By AFP
January 9, 2025
Many sadhus, or Hindu holy men, walk for weeks through India to reach the site of Kumbh Mela, the world's largest gathering - Copyright AFP/File Niharika KULKARNI
Arunabh SAIKIA
The world’s largest gathering of humanity begins in India on Monday with the opening of the Kumbh Mela, a six-week Hindu festival organisers expect to attract up to 400 million pilgrims.
Organisers say the scale of preparations for the Kumbh Mela is akin to setting up a temporary country from scratch — in this case, one more populous than the United States and Canada combined.
“Some 350 to 400 million devotees are going to visit the mela, so you can imagine the scale of preparations,” festival spokesman Vivek Chaturvedi said.
Around 150,000 toilets have been built and a network of community kitchens can each feed up to 50,000 people at the same time.
Another 68,000 LED light poles have been erected for a gathering so large that its bright lights can be seen from space.
Authorities and the police have also set up a network of “lost and found” centres and an accompanying phone app to help pilgrims lost in the immense crowd “to reunite with their families”.
India is the world’s most populous nation, with 1.4 billion people, and so is used to large crowds.
The last celebration at the site, the “ardh” or half Kumbh Mela in 2019, attracted 240 million pilgrims, according to India’s government.
That compares to an estimated 1.8 million Muslims who take part in the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
The government calls the Kumbh Mela a “vibrant blend of cultures, traditions, and languages, showcasing a ‘mini-India’ where millions come together without formal invitations”.
– ‘Plunge in the river’ –
The Kumbh Mela, or “festival of the sacred pitcher”, is held at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Sarasvati rivers.
Its emblematic ritual is mass bathing in the holy rivers, with the dawn charge often led by naked, ash-smeared holy men, many of whom will have walked for weeks to reach the site.
Hindus believe that those who immerse themselves in the waters cleanse themselves of sin, breaking free from the cycle of rebirth and ultimately attaining salvation.
Many pilgrims embrace a life of simplicity during the festival — vowing non-violence, celibacy and the offering of alms — and focusing on prayer and meditation.
Santosh Mishra, 55, from a village near the holy Hindu city of Varanasi, said he and his neighbours were “super excited” for the fair to begin.
“The whole village will be going,” Mishra told AFP. “It’s a great feeling when everyone takes a plunge in the river together.”
The festival is rooted in Hindu mythology, a battle between deities and demons for control of a pitcher containing the nectar of immortality.
Four drops of nectar were spilt during the battle and one landed at Prayagraj, where the Kumbh Mela is held every 12 years.
The other three fell on the cities of Nashik, Ujjain and Haridwar, where smaller festivals are held in intervening years.
The exact date of each celebration is based on the astrological positions of the Sun, Moon and Jupiter.
– ‘Central spiritual role’ –
Ceremonies include the visually spectacular “aarti”, when vast numbers of priests perform rituals holding flickering lamps.
Devotees also float a sea of twinkling prayer lamps, crafted from baked flour, which glow with burning mustard oil or clarified butter.
Monday marks the start of festivities, coinciding with the full moon, with celebrations culminating on February 26, the final holy bathing day.
The mythic battle that undergirds the Kumbh Mela celebrations is mentioned in the Rig Veda, a sacred Hindu text written more than 3,000 years ago.
The festival was also mentioned by Chinese Buddhist monk and scholar Hiuen Tsang, who attended in the seventh century.
UNESCO lists the Kumbh Mela as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
It describes it as “the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth”, saying it “plays a central spiritual role in the country, exerting a mesmeric influence on ordinary Indians”.
India’s Kumbh Mela, world’s largest religious gathering
By AFP
January 9, 2025
Workers paint a mural of Hindu deity Ganesha ahead of the Kumbh Mela, which organisers expect to be attended by 400 million devotees
- Copyright AFP/File Niharika KULKARNI
Abhaya SRIVASTAVA
Organisers of India’s Kumbh Mela have prepared to host a staggering 400 million devotees at the six-week Hindu festival that starts Monday and is expected to be the largest human gathering in history.
Pilgrims will come from across India and beyond to take part in elaborate rituals, prayers and religious processions with elephants, as well as horse-back parades and chariots.
The mass Hindu mela, or fair, runs from January 13 to February 26 on the river banks of Prayagraj in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
Organisers say the scale of preparations for the Kumbh Mela is akin to setting up a country from scratch.
– Mind-boggling numbers –
Around 150,000 toilets have been built along with community kitchens that can each feed up to 50,000 people at a time.
The last celebration at the site, the “ardh” or half Kumbh Mela in 2019, attracted 240 million pilgrims, according to the government.
This year, authorities are preparing for up to 400 million people — more than the combined population of the United States and Canada.
