Our Planet’s Landmarks Series #17
Kumbh Mela India – World’s Largest Gathering
Kumbh finds its origin in a legend of a war between gods and demons. They fought over the possession of the elixir of immortality. Legend says the drops of elixir fell out of Kumbh (sacred pitcher) at four places. Prayag, Ujjain, Nasik, and Haridwar. Today, these cities host Kumbh.
At every location, we have Kumbh every 12 years. Exceptions are Prayag and Haridwar. Here, between two Kumbhs, an Ardh Kumbh (Half Kumbh) is also celebrated. Of all locations, topmost in the pecking order is Prayag. Because of Triveni Sangam. The confluence of three rivers. Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati.
The belief is a holy dip during Kumbh frees one from a cycle of rebirth. The elixir, and the alignment of stars, together deliver this.
In 2017, UNESCO inscribed Kumbh on their list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Kumbh: My Experience
Kumbh conjures up an image of an ocean of humanity. Rightly so as an estimated 150 million people will visit Prayag for 2019 Ardh Kumbh (Dates: 15th January to 4th March 2019). That is one in every nine Indians. Such an invasion of any city calls for a large scale handling and organisation.
I visited Kumbh twice this year. As Photography Experience Architect of Times Passion Trail. And on an invite to Travel Writers Kumbh Conclave (a Worldwide Media/Lonely Planet event).
UP Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath flagged the trail off from Lucknow. At the flag off, he shared UP government had doubled the area for Kumbh Mela. From 32 hectares in the previous Kumbh to 64 hectares. He also mentioned 125,000 toilets had been set up for devotees.
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Saying Vs. Seeing
Those were figures. During the Travel Writers Kumbh Conclave, I took a helicopter ride to shoot
The tent city was a sprawling expanse of gabled pyramids. All around, rows of
Near the Sangam, the akharas were buzzing with activity. The multitude thronged the Ghats. Boats carrying devotees flecked the Triveni Sangam. The whole scene boggled my mind. So many people in one place!
In my Times Passion Trail visit, the
But during the second visit, I was there for Mauni Amavasya (silent new moon night). This is considered the holiest day for a dip. I took the helicopter ride a day before. I could see the build-up for the next day was staggering. More than double the size of my earlier visit. To give some perspective, the number of devotees who took holy dip on Paush Poornima was 22.5 million. This number had swollen to over 50 million on Mauni Amavasya!
As the largest gathering of humanity, Kumbh justifies its place on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. And w
