Millions gather in India for religious festival the world’s biggest

Bharat’s most holy gathering, the final or Maha Kumbh of 144 year cycle gets under way

The Maha Kumbh should be drawing more than 400 million devotees.The Kumbh Mela takes place every 12 years and is one of the most holy pilgrimage for the Hindus not only of India but also those spread over the World.

It is attended by a vibrant mix of holy men, ascetics, pilgrims and tourists. This year it is particularly significant as the Maha or grand Kumbh Mela only takes places every 144 years, marking the 12th Kumbh Mela and a special celestial alignment of the sun, moon and Jupiter.

More than 400 million people, the biggest crowd in its history and biggest on the entire planet, will attend this year’s festivities, which will be held over 45 days in Prayagraj in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

The world’s largest religious gathering commenced on Monday as nearly 5 million devotees gathered on the banks of Ganges in Prayagraj to mark the beginning of the Maha Kumbh Mela. By the 45th day nearly 400millions devotees should be visiting and bathing at the Sangam.

Prayagraj is particularly holy to Hindus because it is home to the sacred confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers called Triveni Sangam.

Over the course of the gathering, there are several shahi snan, holy bathing days when the devotees immerse themselves in the waters that purifies the soul.

The exact origin of the Kumbh Mela is debated among Western historians, but Indians believe it goes back to the legend of Samudra Manthan, or the churning of the ocean, described in ancient scriptures as when Lord Vishnu spilled drops of Amrit, the elixir of immortality from his kumbh, or urn, at four spots on Earth – the Indian cities of Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik.

Some of the first pilgrims to take a holy bath at Triveni Sangam. Photograph: Rajat Gupta/EPA

Each of these sacred locations hosts the Kumbh Mela on a rotational basis and has been doing so since thousand of years, but the Prayagraj event is the most important and spectacular.

The festival, which will continue till 26 February,will have fervent colourful processions have marked the arrival of the 13 akharas, the ancient monastic sects of warrior sadhus who travel from across the country to participate in the spectacle.

There has historically been fierce competition and bloodshed between the akharas, whose members have fought violently on many occasions and died in their thousands over who gets to take part in the holy bathing ritual first.

Members of the Panchayati Bada Udasin akhara arrive in Prayagraj for the start of the ahead of Maha Kumbh Mela Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

The scale and grandeur of this year’s festivities is expected to exceed all previous iterations, signifying the Kumbh Mela’s religious, Social and political importance.

This has naturally become more overt under the current Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) government, which is highly nationalist ( why it should be anything else or subjugated to foreign influence or those of anti nationals ? ) and rules both in the centre and also the State of Uttar Pradesh.

Now Indians are becoming proud of their ancient culture and Science. The civilization glory of Bharat is being restored both by the people and the Government without being apologetic to any one.

The festival is very potent – and politically advantageous – symbol of India’s unity in diversity and power, and this year’s celebrations are expected to be the most expensive on record, backed by vast state resources and a huge PR campaign.

The logistical arrangements are simply mind boggling. They include around 150,000 toilets and a network of community kitchens, each able to feed up to 50,000 people per day.

According to reports, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, the politically hardliner Hindu monk Yogi Adityanath, and his state government have spent more than 70bn rupees on infrastructure and sanitation projects for the Maha Kumbh Mela, while the faces of Adityanath and the prime minister Narendra Modi, have been splashed on promotional material for the festival nationwide.

The State Government has also put in concerted effort to bring in digital innovations in an effort to help solve some of the age-old problems of the chaotic festivities.

The Kumbh Mela mobile app will help pilgrims navigate the 15-square mile (40-square kilometre) maze of temples, bathing spots, food stalls, medical tents and missing persons booths, while an AI-powered chatbot that functions in 11 languages will help to answer any logistical and spiritual questions over WhatsApp.

To solve the perennial problem of pilgrims getting lost and separated, each one will be given a radio frequency wristband to help locate those who go missing.

Thousands of underwater and aerial drones will be deployed to help monitor security and movement, and a light show involving more than 2,000 drones will illuminate the skies with tales from ancient Scriptures.

Source : Guardian