my brothers jacket tighten. Living in a crowded suburb of Mumbai and having experienced the crowds first hand, I have to admit I had never seen anything like what was before me that day. The sheer number of people overwhelmed me. But it was all well managed as there were numerous entry and exit points and people generally stuck to the Keep Left rule.

Nearing the Sangam, I saw many yellow, blue and white colored tents spread across large areas on both sides of the road. It seemed like a whole city full of tents had come up. My mother told me that people who do Kalpvaas Vrata stay here. I recollected a conversation my father had with a co-passenger in the train while we were coming here. Aged between 55-60 years, we were amazed to know that he was visiting the place to do Kalpvaas. It changed my perception that only Sadhus and Babas do so. People doing Kalpvaas are known as Kalpvaasis and stay in tents for the entire duration of the Mela. He told us that they are required to take a bath at the holy Sangam before sunrise and again before sunset. They eat only once a day so that rest of the day they can devote to meditations, bhajans, sermons and offering prayers to God. For more information on the Kalpavaas Vrata refer the site – http://www.kalpavasi.com/

Besides the Kalpvaasis, many sages, yogis and religious gurus had set up their camps , all adding a different dash of color and a distinct flavour to this unique festival. Religious talks and devotional songs could be heard blaring on the loudspeakers that had been put up by some of these camps. The famed Pandaas were not to be left behind. There were some entire colonies dedicated to them. They could be identified by distinct symbols drawn on fluttering flags. We tried finding ours but could not locate him and proceeded further. The city of tents had something for everyone from markets to eateries even hospitals, all temporarily put up for the event. I could see devotees camped out with women cooking on wood-fires, kneading dough to make chapattis, buying veggies, chatting excitedly, drying clothes and people keeping warm near fires.

An hour passed by and after a tiring but nevertheless stirring walk, we finally reached the Sangam area. Suddenly, the large mob had dispersed to the various ghats spread out in the vast Sangam area and it seemed to me a lot less crowded now. The Triveni Sangam is a confluence of three rivers: the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati as stated earlier. Of these three, I was informed that the River Saraswati is invisible and is said to be flowing beneath the earth and meets the other two rivers from the base. I could easily make out the muddy water of Ganges which was flowing rapidly merging with greenish still water of the Yamuna. The river Yamuna ends at this point while the Ganga continues till it meets the sea at the Bay of Bengal. There were announcements urging the devotees to vacate the ghats as soon as they finish bathing to make way for the next onslaught of bathers. I could see people meditating, performing various rituals, prayers, reading sacred texts, some getting ready for the bath, some coming out shivering after taking a dip, or simply keeping a watch on ones belongings. The one common thing uniting everybody there was The Thread of Faith. However, the sight of little children crying relentlessly being forced to take a bath in such cold water deeply saddened me.



My mother told me that all the Gods are present at the Sangam today and we are blessed to have to have got an opportunity to take a holy dip on the auspicious day which millions other crave for. The meaning of which I realized the moment I arched my back and lowered my head in the spiritually purifying water of the Sangam. I was transcended to a celestial world which crossed all material boundaries. It was an experience which cannot be described in words and can only be felt or understood in person. We all prayed to Maa Ganga and offered holy water to the Sun God to receive His blessings. We then floated a diya and prayed with our eyes closed. Heading back, I saw long bearded turbaned Pandits and poor women along with their children making their way through the crowds asking for donation of clothes, grains and of course money. We too took this opportunity to indulge in some charity. I was told by my mother that any good deed done during this day has a multiplier effect and is ideal for meditation and charity.

Each minute I spent in this captivating carnival was a prayer, every moment of it dipped in divinity; it was truly an expedition of spiritual enlightenment. It is impossible for me to give a picture of everything that was happening in and around the Mela, since my every stride bought with itself a whole new experience. There was so much to see, so much to feel, so much to soak into…believe me, one has to be there , in the midst of it all, to really get a hang of it. Yes, it was crowded and yes it was cold, very cold; but let me assure you of one thing every second of it, is worth a visit.

