MY JOURNEY
Maha Kumbh Mela 2013
A JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME
08 students and 02 High School Teachers of a premier IB institute in North India, went on an amazing journey to the MAHA KUMBH 2013, at Allahabad in India from 18th- 22nd Feb 2013. This journey will forever be etched in our memories as we were immersed in the rich cultural tapestry of India, a nation teeming with billions who are diverse in their faiths and beliefs and yet stay undauntable and resilient in these changing times where ‘change’ is the only ‘constant’!
A journey which took us into the heart and soul of India, a land steeped in faith, camaraderie, a sense of community, a deep respect for nature and open arms for our guests……
At the Maha Kumbh, a congregation of the largest number of humankind on this planet, we realized that we were, but a mere speck in this cosmos, and were going about our lives with a startling streak of selfishness and looked merely inwards!
The logistics of this event have dazzled any event manager, be it the Olympics, World Economic or Social For a or for that matter any Religious congregation worth its salt! The setting up of temporary settlements, the sanitation requirements, the supply of drinking water, waste management, medical supplies, prevention of disease outbreaks, missing people and overall safety and security of this mammoth event, has brought stalwarts like Harvard University with its team to study exactly how we managed to achieve this feat.
As students of High School with a background in the Liberal Arts/Humanities subjects of History/Geography/Environmental Systems and Societies and an overall perspective of the Theory of knowledge, there was no better canvas than the Maha Kumbh 2013, to unravel the collective wisdom of mankind in this amazing exploration. We walked the streets of Kumbh Nagri, a splendid city in itself, which temporarily sprung up in the flood plains of the Sacred Ganges and covered a huge expanse of land.
We observed the rituals, the beliefs, the practices and idio-syncracies of the devout, the curiosity of the observers, the resilience of the actual residents of the city of Allahabad, which is meant for 50 lac residents, but was home to more than a 5 million for the time period of this Mela.
We were in august company with MAHAMANDALESHWAR AVDESHANANDA JI of the JUNA AKHARA & PRABHU PREMI SANGH, one of the million religious groups which came down to the Prayaag for this auspicious gathering. We were taken care of by the Office of the District Magistrate of the city, Mr Raj Sekhar I.A. S who ensured that this event will go down in history as a huge success in terms of its sheer numbers, volume of interaction and the gravity of the bathing dates.
Being a pilgrim, and that too at such a young age, when you have merely embarked on the journey for the IBDP was perhaps the best decision taken by these select few. Their talents came to the fore, be it documentary making, photographing, surveying, interviewing, observing, sketching and interacting with the local populace to soak in the nuances of this festival, its grandeur, its opulence, its impact on the lives of the spectator, the devout and the aetheist alike.
A great window to our learning, outside the four walls of the class rooms, in the heat and dust of the streets of a robust developing nation, its teeming millions, we have come back with our raison d’etre which is priceless, cannot be expressed in words but will stay in the depths of our conscience and inspire us to keep questioning and appreciating our existence on this planet as a family which is beyond the boundaries of age, gender, caste, creed, religion and geo-political boundaries.
Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith in which Hindus gather at a sacred river for a bath in the river. It is held every third year at one of the four places by rotation: Hardwar, Allahabad (Prayag), Nasik and Ujjain. Thus the Kumbh Mela is held at each of these four places every twelfth year.
Ardh (“Half”) Kumbh Mela is held at only two places, Haridwar and Allahabad, every sixth year. The rivers at these four places are: the Ganges (Ganga) at Haridwar, the confluence (Sangam) of the Ganges and the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati at Allahabad, the Godawari at Nasik, and the Shipra at Ujjain.
Kumbh means a pitcher and Mela means fair in Hindi. The pilgrimage is held for about one and a half months at each of these four places where it is believed in Hinduism that drops of nectar fell from the Kumbh carried by gods after the sea was churned. The festival is billed as the “biggest gathering on Earth”.
There is no scientific method of ascertaining the number of pilgrims even approximately and the estimates of the number of pilgrims bathing on the most auspicious day may vary very widely from 2 to 8 million depending upon the team(s) of persons making the estimate and the rough method of making the estimate.
