Kumbh Mela – The Greatest Spectacle on Earth Happens in India

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I’m sure you must have heard this countless times that India is all about different culture, traditions, religions and ideologies coming together under one roof. To many India is a land that combines the best of both, the natural and the spiritual world and this is so clearly visible during the Kumbh Mela that brings not just India, but all the believers together. Believe it or not, but Kumbh Mela is considered to be among the largest peaceful gathering in the world bringing together around 100 million people from all walks of life. Although, the Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage where millions of Hindus come together to bathe in a sacred river, but the event has attracted many other people from across the globe who come here to witness and experience something that they’ve never seen before. It is possible that you might have many questions in your mind, if you’ve never seen or heard about the Kumbh Mela. To an outsider like me, Kumbh Mela seems like a temple fair where people come together to experience spirituality and at the same time have some great time. However, the event is much more than that uniting the devotees at a completely different level.

Interestingly, Kumbh Mela is claimed to be the oldest religious gathering known to mankind. You can dive into the abyss of time, but you still won’t find an exact date or year of its origin. The gathering was initially an event to bring together religious scholars who would descend at one place to discuss theology and philosophy and Kumbh Mela was nothing less than a parliament of religion. The event has its references in the Hindu Vedas and the first historical evidence dates back to 602 A.D. written by Chinese traveler Xuanzang. In his written evidence, he clearly describes the ceremonies that used to take place, which still continues to be performed till date.

Kumbh Mela derives its name from the word ‘Kumbh’ which means pot or pitcher. It also represents one of the zodiac signs, the Aquarius. To Hindus, the pitcher is an integral part of all sacred activities while it also has a symbolic meaning to it. The pitcher also symbolizes the womb that holds life. It also becomes a receptacle of all the five elements of nature – water, earth, fire, sky and wind that makes up human body. The pitcher also stands for something that is full of knowledge and spirituality allowing human beings’ to discover one’s own true self. In simple words, Kumbh represents the Nectar of Life. This fair is not just about Hinduism, but a confluence of culture, spirituality and knowledge. It is a place where renouncers, ascetics and holy men come together to spread love, brotherhood, unity and humanity.

Unlike the regular religious fairs that take place anywhere across the country, Kumbh Mela takes places only at four sites: Prayag (Allahabad), Haridwar, Trimbak (Nashik) and Ujjain. Each sites celebration dates are calculated in advance to ensure millions of devotees know where to assemble at the given dates. Zodiacal positions of various planets also play a crucial role in determining when and where the event will take place. Generally, Kumbh Mela occurs every 12 years at each of the four places mentioned. All the four places have sacred rivers where devotees go for a bathing ceremony. However, a special combination of zodiacal positions of the Sun, the Moon and the Jupiter is taken into consideration. This year, the Kumbh Mela is being celebrated at Trimbak (Nashik).

While there are many things that catch our attention at the Kumbh Mela, Naga Sadhus certainly are quite popular at the event. These saints are a particular group of Shaivite saints who live in the Himalayas and descend to participate at the Kumbh Mela to interact with the world. These saints take inspiration from Lord Shiva holding tridents and have their bodies smeared with thick ash and heavily matted hair. These saints are renouncers and they renounce all the things of the material world.

This is why they do not wear clothes and remain that way even in freezing Himalayan conditions. Naga Sadhus practice celibacy to attend salvation and reject the concepts of the materialistic world. Since these saints rarely make a public appearance, millions flock to the Kumbh Mela to seem them in groups as they take the first holy dip in the sacred river. These saints also channelize their energy through meditation to perform some daring acts of faith that draw lot of devotees to the event.

The bathing ceremony at the Kumbh Mela is a major highlight as millions come together at a single place to take a holy dip to get rid of their sins and to attend moksha (salvation). Although, there is no official way to count the number of devotees that take bath, but on a special bathing day more than 30 million devotees take Shahi Snaan (royal bath) to conclude their Kumbh Mela.

Quite surprisingly, large scale preparations for food and accommodation are done to accommodate congregation of so many people at a single place. There are tents being built up for the saints and holy men and even for the general public participating in the event. On the other hand, pontoon bridges and new routes are designed and built for easy accessibility to millions of devotees.

Power and electrification workers also contribute to ensure proper lighting is provided to the tourists and devotees. Food and civil supplies companies make use of Kumbh Mela to bring out their products and services to the devotees. Mobile toilets are constructed while there are many health and medical teams available at the event to ensure emergency medical aid and assistance to the people.

Law enforcement teams are deployed across the city and the area where the main event takes place and a mobile police control room is constructed equipped with CCTV cameras to ensure smooth functioning of the event. Many multinational companies see this as an opportunity to reach out to the masses and come up with their own campaigns to promote their upcoming products.

Hence, in many different ways Kumbh Mela is the event that people wait for and participate where they can find answers to discover their own self, to reach out to their Gods, to ask for forgiveness for their sins and to attain salvation. It is certainly the greatest spectacle on the planet.