The Legend of the Holy Rivers of India

The Yamuna is deeply entrenched in the wonderful saga of the birth and childhood of Krishna. Krishna was born in Mathura, a holy city on the banks of the Yamuna and taken across the raging river on a rain-stormy night to Gokul, to be raised by his foster parents Nand and Yashoda. Here, in the pastoral ambience of fragrant gardens and flowers, he grew up as the divine child among cowherds and milkmaids. He romanced with the milkmaids in his Raas Leela on moonlit nights on the banks of the Yamuna and gamboled in her dark waters every day of his life. Yamuna, having touched the blue-toned Krishna, herself became blue in colour in all her portrayals. So also, Krishna being the epitome of romance and love, Yamuna became the river of romance. She was named as his “consort” in Madhurabhakti—a religious cult concurrent with Sufism. Both philosophies decree that “a devotee has only to raise the veil of ignorance to face divinity”. The veiled Yamuna, clad in blue and purple robes and carrying lotuses in her hands, became the Maharani of Krishna, the beloved devotee of his wondrous miracles in Gokul. Through the ages, the portrayals of Yamuna, including a large number of miniature paintings, showed a distinct Sufi influence. As the Maharani of Krishna, she became the eternal bride. Even today, thousands of years later, pilgrims and devotees who trek to Yamunotri—the origin of the river in the Himalayas—offer her bridal fineries with chunris, bangles, tikas and other ornaments.

As she descends into the plains in Himachal Pradesh, Paonta Sahib, the Gurudwara built by Guru Gobind Singh, stands majestically on her banks. Here, legend says, the 10th Guru of the Sikhs, lost his paonta or anklet in the river while bathing. Nearby, the Tons River, joining the Yamuna, creates the romantic spectacle of Sahasradhara, where a thousand streams dance down the rocky landscape to create a visual wonder. Further down stands the Taj Mahal, the world’s most resplendent monument, as a testimony to her romantic personality. The Yamuna merges into the Ganga in Prayag.

The Saraswati, confluences with the Ganga and Yamuna in Prayag, is believed to be extinct for ages, though she continues to live in the hearts of Indians. Ever since India attained Independence, teams of archeological researchers have made relentless efforts to excavate several regions of India to find its now-barren bed. Various experts have wagered the guess that she flowed westward from the Himalayas and emptied into the Arabian Sea in Gujarat. Yet, those who wish to seek knowledge and find her origin continue the search for the elusive river. Today, only a roaring torrent named Saraswati can be seen in Mana village near Badrinath in the Himalayas, where she meets the Alaknanda at Keshav Prayag.

The Ganga, the Yamuna and the Saraswati represent the trinity of divinities in Indian culture. Saraswati being Brahma, the creator; Yamuna being Vishnu, the sustainer, and Ganga being Shiva, the destroyer. But most important, this divine trinity is seen as ‘one’ in the confluence of the three rivers at Prayag. For more information on the river Ganga follow this link.

The Narmada has been named the most beautiful river of India by Western travellers like Bill Aitken in his book The Seven Sacred Rivers. Deep, dark and mysterious, the Narmada flows from Amarkantak in the central mountain ranges of India to the Arabian Sea. The forests on her banks are dotted with quaint temple-heritage cities and tribal villages. The river, symbolizing detachment (Vairagya) and surrender, attracts devotees who do the Parikrama or circumambulation of its flow from its origin to its emptying in the sea and back—a distance of 917 kilometres. Pilgrims need more than a year to complete this journey on foot. Describing the dense riverside landscape, they record that on silent nights, as they lie down in the forest groves, they often hear miraculous strains of flutes resonating in the stillness. This ‘music’ is caused by the wind rushing through holes made by birds in the clumps of bamboos which line the river in some areas. On the banks of the Narmada are heritage cities like Mandu, where the tragic love story of the Hindu dancing girl-turned-queen Rani Roopmati and her Muslim poet-emperor husband Baz Bahadur unfolded. Legend says that Roopmati gave up her life by drinking poison rather than be abducted by the king’s lustful enemies. On Narmada’s banks too, stands Maheshwar, the beautiful city built by Rani Ahilayabai, the celebrated Maharani of Indore, who repaired thousands of temples across India, giving up her royal wealth.