Mauni Amavasya traditionally attracted the largest crowds at the mela, held here every 12 years. The day marked the second and the biggest Shahi Snan (royal bath) of this event, with 13 akharas taking to the Sangam. This was the biggest bathing day, 10 Feb 2013 at the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela and probably the largest human gathering on a single day. Over 30 million devotees and ascetics took holy dip on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya.
The current Kumbh Mela began on 14 January 2013 at Allahabad.
Kumbh Mela takes place every twelve years at one of four places: Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. The Mela in its different forms alternates between Prayag, Nashik, Ujjain and Haridwar every third year.[9][10][11][12] The Ardh (half) Kumbh Mela is celebrated every six years at only two places, Haridwar and Prayag.
Kumbha Mela: Held at all four places.[13]
Ardha Kumbha Mela: Held at Haridwar and Prayag, every 6 years.
Purna Kumbha Mela: Held only at Prayag every 12 years.
Maha Kumbha Mela: Held only at Prayag, every 144 years.
The Purna Kumbha Mela is held at Allahabad (Prayag) (27 January to 10 March 2013). An estimated 30 million people visited the Maha Kumbh Mela on 10 February 2013 and an estimated 100 million are expected to visit the place during the festival spread over 55 days.On 10 February 2013 a stampede at the railway station killed 36 and injured at least 39.Here are the details of most auspicious days (bathing dates) in year 2013 during Maha Kumbh Festival (mela).
14 January 2013 (Monday) – Makar Sankranti
27 January 2013 (Sunday) – Paush Purnima
6 February 2013 (Wednesday) – Ekadashi Snan
10 February 2013 (Sunday) – Mauni Amavasya Snan (Main Bathing Day)
15 February 2013 (Friday) – Vasant Panchami Snan
17 February 2013 (Sunday) – Rath Saptami Snan
21 February 2013 (Thursday) – Bhisma Ekadashi Snan
25 February 2013 (Monday) – Maghi Purnima Snan
10 March 2013 (Sunday) – Mahashivratri
If one bathes and drinks water where there are the Ganga, Yamuna and Sarasvati enjoys mukti; there is no doubt.” And “[T]here will be no rebirth, even in hundred of crores of kaplas, for those who bathe in the bright and dark waters (i.e., Ganga and Yamuna) in the month of Magha.”
The total discharge of [major sewage drains at the 2001 Kumbh] was 210 MLD [million liters per day][of which] 44.6 MLD continued to flow to the rivers.” (Central Pollution Control Board, Environmental Study during Kumbh-2001)
“Kumbh Mela” from Hindi, literally means pitcher festival or Aquarius festival, from Sanskritkumbha pot, Aquarius + melā assembly
The Kumbh Mela is a Hindu religious pilgrimage festival that takes place at the conjunction of several holy rivers in India. It occurs every 12 years, lasts six weeks, and attracts up to 70 million people.
The three main bathing days for the 2013 Kumbh Mela are January 14, February 10, and February 15.
Cholera inoculation was compulsory for pilgrims to the 1977 Kumbh Mela.
“Kumbh Mela” from Hindi, literally means pitcher festival or Aquarius festival, from Sanskritkumbha pot, Aquarius + melā assembly
The Kumbh Mela is a Hindu religious pilgrimage festival that takes place at the conjunction of several holy rivers in India. It occurs every 12 years, lasts six weeks, and attracts up to 70 million people.
The three main bathing days for the 2013 Kumbh Mela are January 14, February 10, and February 15.
Cholera inoculation was compulsory for pilgrims to the 1977 Kumbh Mela.
Hsuan Tsang, a Chinese Buddhist pilgrim in India in the 7th century CE, visited Prayaga (Allahabad) and described an “age-long festival” held on the sands at the confluence of the rivers.
Visitors at past Kumbh Melas (estimates): 1954: 6 million, 1965: 4 million, 1977: 13-15 million, 1989: 18 million, 2001: 30 million.
In 1918 the British banned sale of railway tickets to Allahabad in an effort to discourage festival attendance in wartime, appealing to the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897. The ban failed, with 3 million pilgrims on the peak bathing day
KUMBH TRIP-SECOND DAY
PATHWAZIANS TAKE A HOLY DIP AT THE TRIVENI SANGAM….
