The Kumbh Mela is the largest religious gathering in the world. It occurs four times every
twelve years and rotates among four locations in India: Haridwar, Allahabad, Ujjain, and
Nasik. Haridwar is considered one of India’s holiest places for the Kumbh because the Ganga
enters the plains from mountains at this very juncture.
The last Mela at Haridwar was held in 1998 and is said to have attracted 25 million visitors
in 4 months. The next Kumbha Mela is in Haridwar from January to April 2010 and more then 30
million devotees, Sadhus and saints, yogis and priests are expected to converge at Haridwar
to take part in this sacred Hindu pilgrimage.
The festival is an amazing sight; a convergence of colour and incredible sights from all across
India. The Naga Sadhus are one such. Clad only in their skins, they are smeared in ash, have
long matted hairs and unaffected by the extremes of heat and cold, having conquered their senses
through the strict practice of Yoga. Then there are the Urdhwavahurs, who believe in putting the
body through severe austerities; the Parivajakas, who have taken a vow of life-long silence and
go about tinkling little bells to make their way through the crowds; The Shirshasins, who meditate
for hours standing on their heads. Then there are the Kalpvasis, who spend the entire month of
Kumbh on the banks of Ganga, meditating, performing rituals and bathing thrice a day.
It is believed that bathing during Kumbh cures the bather of all sins and evil and grants the
bather complete salvation. It is also believed that at the time of Kumbh Yog, the water of
Ganga is charged with positive healing effects and by the enhanced electromagnetic radiations
of the Sun, Moon and Jupiter, the flux of which also varies in accordance to positions and the
phases of the moon.
The Kumbh Mela is not an event to be missed – the sheer energy, the positive vibrations from
everyone that attends the festival; the joy that fills the air is almost palpable.