The Godavari, rising in Gangadwar near Nashik, represents devotion and its traditional colour: saffron. On her banks are several legendary monuments dedicated to Ram, Sita and Lakshman in addition to the Jyotirlinga temple of Trimbakeshwar. Nasik is also one of the sites of the Kumbha Mela, which has been named the biggest bathing festival on earth! The Godavari brings fertility to the plains of peninsular India and is worshipped as the symbol of single-minded devotion to divinity.

The silvery Kaveri flows through the scenic forested slopes of the Sahyadri and Nilgiri ranges. The river of wisdom, she is referred to as the Dakshina Ganga or the Ganges of the South. Sanctified by presence of Adi Shankaracharya, the greatest philosopher-seer of India, Kaveri is the blessing of South India as she originates in Talaikaveri and flows through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to empty into the Bay of Bengal. Through the past ages, the banks of the Kaveri have attracted great poets, writers, saints and philosophers who have sought to interpret the multifarious culture and spiritual wisdom of India.

Finally, the River Krishna, symbolizing valour, rises in the boulder-strewn, verdant hills of Mahabaleshwar, and flows through Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, bringing plentitude to her basin, before meeting the Bay of Bengal in the east. Krishna, through the eyes of her undulating green waters, has witnessed many epoch-making chapters of India’s history. The earliest historical reference to this river is as Kannavenna, the southern boundary of the Mauryan Samrat Ashoka’s vast empire in 236 B.C. With a strategy of peace, non-violence and unparalleled valour, Ashoka ruled his great empire to become one of the world’s tallest grand monarchs. The Vijayanagar Empire flourished on her banks in the 13th century and unfolded a golden era of India’s history. From the 17th century, the Marathas, led by Chhatrapati Shivaji, fought many a battle to free India from the clutches of the Moghuls. The Peshwas of Maharashtra built grand monuments and temples on her banks, which even today attract a procession of Bollywood producers to exploit the locations!

Rivers have been the lifelines of India’s ancient, pulsating, throbbing civilization. They have brought prosperity, culture, style, colour, values, wisdom, devotion, knowledge, romance, wonder and above all, a priceless spiritual heritage to the people of India for thousands of years!

The Holy Rivers of India

In India, a river is a mini-cosmos in concept on its own. Every river is considered a mother deity who spawns mythology, art, dance, music, architecture, history and spirituality. Each one has a clear identity, appearance, value, style and spirit compared to a beautiful woman. In all ages and since time immemorial diverse human communities have reinvented themselves on river-banks with fascinating nuances….

“Her shimmering gold-and-white garments dazzle like a thousand suns. The jewels in her crown shine like the crescent moon. Her smiling face lights up the whole world. In her hands, she carries a pot of nectar, the symbol of immortality. Her lotus-fresh presence brings a sense of purity and joy to all beings….” At first glance, this reads like an over-the-top flowery description of a beautiful woman coined by some besotted lover. But to those conversant with the fascinating river-lore of India, this is the mythical portrayal of the River Ganga, written by Sage Valmiki, author of India’s immortal epic Ramayan. It describes the celestial Ganga as she descends from the heavens to the earth to bring salvation to mankind. This story, known as Gangavataran, is such a fundamental tenet of Indian culture that it has held countless generations of Indians in awe for millenniums. The Ganges, arguably the most picturised and written-about river in the world, has been called the Mother of India’s Spirituality and has been immortalized in sculpture, art, literature, poetry, music and dance.

