uttrakhand kumbh:Tourism.qxd.qxd

40 India & You � September-October 2010

uttrakhand kumbh:Tourism.qxd 10/16/2010 3:51 PM Page 40

Going to the Mahakumbh on theShahi Snan (Royal Bath) day,which is a special and piousbathing day in the river Ganga was

one of the bravest decisions of my life. Thesun was shining bright in the sky, and thescorching heat made walking impossible. Ihad already walked 5 kilometers as carswere not allowed in the vicinity of the Gangaon the main Shahi snan day but my destination was still far from sight. As ifsuch an extended walk with countless people in this weather was not stiflingenough, I ran out of water. With no convenience store in sight I had to continuemy journey with a dry mouth. A small townlike Haridwar was overcrowded andcrushed with lack of resources like washrooms, sign boards, eatable shops tohandle such amass of humanity. With somany people, the resources and personnelappointed to organize the event looked minimal.

In the absence of any display signs, Ithought the best way to reach Har ki Pauri

A Royal Bath toCleanse Your Soul

A Royal Bath toCleanse Your Soul

Mahakumbh 2010, Haridwar, UttarakhandMahakumbh 2010, Haridwar, Uttarakhand

It is the largest gathering of

humans in the world and

happens only once every 12

years. The Hindu festival of

Mahakumbh was held for

nearly three months on the

banks of the Ganga in the

Lower Himalayas and Shivani

Pandey joined in with millions

of others—Indians and

foreigners – to try and wash her

sins away. Pictures and Text by

Shivani Pandey.

Tourism

India & You � September-October 2010 41


would be to follow the crowd. I soon realizedit was a wrong decision as others were as lostas I was. It seemed like I had already donemy penance after walking so much withtemperature touching 40 degree Celsius,while in the city stepping out in the day-time sun is something I don’t everimagine accomplishing.

Kumbh actually means pot and Melameans fair. According to Hindu mythology at

the beginning of creation, all the Gods wereunder a curse that made them weak and cowardly. Brahma, the creator God, advisedthem to retrieve the Kumbh (pot) containingthe nectar of immortality (amrit). The godssought help from the demons, and togetherthey churned the primordial ocean for abouta thousand years to bring up the nectar. AsDhanvantari, the divine healer, appeared withthe “Kumbh” containing nectar in his palms,a great fight ensued between the Gods anddemons to win the pitcher. During the fiercebattle in the sky, a few drops of nectar fell infour different places: Haridwar, Allahabad(Prayag), Nasik and Ujjain. Since then, whenthe planets align in the same position, pilgrims and devotees converge to commemorate this divine event. It is believedthat the nectar first fell in Haridwar also referred as Gangadwar then in Prayag in Allahabad followed by Ujjain and Nashik.

Its twin the Ardh Kumbh (Half Kumbh)occurs four times in every twelve years andis organised in rotation among four placesHaridwar, Allahabad (Prayag), Ujjain andNashik after every two and a half years. InNashik it is held on the banks of the RiverGodavari, River Ganga in Haridwar, RiverShipra in Ujjain and the confluence of thethree rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati atAllahabad. The ardh kumbh mela lasts forabout a month and will next take place in Allahabad in 2013.

It is commonly believed that should onebathe in the river during the Mahakumbh,all one’s sins shall be washed away. Astrologers say that the Kumbh Fair (Mela)takes place in Haridwar when Jupiter entersthe zodiac Aquarius (Kumbh in Hindi) andsun enters Aries. This planetary position issaid to medicate the waters of Ganga at aparticular spot called Har-ki-Pauri on thebanks of the river in Haridwar, and turn itinto nectar on these days, thereby attractingmillions to purify their inner-self throughholy bathing rituals. Even if you look at itspiritually position of planets during theKumbh Mela is considered ideal forconcentration and meditation.

It has been the favourite plot of manyHindi blockbuster movies where thecrowded part of the carnival was exaggerated and twin siblings were shownto separate in the confusion and hustle bustle of the festivities. The town wascrowded with people of all shapes and sizesand different ethnicities from all over Indiaand the world. With close to 100 millionpeople in the four months of the Mela, it is

Tourism



the largest religious human gathering in theworld followed by the Haj Pilgrimage inMecca, Saudi Arabia which gets about 10million people together.

One of the most striking and fascinatingfeatures is of course the Naga sadhus whocome down from the remote mountains andcaves of the Himalayas. They have alwaysdrawn attention by their unique appearance, which includes walking aboutnude, their long knotted hair and bodysmeared with ashes. They also wear rudraksha beads considered to possess positive healing properties. Unaffected byextreme temperatures they meditate and remain calm. Naga actually means cobra inHindi, which is a symbol of Lord Shiva, believed to be always coiled around hisneck. They lead a very austere life and oftenintoxicate themselves, which they feel isneeded to reach a higher state of meditationand perform unusual asanas and rituals tobecome one with Shiva. I try to be discreetwhile shooting some wild euphoric nagasduring the march towards the Ganga. Theirprocession looks like that of an army as theycarry sticks, spears and the trident.