On our second day at the Maha Kumbh we woke up to a clear sky, shining sun and a heady cacophony of chants &prayers making up the ambience of a fair, where millions have congregated to understand their ‘raison d’etre’. We were looking forward to the most awaited dip in the Holy Ganga called a ‘snan’, which is either a usual one or a ‘shahi’ one, like the one on “Mauni Amavasya” which comes once in 144 years and the planetary positions are such that Brahma’s able sons were born on this auspicious day. Interestingly, a record number varying from 3-6 crores took this dip in the Kumbh this year!
After a quick, Spartan breakfast we headed for theTriveniSangam (the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mystical Saraswati)on our boat, the boatman, PanchamLal was a known soul who steered us in the right direction. Though doubtful about entering the freezing cold water, one by one all of the 8 students and 2 teachers did step into the Ganges. The first dip itself was enough to send a chill down one’s spine.
And that was the moment of truth, when we truly awakened, all our senses came alive! After the peaceful and rejuvenating dip, everyone joined their hands to pray for wisdom, peace and happiness for themselves and everyone on the planet. On the ride back to our tents, we realized that it was not just a bath in the river, but a lasting lifetime experience.
During lunch, a few students interacted with a fellow Pilgrim, who came from San Francisco, and was a web engineer by profession. She spoke about how she felt a ‘sense of belonging’ to a land and its people, who she didn’t even know! She had truly experienced, “AtithiDevoBhava” which is the motto of the Indian Tourism Industry.
After a sumptuous meal at the Sadafaldeo Ashram, we check out to explore the city. AnandaBhavan where our Late Prime Minister, J Nehru was born, The Sacred Church for Protestants, the oldest in U.P. which was built in 1871, the High courts of Allahabad and the street food of Allahabad were on our tour list. On our way back, we stepped into the Bare Hanuman Ji’s Temple, which is the only one in India, where the Monkey God, Lord Hanuman lies down in a state of slumber, the aarti was overwhelming.
We also met regular pilgrims, who hire tents and stay on the banks of the Ganga, for a month, practicing ‘Kalpa-Vaas’ which is a Spartan existence based on your most essential belongings and the life-giving waters of the Ganga!
The Government of Uttar Pradesh provides the Kumbh festival with: 5000 gallons of purified drinking water per minute, 6500 buses, 6000 electrical poles, 6000 sanitation workers, 13,500 latrines, builds 9 pontoon bridges over the river, 400 boats, 22 fire stations, 20,000 policemen and national guard, 300 lifeguards, 100 doctors and nurses, and a multitude of Indian Boy Scouts.
There are three kinds of kumbh: ardh (half) - every 6 years; purna (full) - every 12 years; and maha - occuring only after 12 purna kumbhs (every 144 years). 2013 is a Maha Kumbh Mela, which always takes place at Allahabad
Hindu philosophy and environmental pollution
Pilgrims believe that Ganga carrying away all the filth to somewhere else justifies the act of pouring dirt into it
A cacophony of sounds permeate the Kumbh mela area. Vedic mantras, devotional songs, spiritual discourse, lost and found announcements from countless loudspeakers, coupled with noise from vehicular traffic and humming of million souls crowding the area, can easily drive anyone insane.
The effect of such high level of noise pollution is bound to cause damage to health and the environment. Yet, people feel a sense of calm and bliss over here. This logic-defying behaviour begs the question, ‘Is Hinduism insensitive to the environment?’
Anger, disgust and outrage were the emotions I expected, when I asked this question to a curious mix of the faithful and the enlightened, but it was the wide-spread indifference which bowled me over.
People who flock to the Kumbh are mostly those who are propelled by tradition and the urge to follow the religious customs to seek salvation. An average Hindu pilgrim here is hardly bothered by the state of the environment or quality of water at the Sangam.
He or she will take a bath even in a sewage drain if convinced it is the holy confluence of the Ganga and the Yamuna, exposing the deep-seated Hindu belief which describes dirt or pollution as things out of place or order.