Following her descent to the mortal world to sanctify human efforts to attain salvation, the Ganga is perceived as moksha dayini, the Mother Goddess whose waters bring relief from sin, sorrow and suffering. Through the millennia the river’s banks have been hallowed by a galaxy of saints and seers who either meditated or built great institutions of spiritual research and teachings on her embankments. Great poetic works, including Tulsidas’s Ramcharit Manas, which continues to run in the veins of Indians for centuries, were written alongside her tranquil flow in Varanasi. Great cities like Haridwar, Rishikesh, Prayag and Varanasi were built on her banks and these have become famous centers of art, music, textile weaving, literature and every other artistic endeavor apart from spiritual pursuits. Haridwar and Prayag being the sites hosting the largest gathering of faith – The Kumbha Mela, a festival which celebrates the relentless search of human kind for immortality. From India’s prehistoric ages, the Ganga, with her myriad tributaries, has not only been the harbinger of rich harvests in India’s plains, but also the precious lifeline of India’s cultural heritage. For more information on the river Ganges and the significance it holds for Haridwar, the Kumbha Mela and Ganges in Rome refer to this link

However, Ganga is not the only river in India to be given the pride and respect in the hearts of millions. For centuries Indians have worshipped seven holy rivers that crisscross the sub-continent, fertilizing its sprawling plains and watering its misty mountains and lush forests. These are the Ganga, the Yamuna, the invisible Saraswati, the Narmada, the Godavari, the Kaveri and the Sindhu. Since the Sindhu now flows through Pakistan, the Krishna has been added to the list of the sacred rivers of India. Each of these rivers has a unique persona and quality attached to it. While the Ganga is shimmering white-and-gold and represents purity or salvation, the Yamuna is blue like Krishna, who was born in Mathura, a holy city on her banks. Like him, she represents romance and fun. The legendary Saraswati, white and elegant like a swan, is now extinct and is called the river of knowledge and is associated with Brahma, the creator of the universe. The dark and elusive Narmada, rising in the Vindhya-Satpura range in Central India, meets the Arabian Sea in Gujarat. With few, if any, tributaries, the Narmada is often referred to as the Virgin River associated with the quality of detachment and surrender. The Godavari, rising in Gangadwar near Nashik in Maharashtra, flows eastwards to the Bay of Bengal. She is the saffron river of devotion sanctified by the presence of Ram, Sita and Lakshman who spent much of their exile years from Ayodhya in the forests along the river. Kaveri, the silvery river of wisdom flows from the Sahyadri Hills in Karnataka to the Bay of Bengal through Tamil Nadu. The Krishna, flowing from the Sahyadri Hills in Mahabaleshwar to the Bay of Bengal is green and represents courage and valor.

The quality and appearance associated each of these seven rivers have such a strong influence on the Indian psyche, that history, architecture, art, music and dance and even social movements show their impact. Each river represents a specific color and image and Indian scriptures weave innumerable legends around them which if told will create a blog of its own..!

The Mystical Mela..!

With excerpts from Kalpavasi for knowledge reference

Hinduism as they say is best explored in its diverse forms under the same umbrella of celebrations. Confluence of different monastic orders ranging from hermits to Naga sages and yogis, are all gathering in the same arena and the end result is a diverse exhibition of spiritual power which is an experience in itself. A confluence which stands significant for the fact that the common man is in the same plane as the saints and sadhus breaking all religious and spiritual barriers is the most significant amalgamation of tradition as well as the non-traditional aspects of Hinduism which is exemplified in the Kumbha Mela. Saints from the interiors of Himalayas and the missionaries from down South, Faith and Faith Based Organisations, foreign tourists especially from Africa, Japan, Europe and America are all drawn to the charm and spirit of the Kumbha Mela.

The ‘Kumbha Mela’ or the festival of the great urn is symbolic of attainment of Nirvana. It reserves it’s origin in the Hindu mythological tale of the ‘Sagar Manthan ‘or the churning of the ocean which resulted in the pitcher of nectar to rise from the bottom of the ocean. Salvation, according to Hinduism, means to attain freedom from the infinite cycle of life and death and Hindus believe that ‘moksha’ can be attained by the departed soul if the cremated ashes are scattered in the holy waters at the time of the Kumbha Mela. Every three years millions of devotees gather in rotation between four major Hindu pilgrims namely Allahabad, Haridwar, Nasik and Ujjain to partake in the ‘Holy Snan’ which is believed to cleanse the soul.