Nagas belong to different Akharas orsects divided according to their beliefs. InHinduism, Akhara, which actually meanswrestling arena, is a type of organization ofthe different sects of Sadhus or Hindu

ascetics. The basic purpose behind settingup of Akharas was to form a band of religious warriors (Dharma Sainiks) whowould protect and safeguard the SanatanDharma or Hindu religion from social evils.Its origin dates back to 8th century AD whenAdi Shankaracharya, in order to revive Hinduism in India, established seven Akharas namely Mahanirvani, Niranjani,Juna, Atal, Avahan, Agni and Anand Akhara.Akharas are divided into different types according to the concept of God they worship. Shaiva Akharas for followers ofLord Shiva, Vaishnava or Vairagi Akhara forfollowers of Lord Vishnu and Kalpwasis forfollowers of Lord Brahma.

It was my third trip to the Mahakumbhthis year since January but this time it wasthe most vibrant and that is because my earlier trips were not on the Shahi Snandays. I was on one of the bridges and saw aprocession with horses, camels, elephantsgoing towards the direction of the Har-Ki-Pauri. I tried to follow them but was stoppedin the middle as the place was barricadedand public was not allowed. I was told thatit was the great Mahamandleshwar (HeadSaints) march to the main bathing Ghat atHar-Ki-Pauri. Dancers and devotees dancedin front of their Gurus at the sound of drumsand trumpets. The head saints sat on thechariots blessing everyone by raising their

hands being followed by many elephantsand horses, cars and huge crowds too. Asthey marched towards the Ganga theyblessed the people with their divine grace.

I had the good fortune of meeting ShriDaati Maharaj who was crowned a Mahamandaleshwar in January at hisashram. To see the special guru snan (wherethe guru gives you the bath) that happenedin his private Ghat where all his devoteesboth men and women were doused in milk,curd and Ganga jal (water) was quite exciting. His devotees shouted his name asthey came out of the water one after theother with curd and milk trickling downtheir shoulders. “Female Infanticide andglobal warming are two issues close to myheart”, says the modern guru who feels thatHindu religion has always been progressivebut was exploited over the years by some fortheir own vested interests. His liberal viewswere apparent as he gave women devotees abath along with men, which is not a usualpractice at the ashrams. After the ceremonyand guru aarti all his disciples sat lined upon the ground for Prasad (food offeringgiven by a saint).

As a devout Hindu I have been to manytemples across India and visiting the Mahakumbh was high on my wish-list. Itturned out to be the most adventurous tripof my life. I was wondering whether so many

India & You � September-October 2010 43

uttrakhand kumbh:Tourism.qxd 10/16/2010 3:55 PM 3

people actually thought themselves to besinners and desired to wash away their badkarma. The bathing ghats were full and theplace resembled a busy beach. There weremen women and children along the banks,changing their clothes after a good dip andlying across taking a nap after probablywashing off their bad debts from the past.

I stopped walking for a while and sat onthe stairs leading to the water. After walkingso much the breeze that was blowing on myface felt very refreshing. Looking around Ifelt a great connect with nature and a growing silence in me despite the chaosaround. The place emanated a powerful energy as I felt awed by such an immensefaith of people gathered around. As I proceeded to at least clean my feet andhands off the dust they had gathered fromwalking so much I was amazed that the water was freezing in such hot weather. The

current and speed with which the cold water was brushing my feet I felt a powerfulenergy taking off the stress that I had gathered before reaching this place. As Icleansed my hands and splashed water onmy face I felt instantly energized by this act.I could not resist myself from taking aplunge into the ice-cold water, which was souplifting in the heat.

Although people take a dip in the Gangaevery time they visit Haridwar whether during Kumbh or otherwise the Shahi snanis considered astrologically special. The bathdays during the Kumbh are the ones whenthere is a celestial movement of planets anda dip in the Ganga is supposedly very sacred.It is believed that the negative aura that onehas collected over the years gets cleared anda pure and strong aura is replaced after a dipin the Ganga. Hindus believe that one whobathes in the Ganga during shahi snan isrelieved from the sins he has been carryingon from many past lives, gets liberated fromthe cycle of rebirth and attains salvation. Water from the Ganga is also carried homeby almost every Hindu and is preserved andused during all the pujas and auspiciousevents. With fond memories I carried backtwo bottles full of Ganga jal after my mostmarched trip. ■

Tourism



uttrakhand kumbh:Tourism.qxd.qxd

Documents

Transcript of uttrakhand kumbh:Tourism.qxd.qxd