Dung by virtue of being dung is not pollution if it is in its rightful place –the toilet or open field. But dung in the house or kitchen is pollution. In other words, out of sight out of mind. Thus Ganga carrying away all the filth to somewhere else justifies the act of putting dirt in it.
Pilgrims assembled for Kumbh offer simplistic and varying explanations for their act of polluting—river water is flowing and only stagnant water can get polluted; there will be some pollution if so many devotees bathe but come monsoon river flood will clean everything; or that their individual contribution is insignificant to the big picture. The understanding of pollution load on river and land is not there at all.
The mathematics of 100 g of ritualistic offerings to the river by each 100 million individuals will add up to 10,000 tonnes of offerings eludes the understanding of a devotee. And this is apart from the solid waste generally generated by people. Allahabad as a city generates only 500 tonnes of solid waste daily, Kumbh’s scented offerings themselves are going to be 20 times this quantity. But nobody wants to risk their salvation by defaulting on their personal and insignificant 100 g of assorted offerings.
‘Most scientific religion’
Swami Hasdevacharya, the head of Swami Jagannath Math of Haridwar, who is visiting Allahabad for his third Kumbh, voiced concern about increasing pollution. He shared his grief about the pitiable state of the Ganga and poor water quality at the Sangam. He was critical of the superstar self-styled godmen of the religion who merely deliver discourses in air-conditioned halls and travel in chartered planes.
But when confronted with facts that Hindu rituals and festivals are also adding to the pollution, Hasdevacharya dismissed them. He alleged that the allegation was baseless and shows ignorance of Hindu philosophy; he even termed it as an anti-Hindu propaganda of other religions.
Hasdevacharya explained that Hinduism is the only religion which is based on respect for nature and the environment. Animals, birds, trees and geographical entities are given status of gods and goddess and are worshiped and preserved. Peepal tree release more oxygen, thus by ensuring its survival by declaring it holy, Hinduism conserves the environment. Hindu gods have always come to the rescue of nature affected by the excesses of humanity.
Lord Vishnu took form of a fish in his Matsya avatar to clean the polluted sea and rivers; he even took form of a swine in Varaha avatar and cleaned the land by eating up all the filth. Hasdevacharya proclaimed Hinduism as the most environmentally conscious religion. The blame of polluting rivers should be put on fish eating; it is the fish that clean water and the reduction in their numbers has affected the regenerative quality of rivers.
Upper Ganga, Lower Ganga
Kumbh is also unique because it is also a gathering of the more mystic unit of Hinduism, led by ascetics called Naga sadhus (naked saints). The understanding of Hindu philosophy and religion is slightly different for this sect of Hinduism, but Naga sadhus are very difficult to interact with, as they don’t find sharing their understanding with lesser humans (read non-ascetic) important or required.
After constant persuasion, Mahant Rajgiri Naga Baba, one of the many Naga sadhus camping at Kumbh agreed to answer my question.
Rajgiri explained that the Ganga is everywhere and that the Ganga’s water is the purest. The physical river is of no importance, neither is its pollution of any significance. The Ganga is created at his tent by the fire of his yajna and ritualistic offerings.
The fire produces smoke which will cleanse the air and leads to formation of clouds. These clouds collect the water from the Ganga flowing in heavens above the sky and bring it to earth in the form of rains. Rain is always pure and nurtures all the life. In this way Hinduism cleanses the Earth.
I was not enlightened enough to assimilate his boundless sea of knowledge, proclaimed Rajgiri, and he refused to share any mystic revelations with me. He returned to his tapasya (meditation) after smoking a new joint of weed. He was slightly intoxicated the whole time, but when are the Naga sadhus not intoxicated.
KUMBH TRIP -THIRD DAY
On the third day We had no agenda; we were going with the flow. We walked down the streets of the Mela explored different parts of it and created many memories through the clicks too. It was indeed the greatest experience of our life to eat freshly made KHICHDI which was offered by a Good Samaritan who had been preparing a sumptuous afternoon meal for all pilgrims since 14th Jan, when the Mela started.
Nothing tasted more divine, filling and delicious than the food which we had in a leaf plate which we had with our bare hands.