Haridwar one of the cities in the state of Uttarakhand is famous because it is here that the Ganges descends from the Himalayan Mountains and enters the plains. Ujjain, in the state of Madhya Pradesh situated along the banks of the Kshipra River and Nasik on the banks of the Godavari River in Maharastra.

The year 2007 held its significance in the tradition of Ardh Kumbha Mela and in line with the expectations celebrations were defying all bounds at Allahbad. The festivities included the ‘Mauni Amavasya’ or the New Moon of the Saint’s Day. Significance being the devotees do not utter a single word until they take a dip into the holy waters of the Ganges which is believed to be turned into nectar as enabled by the posting of sun, moon and the planets. pirituality is marked by the naked procession by mendicants and the reorganization of the ‘Akahras’. The Kumbh festivities uphold the spirit of the land, which boasts of its diversities.

The Kumbha Mela has its mystic appeal to the millions and is only but flamboyantly exaggerated by the looks of Digambari Sanyasis with their ash-smeared faces. It is one of the most important festivals that pave the way for the spiritual appeal that India holds to the entire world. This has only intensified over the years with the global media attention and professionalism of industry experts like Kalpavasi.com who intend to highlight the less known aspect of the Kumbha Mela called the Kalpavasa Vrata.

The Mela also acts as the unofficial meeting grounds for the various religions and spiritual organizations and conferences like these add on to the breeding of newer mendicants through a well structured learning process.

Global Warming & the Kumbha Mela

The Copenhagen summit might have ended on a depressing and even on a disappointing note for climate negotiators across the world, but now spiritual leaders who are feeling the heat of the melting Himalayan glaciers have joined the ranks of green crusaders to raise their voice against global warming.

If you happen to visit the Kumbha Mela at Haridwar, don’t be surprised if you come to see hundreds of thousands of Naga Sadhus campaigning for awareness against global warming. It has been agreed amongst them that they will be using the Kumbha Mela as a platform to kick start a green campaign with the vision of reducing global warming.

Kumbh Mela being the largest spiritual gathering in the world and the Naga Sadhus being a primary attraction for the media frenzy international press and tourists, they have chosen an ideal platform to perform their part to save the planet from the throes of carbon foot prints. Fore more information on Naga Sadhus visit this link

This initiative will be headed and coordinated by none other than Shri Soham Baba, who is said to be the commander in chief of the 250000 odd Naga Sadhus in the Himalayas. The sadhus insist that they are the first to realize the adverse impact of global warming as it causes glaciers to melt in the Himalayan region and claim that there is a diverse variety of species of birds and flowers which are being lost due to the effects of global warming.

They plan to organize rallies with placards and banners which will educate and highlight the importance of the carbon foot print issue. The entire Naga community will also carry out a signature campaign during the Kumbha Mela fair. The anti-global warming campaign during the Kumbh Mela will be carried out in various regional and international languages. The also plan to organize an exhibition of photos they have clicked on global warming and the melting Himalayan glaciers.

The failure of the Copenhagen summit does not seem to dampen the efforts taken by various sections of the society to highlight the importance of the carbon footprint issue. We can only hope that the Naga Sadhu’s contribution to this global appeal makes the leaders see the light before it becomes too late.

Gandhiji & the Kumbha Mela

I came across this blog on Kalpavasi, which cites that Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Indian Nation was given the title Mahatma at the Kumbha Mela when he visited it in 1915 by Swami Shradhanand at his Gurukul.

The following blog is inspired in continuation with this series posted on Kalpavasi and is based on hear-say funeral recitals after Gandhiji’s demise.

Once the autumnal Ganges floods receded, baring a five-square-mile mud flat where three sacred rivers join—the muddy Ganges, the blue Jamuna, and the mystical Saraswati meet at the Triveni Sangam, a tumultuous tent city comes up, peopled by millions of Hindus, thousands of fires, breech-clouted sadhus (holy men) chanting Vedic hymns. Around the clock a clangor of raucous songs mingles with hymns, flutes with elephant bells, caterwauls with the keening of sacred recitations. Millions come for the religious festival of Ardh Kumbh Mela, to revel and to bathe where the sacred rivers meet.

