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The biggest congregation in the

world, ardent devotees exhibiting

religious frenzy, the spectacular

sight of lands transformed into a mini-city in a

few months’ time – all culminate in a holy dip

in the sacred rivers – this is what the Kumbh

Mela is about.

India is a country that thrives on religion,

and religion is a great way to celebrate the

journey called life. Believers, be they the

common public, saints or charlatans, base

their lives on religion, drawing inspiration

from it in their daily lives. The huge number

of Hindu deities – 330 million, to be precise –

the number of temples, and the sheer number

of legends and stories associated with these

are staggering enough to send one into a tizzy.

Religion is so much a part of people’s lives that

any important work is preceded by invoking the

gods so that the work is completed successfully.

Some people’s religiosity is so pervasive that

it borders on superstition, making it difficult

to distinguish between simple faith and

superstition.

Hinduism, one of the ancient religions

of the world, is an amalgamation of three

traditions – Shaivism, Vaishnavism and

Shaktism. Shaivism refers to the worship of

Lord Shiva, while Vaishnavism and Shaktism

refer to the worship of Lord Vishnu and

goddess Durga, respectively.

The ultimate goal of Hinduism is to attain

moksha – salvation. One who has attained

moksha is said to be free from the cycle of

rebirth. Moksha is a state of supreme bliss,

attained under the guidance of a guru, through

rigorous practices. It is the state every ardent

Hindu would like to attain after death, and it

is believed that a dip in any of the holy rivers

near the places where the Kumbh Mela (fair)

is held, leads a person to moksha.

The Kumbh Mela is the opportunity

of a lifetime to experience a huge human

kaleidoscope – people of various castes and

creeds – united by the common aim of seeking

salvation. The atmosphere is spiritually

conducive and charged with shouts of “Har

Har Mahadev!”.The sincere efforts of even

the poorest people, the distances they traverse

and the hardships they undergo to have a

dip at the Kumbh are overwhelming to see.

Even tourists who come only to sightsee feel a

powerful sense of spirituality.

There are all kinds of contrasts – poor and

rich, spiritually inclined and dilettantes, very

young and the elderly, naked and well-dressed,

able- and feeble bodied. The Kumbh is a

potpourri of people of different classes, colour

A Naga deeksha ceremony

going on in full swing.

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