After leaving the mela, we now headed towards the DM’s office which was situated in the middle of the city. It was nice talking to the District Magistrate of Allahabad, who is a young and dynamic IAS officer from Karnataka who works for the UP cadre, and has served various districts ike Unnao and Bhadoi in U.P. Allahabad was recent and came to him as a challenge with the hosting of the Kumbh.
He told us about how difficult it is to manage the Kumbh which is a non-profitable event with the help of awesome aerial images of Allahabad on his Mac which gave a new dimension to our understanding of an event management and the tools which help us to do so. It was interesting to note that he too enjoyed his dip in the river in order to appreciate the relevance of atleast 3 crores who congregated for this holy dip.
People come here with a lot of belief in the holy rivers to wash their sins away. It’s the best way to start a new life after such a pure bath as it changes a person and attracts positivity towards them. The whole trip was well managed by the teachers. We had a fun time as well as a time where we found ourselves connected to the Indian culture. Being a part of a million of visitors was just a stroke of luck or rather, MYSTICAL.
It gave us unforgettable memories and the most peaceful time ever. We never thought of being a part of such a great gathering on the planet. Finally it’s time to leave these memories behind and move on with the normal routine. “IT WAS INDEED A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE!!”
Home food with our hosts and a movie on corruption at a local movie hall, has brought our Mela to a close! Our train is 3 hrs late and we are dozing off in the cold on the platform for well over 3 hrs. But none is complaining and we all have found a corner to doze off!
A more adaptable Pathwazian returns home after a life-changing Kumbh Mela!
Thank you, Pathways [Dr Sarvesh Naidu, Mr. Arvind Chalasani &Mrs.Garima Gupta Head of Accounts], Mr.Trishu &Mr.Manish,Yatra.com,Mrs.Manju & Mrs.Mansi from the ccity of allahabad. Finally, we would like to thank the leading teachers, Ms.Bhagirathy Jhingran and Mr. Guru Charan Kumar who were a ‘live-wire’ throughout the trip.
Studying India’s Maha Kumbh Mela Festival
Between 2000 and 2010, the population of Delhi burgeoned from 15 million to 22 million while Shanghai’s population swelled from 14 to 20 million. Compare that to the recent rise of an impromptu city near Allahabad in India: In the week after January 14, 2013, the first day of the Maha Kumbh Mela festival — during which Hindus gather for a sacred bath at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers — around 10 million people had gathered there.
When the event ends five weeks later, approximately 100 million people would have moved into and out of Allahabad. (I say “approximately” because the precise numbers are difficult to come by.) It took 60 years for the population of Istanbul to grow from one to 10 million, and 50 years in the case of Lagos. At Allahabad, though, the population rose from zero to 10 million, give or take a few million, in just a week’s time.
That’s a slightly unfair comparison because the local government isn’t going to put in place all the fixtures of a functional metropolis. However, it’s only partly unfair. The Indian authorities do have to pull off the creation of a huge temporary tent city with minimal mishap.
An enormous amount of urban planning, civil engineering, governance and adjudication, and maintenance of public goods — physical ones like toilets as well as intangibles such as law and order — and plans to deal with unexpected events goes into the creation of this city. Those are pretty much the main elements surrounding the creation of any city in the world.
There will also be a reasonably efficient dissolution of the city when the Kumbh Mela ends in late February, but that’s another story. Some cities have declined over time, but I can’t even imagine what it would take for one of the world’s major metropolises to unwind.
The mammoth people flows at Allahabad got me excited when two colleagues at Harvard University, religion professor Diana Eck and design professor Rahul Mehrotra, broached the idea of studying the Maha Kumbh Mela some months ago. As a child growing up in India, I had read about the festival, but had never entertained the idea of visiting it or studying it. Having lived outside India for over two decades, I now find myself in a position to revisit the event, intellectually and physically.
The flows of humanity that my colleagues and I will study during the five weeks of the Kumbh Mela will shed light on similar events, such as responses to unexpected events, disasters, and the like, that will take decades to unfold in other metropolises.