In the year 1948, amidst the peak of this rancor, a hush fell over the entire Mela Kshetra sometime during the course of the festival at Allahabad when a truck entered the tented city with a raised platform draped in India’s tricolour flag. On top rode an earthenware brown urn, containing the ashes of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Chatter came down to a hush as the catafalque moved past slowly.

Gandhi would have disapproved of much that went on at the three rivers. Although an ascetic, he condemned the extreme self-mortification of holy men who lay on beds of nails, or walked on beds of live coals, or twisted their attenuated bodies into knots. Gandhi had gone a few times to the great popular Hindu festivals and even sternly condemned the orgiastic frenzy and the exhibitions of extreme asceticism. However after his death he belonged not only to the ages but to the people and India celebrated his last rites in its own accord.

At the waters edge the ash-laden urn was transferred, for mourning, on to the white superstructure of an army dais with eight other platforms. It churned noisily into the river, while army planes swooped overhead, dropping flowers on the cortege. On the shore, army guns boomed a salute of 79 salvos for Gandhi's 79 years.
Gandhiji’s son, Ramdas poured sacred cows milk into the urn of ashes, swirled it and then poured it into the water. It was believed that Gandhi's soul, according to Hindu traditions, was at last free from its mortal prison. At the same moment, milkmen from nearby Allahabad, in a unique tribute, poured barrels of fresh milk into the stream.

Tryst at the Sangam – Part II

Excerpts from real life experiences and knowledge reference from www.kalpavasi.com

Makar Sankranti generally falls around the 14^th of January at the time of the harvest festival – Pongal – in South India and the Kumbha Mela at Allahabad began with all the pomp and glory for which it is famous. The temperature dropped to a freezing below zero on the evening of the 13th, but bathers were not to be discouraged. Just past midnight, thousands began to enter the confluence of the three rivers, immersing themselves in the icy cold water. Loud chanting of "Bolo Ganga Mai ki jai (all glory to Mother Ganga)" filled the clear night air as the pilgrims washed away their bad karma. They came away from the bathing area wrapped in blankets and shivering from the cold. But as quickly as they came out of the water, thousands more came in their wake. With continual chants of “Bolo Ganga Mai ki jai" they entered the waters.

At dawn the sky reddened and the sun rose to reveal a crowd of five million enthusiasts slowly advancing towards the Sangam. From the center of that mass of humanity came a marvelous procession announcing the official beginning of the Kumbha Mela. Bands played, people danced in jubilation, and colorful flags and banners flew above the crowd.

The procession was headed by the Nagas, India's famed naked holy men. These holy men engage themselves in renunciation of the world in search of equilibrium. They hope to escape the world's concomitant reactions and suffering by their austere practices such as complete celibacy and non-accumulation of material possessions. Hence they are also known as liberationists. With matted locks of hair, their bodies covered in ashes, and their tridents (the symbol of a follower of Shiva) raised high, they descended upon the bathing area. Entering the water in a tumult, blowing conch shells and singing "Shiva ki jai, Ganga ki jai," they splashed the sacred waters upon each other and played just like children. Indeed, they are said to be the very children of the Ganges.

They are followed by the Vaishnava Vairagis, the wandering mendicants who dedicate everything to Lord Vishnu, the Sustainer. These saints live a life of service and complete dedication. Then come the innumerable other sects of ascetics dressed in saffron colored cloth and carrying their staffs of renunciation. It seemed like the the bygone eras of India’s spiritual evolution were simultaneously present together in procession each awaiting their turn to bathe in the Sangam.

Several hours pass before the procession is finished amd only then does the mass bathing of the pilgrims commence. From the high banks of the river one could see the dark blue water of the Yamuna mixing with the silver gray water of the Ganges. Bathers, immersed up to the waist, scooped up water with folded palms and offered it to heaven in a timeless gesture. Boatmen rowed their boats full of pilgrims to a small sandbar in the middle of the Sangam which soon disappeared under a cloud of bathers. There was none to young or old for this occasion. Some bathers made offerings of flowers, sweets, and colored dyes to the sacred waters, while others offered Vedic hymns. The chanting of OM - the supreme combination of letters - and Sanskrit mantras issued from the lips of every pilgrim.

