MAHA KUMBAMELA 2013

Maha Kumbh Mela, 2013 – Children of Light

Happy to present facts on this most important Maha Kumbh Mela.  Being a keen photographer myself, the photographs I find are  pretty amazing… I thought you folks would also enjoy them. This was not an easy post to put together due to so many photos but worth the time, I feel….  

The Beginning

Originally, the demigods had lost their strength from the curse of Durväsä Muni. To regain it, they approached Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva, who directed all the demigods to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vishnu. After prayers to Lord Vishnu, he instructed them to churn the ocean of milk Ksheera Sagara (the primordial ocean of milk) to receive amrita, the nectar of immortality. So they made a temporary agreement with their arch enemies, the Asuras demons, to work together with a promise to share the wealth equally. However, when the Kumbha (urn or jar) containing the amrita appeared, a fight ensued. For twelve days and twelve nights, the equivalent to twelve human years, the gods and demons fought in the sky for the pot of amrita. It is believed that during the battle, Lord Vishnu flew away with the Kumbha of elixir but spilling drops of amrita at four locations: Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik.

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Celestial Aspects

Kumbh Mela is celebrated at different locations depending on the position of the planet of Bṛhaspati (Jupiter) and the sun. When Jupiter and the sun are in the zodiac sign of Leo - Simha Rashi, it is held in Trimbakeshwar, Nashik. When the sun is in Aries – Mesha Rashi, it is celebrated at Haridwar. When Jupiter is in Taurus – Vrishabha Rashi, and the sun is in Capricorn – Makar Rashi, the Kumbha Mela is celebrated at Prayag; and when Jupiter and the sun are in Scorpio – Vrishchik Rashi, the Mela is celebrated at Ujjain.
Each site's celebration dates are calculated in advance according to a special combination of zodiacal positions of Sun, Moon, and Jupiter

Overview

This festival has been held on the banks of the Ganges for thousands of years.
The event, held every 12 years, is billed as the biggest gathering on Earth. More than 100 million people are expected to attend the 55-day festival.
The 2013 gathering is a Maha Kumbh and this only happens after 12 purna kumbhs or about every 144 years – and it is always held at Allahabad. Hence this year's festival is known as a Maha Kumbh and will last for 55 days, a period of time determined by an astrological calculation described above.

Preparing For Millions

On Sunday night, smoke could be seen rising from hundreds of small fires which people had built to cook dinner or keep warm.

Monday 14 January,2013

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The festival formally started at dawn and all roads leading to the Kumbh Mela grounds are now packed with hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. Here is a run-down on this morning's events :

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05:17 IST (23:47 GMT)

At 5am, Sangam is a hub of frantic activity. Thousands of pilgrims have already taken a dip in the holy waters, thousands are lining up for their turn and thousands more are walking towards the river front.

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The air here smells smoky from all the fires which people have burned overnight to stay warm.
There is a chill in the air this morning as holy men sprint into the waters in Allahabad, but the day dawned warmer than in recent weeks when a cold snap hit northern India.

06:44 IST (01:14 GMT)

Sadhus on the banks of the river shout "Try it for yourself!"

The first group of Naga sadhus (ascetics) arrived in a colourful procession. Led by naked ash-smeared men with marigold garlands around their necks, they sprinted into the chilly waters of Sangam.

Dip over, some came and stood before us rubbing coarse river sand on their bodies.

I was able to ask an old sadhu if he felt the cold. "Not at all" he said and handed me some sand: "Try it for yourself!"

07:33 IST (02:03 GMT)

The sadhus from the Niranjani akhara (camp) arrive in a huge procession.
The naked ash-smeared men arrived in a colourful procession and waded into the chilly waters of Sangam – the point at which the rivers converge.
The sadhus have been leading processions accompanied by elephants, camels, horses, chariots and music bands in recent days.

Although the sky is still dark, the bathing ghats are lit up with thousands of electric bulbs.

The group of several hundred naked ascetics, has a reputation for being rather unfriendly and they are accompanied by the elite commandos of the RAF (rapid action force). The pesky journalists and tourists are reined in behind police lines "for your own protection," we are told.

The group takes 45 minutes to bathe after which they are escorted out by the RAF troops.

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08:56 IST (03:26 GMT)

As waves of naked ash-smeared ascetics continue to arrive and sprint towards the river, thousands of bathers in nearby enclosures watch in awe.
One sadhu, with long matted hair, stops and does a joyous jig for the furiously clicking cameras.

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Women Ascetics Also Take Part in the Kumbh Mela

In a departure from tradition, a large number of women ascetics have also come for a bath at Sangam. Dressed in bright saffron-coloured saris and robes, they seemed to be enjoying all the attention. Some laughed and chatted amongst themselves, some even posed for pictures.

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Meanwhile, in the next enclosure, thousands of ordinary pilgrims – men and women, old and young – are moving in orderly lines for their bathing rituals.

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11:00 IST (05:30 GMT)

The crowd management at the river front so far has been impressive.

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As soon as pilgrims finish bathing, they are encouraged to move away and make space for other bathers.

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Away from the river front, the mela area is bustling with small roadside vendors selling tea, sweets, colourful photographs of Hindu deities and small round white candies generally offered at the temple altar.

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Pilgrims Give Alms to Children Dressed as Hindu Gods

On one street, several toddlers dressed as Hindu deities sit by the roadside as many passing pilgrims hand them coins.
"Their parents are very clever," an old man tells me, "for who can refuse alms to a pretty child dressed as a god or goddess?"

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Later

Several million people have been bathing at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers at Allahabad in India, on this opening day of the Kumbh Mela festival with at least 10 million pilgrims set to do so by the end of today.
Police estimated that, by late afternoon, about 7.5 million people had bathed. They also say that the festival is expected to draw over a million foreign tourists.

For festival-goers, one of the most memorable spectacles of the day was when the Naga sadhus, or ascetics, sprinted into the river reciting religious chants, many clad only in marigold garlands.

In Numbers

• Visitors: 80-100 million
• Number of days: 55
• Area: 20 sq km (4,932 acres)
• Drinking water: 80 million litres
• Toilets: 35,000
• Doctors: 243
• Police: 30,000
• Hospitals: 14

Fourteen temporary hospitals have been set up with 243 doctors deployed round-the-clock, and more than 35,000 toilets have been built for the pilgrims.

Official Website of Kumbh Mela, 2013