Some researchers are social anthropologists, in effect, following key officials during the Mela to unmask the processes that allow efficient and rapid decision making. In a sense, the festival is a laboratory setting that scientists of all sorts constantly look for. While there are other large gatherings of folks, such as the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, those are a tenth of the size in terms of the number of participants.
Another issue of interest is the emergence of social structure in complex groupings. The Kumbh Mela authorities put down some bright lines on who gets to go where, when, and how — for example, rules that govern people’s movements during some religious days — and some rules are determined by long-standing customs. Other, more informal norms among disparate groups of people seem to emerge quickly.
To those interested in how cooperation among diverse groups happens, this is a fortuitous setting.
This is also the first Big Data Kumbh, as I call it. With cellphone usage ubiquitous in India, the millions of cellphones at the Kumbh Mela will act as mobile sensors.
My colleagues and I have undertaken, with the help of local cellular providers and government authorities, to amass, arguably, the biggest ever telecom data set.
To imagine the uses to which researchers could put the data, consider these hypothetical ideas. The data could be used to understand how untoward incidents have been contained. After all, the Maha Kumbh Mela has managed to prevent major disasters for a long time.
Why don’t disasters spiral out of control when massive numbers of people, unfamiliar with each other, are involved? Can we spot the signatures of an incipient disaster in the data, and the process by which those signals are attenuated rather than amplified?
There is much commerce, as well as charitable exchange, of goods and services at the Kumbh Mela. How do vendors deal with the inevitable errors in forecasting demand? Do inter-vendor communication patterns allow the collective containment of uncertainties? Indeed, the telecom data generated at the Kumbh Mela should provide grist to the intellectual mills of statisticians, engineers, mathematicians, and social scientists for a long time, and allow us to model the use of this kind of Big Data.
Triveni Sangam
In Hindu tradition Triveni Sangam is the “confluence” of three rivers. Sangama is the Sanskrit word for confluence. The point of confluence is a sacred place for Hindus. A bath here is said to wash away all of one’s sins and free one from the cycle of rebirth.
Religious significance
The Triveni Sangam is believed to be the same place where drops of Nectar fell from the pitcher, from the hands of the Gods. So it is believed that a bath in the Sangam will wash away all one’s sins and will clear the way to heaven. Devout Hindus from all over India come to this sacred pilgrimage point to offer prayers and take a dip in the holy waters. The sacred Kumbh Mela is held every 12 years on the banks of Ganga, Yamuna and Sarsvati at Sangam. According to Hindu tradition, the Prakrista Yajna was performed here by Lord Brahma. That is why Allahabad was known as Prayag in ancient times. Allahabad (Prayag) is also called Tirtha-Raja (Prayag Raj), king of all holy places. It is said that Lord Rama visited Allahabad when he was in exile.
Naga Sadhus
In North India, the Ekadandi monks have been organizing themselves into yoga akhadas, generally known as Akhāḍas. In the 16th century, Madhusudana Saraswati organised a section of the Naga tradition of armed sannyasis in order to protect Hindus from the tyranny of the Mughal rulers. These are also called Gusain, Gussain, Gosain, Gossain, Gosine, Gosavi, Sannyāsi, Dasnāmi or Goswami in popular parlance.
Warrior ascetics could be found in Hinduism from at least the 1500s and as late as the 1700s,[25] although tradition attributes their creation to Sankaracharya[web 6]. Some examples of akhadas currently are the Shri Panchadashanam Juna Akhada of the Dashanami nagas, Shri Panchayati Mahanirwani Akhada, Shri Taponidhi Niranjani Akhada, Shri Taponidhi Anand Akhada, Shri Panchayati Atal Akhada, Shri Panchadashnam Awahan Akhada, Shri Pancha Agni Akhada and Shri Panchayati Akhada at Allahabad.[web 7] Each akhada is divided into sub-branches and traditions. An example is the Datt Akhada of the naked sadhus of Juna Naga establishment.[web 8].
The Naga sadhus generally remain in the ambit of non-violence presently, though some sections are also known to practice the sport of wrestling. The Dasanāmi sannyāsins practice the Vedic and yogic Yama principles of ahimsā (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), aparigraha (non-covetousness) and brahmacārya (celibacy / moderation).