As night fell, thousands of campfires could be seen burning along the riverbanks. In the central festival area, decorated pandals (large tents) accommodated the thousands who listened to some of India's most exalted gurus lecturing on spiritual and philosophical topics. In some pandals there were Indian drama and classical dance groups whose exotic costumes and performances attracted large audiences. In others there were elaborate displays and dioramas illustrating the stories from India's ancient epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. There was so much to see and do that there was never a dull moment.

Some pilgrims prefer to come to the Kumbha Mela on the days of the big sacred baths like Makar Sankranti and then return home, while others prefer to set up camp and stay for the entire duration. During the Maha Kumbha Mela at Allahabad there were six scheduled days for auspicious baths. Those who remained for the full tenure of the mela and observe all the important baths under a strict pious regime are called kalpvasis. For more information on Kalpavasi’s refer to www.kalpavasi.com

That year the Indian government spent more than 8 million dollars on preliminary organization for the Kumbha Mela. According to national newspaper reports, arrangements provided 5000 gallons of purified drinking water every minute; 8000 buses which shuttle pilgrims in and out of the festival area that was spread over 300- acres; 16000 outlets and 6000 poles provided electrical facilities; 6000 sweepers and sanitation employees who worked around the clock to maintain health standards; 9 pontoon bridges which spanned the Ganges at critical junctions; 20000 policemen, firemen, and the Indian National Guard who kept a constant vigil at various checkpoints and with the help of closed circuit TV cameras guarded against traffic congestion and other possible outbreaks or disturbances; and 100 doctors and nurses on call at all times at medical assistance stations which were spread around the camp.

An entire city sprang up along the banks of the river during the Kumbha Mela complete with markets, hospitals, and even a tourist camp to accommodate visitors from foreign countries. It was also interesting to note that all the food arrangements throughout the festival were vegetarian. There was not a trace of meat, fish or eggs to be found in any camp or in any public eating place. We later realized that meat is strictly taboo amongst all types of transcendentalists in India.

The camel, a hardy beast of burden, used in India for centuries to transport cargo for long distances and through difficult and sandy terrain, was the unsung hero of Kumbha Mela. Carrying heavy loads of firewood, tents, and foodstuffs on their raised backs these awkward creatures formed the very lifeline to the Kumbha Mela residents. In the soft sand, cars, trucks, and even horse carts often got stuck. But the camel was rugged and the goods always got through.

Early mornings were the most austere time of day for everyone at the Kumbha Mela because it was always colder than at any other time and the sunrise is considered the most auspicious time of the day for spiritual practices. Every day at dawn, thousands arose early to bathe in the Ganges and return to their camps to chant mantras and meditate, Kumbha Mela is a festival which has enthralled and captivated millions and no Words, film, print, and paper can not do justice to the event — it is one that has to be experienced to capture the feeling of happiness.

A Tryst at the Sangam – Part I

Excerpts from real life experiences and knowledge reference from www.kalpavasi.com

They came by the millions! Some arrived on overcrowded trains carrying five times their normal capacity. Some came by bus, by car, some by ox drawn carts, and others rode on horses, camels, and even elephants. The rich and famous chartered private planes and helicopters, while the less affluent came on foot carrying their bed rolls and camping equipment in heavy bundles on their heads. Wave after wave, they formed a veritable river of humanity that flowed onto the banks of the Ganges at Allahabad to celebrate the greatest spiritual festival ever held in the history of the world, the Kumbha Mela.

Kumbha Mela has gained international fame as "the world's most massive act of faith." Pilgrims come to this holy event with such tremendous faith and in such overwhelming numbers that if boggles and baffles the mind. Faith is the underlying fact for the pilgrims at Kumbha Mela, and they come with an "unflinching trust in something sublime".

To understand the significance of the Kumbha Mela and the important role it plays in the spirituality of India, one must know something about the background of the sacred Ganges River. The devout believe that simply by bathing in the Ganges one is freed from their past sins (karma), and thereby one becomes eligible for liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Of course it is said that a pure lifestyle is also required after taking bath, otherwise one will again be burdened by karmic reactions .The pilgrims come from all walks of life, traveling long distances and tolerating many physical discomforts, such as sleeping in the open air in near freezing weather. They undergo these difficulties just to be blessed with the benefit of taking a bath in the sacred river at Kumbha Mela.

This spectacle of faith has for many centuries attracted the curiosity of foreign travelers. Hiuen Tsiang of China, who lived during the seventh century, was the first to mention Kumbha Mela in his diary. He gave an eyewitness report that during the Hindu month of Magha (January-February) half a million people had gathered on the banks of the Ganges at Allahabad to observe a celebration for 75 days. The pilgrims, writes Hiuen Tsiang, assembled along with their king, his ministers, scholars, philosophers, and sages. He also reports that the king had distributed enormous quantities of gold, silver, and jewels in charity to acquire good merit and hence ensuring his place in heaven.

In the eight century, Adi Shankaracharya, a prominent Indian saint, popularized the Kumbha Mela among the common man, and soon the attendance began to grow to enormous proportions. Shankaracharya emphasized the significance and the opportunity for the common man associate with saintly persons during the at Kumbha Mela. Both listening to the discourses of the sadhus (holy men) and sacred bathing are still the two main aspects of the Kumbha Mela. By 1977, the number of pilgrims attending Kumbha Mela had to risen to 15 million! By 1989, the attendance was in the range of 29 million-nearly double that of the previous record.

The ancient origin of the Kumbha Mela is described in the time honored Vedic literatures of India as having evolved from bygone days of the universe when the demigods and the demons produced the nectar of immortality. The sages of old have related this story thus: once upon a time, the demigods and demons assembled together on the shore of the milk ocean which lies in a certain region of the cosmos. The demigods and demons desired to churn the ocean to produce the nectar of immortality, and agreed to share it afterwards. The Mandara Mountain was used as a churning rod, and Vasuki, the king of serpents, became the rope for churning. With the demigods at Vasuki's tail and the demons at his head, they churned the ocean for a thousand years. A pot of nectar was eventually produced, and both the demigods and demons became anxious. The demigods, being fearful of what would happen if the demons drank their share of the nectar of immortality, stole away the pot and hid it in four places on the Earth: Prayag (Allahabad) Hardwar, Ujjain, and Nasik. At each of the hiding places a drop of immortal nectar spilled from the pot and landed on the earth. These four places are believed to have acquired mystical powers and festivals are regularly held at each, Allahabad being the largest and most important

Besides the Ganges, there are also two other sacred rivers located at Allahabad, the Yamuna and the Saraswati . The Yamuna, like the Ganges has its earthly origin in the Himalayas. The Saraswati, however, is a mystical river which has no physical form. It is believed that the Saraswati exists only on the ethereal or spiritual plane and is not visible to the human eye. This holy river is mentioned many times in India's sacred texts such as the Mahabharata and is said to be present at Allahabad where it joins the Yamuna and the Ganges.

This confluence of India's three most sacred rivers at Allahabad is called the ‘Sangam’. The culmination of the sanctity of the three holy rivers, coupled with the spiritual powers obtained from the pot of nectar of immortality, has earned Allahabad the rank of tirtharaja, the king of holy places.

The highlight for most pilgrims during a Kumbha Mela is the observance of a sacred bath at the Sangam. It is said that a bath in either of the sacred rivers has purifying effects, but where the three rivers meet, the bather's purification is increased by a hundred times. Furthermore, it is said that when one takes a bath at the Sangam during the Kumbha Mela, the influence is one thousand times increased.

According to astrological calculations, the Kumbha Mela is held every twelve years and begins on Makar Sankranti, the day when the sun and moon enter Capricorn and Jupiter enters Aries. The astrological configuration on Makar Sankranti is called "Kumbha snana-yoga" and is considered to be especially auspicious, as it is said that the passage from Earth to the higher planets is open at that time, thus allowing the soul to easily reach for the celestial world. For such reasons it is understandable why the Kumbha Mela has become so popular among all classes of transcendentalists in India