The Dasanāmis are generally believed to be celibate, and grihastas or householder sannyāsis such as Lahiri Mahasaya and Bhupendranath Sanyal (Sanyal Mahāsaya) were a rarity.
The Naga sadhus are prominent at Kumbha mela, where the order in which they enter the water is fixed by tradition. After the juna akhada, the niranjani and mahanirvani akharas proceed to their bath. Ramakrishna Math Sevashram are almost the last in the procession.
The Maha Kumbh Mela of 2013 will be the largest ever gathering of humanity in a single place in all of history. Over 70 million people are expected to reach the holy city of Allahabad during the 56 days of the Maha Kumbh, an event that occurs once every 12 years.We give below a short background on the Mela as well as a few guidelines for those of you who may be interested in sending guests or yourselves attending to experience the Maha Kumbh Mela in January 2013
History of the Maha Kumbh
The Maha Kumbh Mela is a spiritual event of epic proportions which takes place every 12 years in the city of Allahabad in northern India. It is a pilgrimage of faith, salvation and hope for millions of Indians and vast numbers gather in observance of one of India’s most famous religious events. Allahabad, the ancient holy city of Prayag (holiest of the holy) is located at the confluence of the rivers Ganga and Yamuna and is considered the most sacred and location for the Mela.
When did it begin?
The first written evidence of the Kumbh Melas in India can be found in the accounts of the Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang or Xuanzang (602 – 664 CE), who visited India between 629 – 645 CE, during the reign of King Harshavardhan. However, it is believed that the observance dates back several millennia, to ancient India’s Vedic period, when the first river festivals are thought to have been organised.
The origin of the Kumbh can be found in one of the popular myths of the creation of the world in Hindu mythology, the Samudra Manthan (churning of the ocean of milk), which finds mention in ancient Hindu scriptures like the Bhagavata Purana, the Vishnu Purana, the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana.
Myth behind the festival
The Kumbh Mela is a festival that celebrates and commemorates the triumph of the gods over the demons in the battle for Amrit, the nectar of immortality. It is said that during the battle 4 drops of nectar fell to the earth. A drop each is supposed to have fallen at the cities of Allahabad, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain.
Over the centuries pilgrims have celebrated this triumph of good over evil by bathing in the rivers near the four locations where the Amrit is said to have fallen. It is believed that taking a dip in the Sangam (the holy confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati) at Allahabad during the Kumbh Mela will cleanse one of all their sins, and grant an escape from the endless cycle of reincarnation by paving a path for salvation or Moksha.
In the Hindu tradition, such status belongs to Brahma, the creator from whom all human beings are descended. It must not constitute a tremendous leap of faith to say that the difference between Brahma and Abraham is one only of semantics. There is common acceptance among all major faiths in their refinement that there is only one source of human gene-rations: some call it Brahma, others Abraham, or Ibrahim.
Of all the three major faiths, again, the antiquity of Hinduism goes deepest. Hinduism is perhaps the only religion that does not require a process to make one a Hindu. In fact there is no requirement at all, the reason why there is no ex-communication from Hinduism. In the Hindu schema, even adharma, opposed as it is, must be acknowledged as having sprung from dharma.
There is yet another facet that differentiates Hinduism from other faiths: it is perhaps the only major religion predominantly contained within an ethnic and geographical boundary, unlike Judaism, Christianity and Islam. And apparently unorganised, it is at the Mahakumbh that the organisation behind Hinduism becomes evident, where the confluence proximates Chinese Buddhist traveller Yijing`s (seventh century) description of India as Mayadesha: the centre of a hundred myriad countries.
Another reminiscence motive of ‘organisational’ Hinduism is the colour saffron. When the Buddha established the first commune, he robed the monks in a shade of autumn-leaf yellow. A monk, the Buddha said, is like a leaf fallen from the tree, returning to its roots, its origin.
When Hinduism was challenged by Buddhism, Adi Shankaracharya re-established the Sanatan Dharma by creating four seats of Hinduism, began the monastic tradition, and gave the monks saffron — a colour derived from the flame. Shan-kara said anyone who wears a flame-coloured robe must imagine himself unflinchingly on the `chitaa` or the funeral pyre, burning his samskaras and making sure none is added.
The third organisation, again created by Shankara, was establishing “indestructible” sects of Hinduism, or `akshara`. The word `akhara` is a corruption of the word `akshara`; which, of course, is also Sans-krit for `word` — and means the same: indestructible. These aksharas or akharas were armed camps to secure Sanatan Dharma from both external aggression and internal disorder.
The seven camps were Avahan, Atal, Mahanirvani, Anand, Niranjani, Juna and Agni, who worshipped the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. But mutation being the nature of things, the seven akharas split into three more after wars erupted between the followers of Vishnu and Shiva, wars perhaps as bloody as the ones these were meant to prevent against Hinduism. This led to Vaishnav acharyas, Ramanand, Ramanuj and Vallabh creating the Digambar, Nirvani and Nirmohi akharas for followers of Vishnu.
Then there was a Sikh entry into the fold with Sri Chand, the son of Guru Nanak. A devoted disciple of the illustrious guru, Sri Chand always believed he would succeed Nanak as the leader of the new faith. But when time came to declare a successor, Nanak named Bhai Lehna and not Sri Chand — who was deeply disappointed. Bhai
Lehna as Guru Angad took over the reins of the Sikh faith.
Learning not to have any expectation or desire, as these inevitably lead to disillusionment, Sri Chand found the Udaseen sect, which cultivates “indifference” to everything, since all temporal power and glory are fleeting. Udaseen was rejected by Sikhism and embraced by Hinduism.
Later, Udaseen broke into Bada, Naya and Nirmal Udaseen, taking the number of akharas to 13. This is where it stays. During the six-odd weeks at the Sangam, this deeper organisation of the teeming multitudes serves as a reminder of the permanence of ideas and the impermanence of place.
Relevance of the number 12
According to the myth, once the churning of the ocean of milk yielded Amrit, or nectar of immortality, the gods and demons fought for its control and possession for 12 days and 12 nights. These 12 days and nights are believed to amount to 12 human years, thereby making the number 12 extremely significant and pivotal in the occurrence of the Maha Kumbh Mela. It is believed that at these intervals of 12 years, the confluence waters acquire the properties of the Amrit, absolving one of all sins and granting Moksha or salvation.
Science behind the Maha Kumbh
The Maha Kumbh cycle of 12 years synchronises with the different stages of the sun spot cycle which is known to have a very similar cyclic period of approximately 11.1 years. The sun spot cycle is known to enhance the electro-magnetic field (EMF) of the Earth and its environment which in turn affects the bio-system.
Of the many effects of the EM field, one is reported to be to inhibit the regulatory systems of the body, like the nervous, endocrine, circulatory and respiratory, giving rise to a condition quite similar to the inhibitory effects of meditation. In view of this naturally induced meditation physiology, spiritual practice during the Maha Kumbh is greatly advocated.
The spectacular Mahakumbh is a grand celebration of eclectic Hinduism
The Mahakumbh, with its limitless cornucopia of Hindu memories and motives, is the closest that Hinduism comes to calling itself ‘organised’ in the Semitic sense of the term. It is easily one of Hinduism’s great traditions, one which with its almost limitless diversity is the antithesis of a globalised, monochromatic world of materialism. The Mahakumbh is a spectacular display of faith, which also serves as a reminder of how order and organisation flow out of apparent chaos.
If there is anything that the Mahakumbh signifies, it is the varieties of societal and religious beliefs and ways to self-realisation. No two paths need be alike. This is both the strength and weakness — in shape of ambiguity and silences — of Hinduism, as many of its adherents believe, and not incorrectly, that one is most a Hindu when one is least a Hindu. Hinduism’s propensity to absorb a multitude of thoughts including even atheism makes it, at times, inscrutable to its own followers.
However, in the tower of babel that is the human world — a world that in the Book of Genesis was “scattered with people by God who confused its people’s languages, so that they would not be able to return to each other” — what`s lost sight of is the underlying unity of faiths.
Whereas Abraham in the Jewish and Christian traditions is the father of Israelites, in Islam, Ibrahim is the first prophet and ancestor of Muhammad.