Mela authorities and police have set up a network of “Lost and Found” centres as well as a special Kumbh phone application to help lost pilgrims reunite with their families.
– Sacred bathing –
The Kumbh Mela, the “festival of the sacred pitcher”, is held at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Sarasvati rivers.
A central part of the rituals is bathing in the holy rivers, with the dawn charge often led by naked, ash-smeared monks.
Hindus believe that those who immerse themselves in the waters cleanse themselves of sin, breaking free from the cycle of rebirth and ultimately attaining salvation.
Many pilgrims embrace a life of simplicity during the festival — vowing non-violence, celibacy and the offering of alms — and focusing on prayer and meditation.
– Cosmic battle –
The festival is rooted in Hindu mythology, a battle between deities and demons for control of a pitcher, or kumbh, containing the nectar of immortality.
During the battle, a cosmic fight called “Samudra Manthan”, or the “churning of the ocean”, four drops of nectar were spilt.
One landed at Prayagraj, where the Kumbh is held every 12 years.
The other drops fell in Nashik, Ujjain and Haridwar, cities where smaller Kumbh festivals are held in intervening years.
The mythological battle is mentioned in the Rig Veda, an ancient sacred canonical Hindu text.
One of the earliest historical mentions of the festival comes from Chinese Buddhist monk and scholar Hiuen Tsang, who attended in the seventh century.
– Key dates –
Bathing takes place every day, but on the most auspicious dates, it is known as Shahi Snan, or “royal bath”.
Ceremonies include the visually spectacular “aarti”, when vast numbers of priests perform rituals holding flickering lamps.
Devotees also float a sea of twinkling “diya” prayer lamps, crafted from baked flour, that glow from burning mustard oil or clarified butter.
Key dates include January 13, the start of the mela that coincides with the full moon.
One of the most popular days is January 29, Mauni Amavasya, when celestial alignments are said to be ideal for purifying waters.
Celebrations culminate on February 26, Maha Shivaratri, the final holy bathing day.
Abhaya SRIVASTAVA
Organisers of India’s Kumbh Mela have prepared to host a staggering 400 million devotees at the six-week Hindu festival that starts Monday and is expected to be the largest human gathering in history.
Pilgrims will come from across India and beyond to take part in elaborate rituals, prayers and religious processions with elephants, as well as horse-back parades and chariots.
The mass Hindu mela, or fair, runs from January 13 to February 26 on the river banks of Prayagraj in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
Organisers say the scale of preparations for the Kumbh Mela is akin to setting up a country from scratch.
– Mind-boggling numbers –
Around 150,000 toilets have been built along with community kitchens that can each feed up to 50,000 people at a time.
The last celebration at the site, the “ardh” or half Kumbh Mela in 2019, attracted 240 million pilgrims, according to the government.
This year, authorities are preparing for up to 400 million people — more than the combined population of the United States and Canada.
Mela authorities and police have set up a network of “Lost and Found” centres as well as a special Kumbh phone application to help lost pilgrims reunite with their families.
– Sacred bathing –
The Kumbh Mela, the “festival of the sacred pitcher”, is held at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Sarasvati rivers.
A central part of the rituals is bathing in the holy rivers, with the dawn charge often led by naked, ash-smeared monks.
Hindus believe that those who immerse themselves in the waters cleanse themselves of sin, breaking free from the cycle of rebirth and ultimately attaining salvation.
Many pilgrims embrace a life of simplicity during the festival — vowing non-violence, celibacy and the offering of alms — and focusing on prayer and meditation.
– Cosmic battle –
The festival is rooted in Hindu mythology, a battle between deities and demons for control of a pitcher, or kumbh, containing the nectar of immortality.
During the battle, a cosmic fight called “Samudra Manthan”, or the “churning of the ocean”, four drops of nectar were spilt.
One landed at Prayagraj, where the Kumbh is held every 12 years.
The other drops fell in Nashik, Ujjain and Haridwar, cities where smaller Kumbh festivals are held in intervening years.
The mythological battle is mentioned in the Rig Veda, an ancient sacred canonical Hindu text.
One of the earliest historical mentions of the festival comes from Chinese Buddhist monk and scholar Hiuen Tsang, who attended in the seventh century.
– Key dates –
Bathing takes place every day, but on the most auspicious dates, it is known as Shahi Snan, or “royal bath”.
Ceremonies include the visually spectacular “aarti”, when vast numbers of priests perform rituals holding flickering lamps.
Devotees also float a sea of twinkling “diya” prayer lamps, crafted from baked flour, that glow from burning mustard oil or clarified butter.
Key dates include January 13, the start of the mela that coincides with the full moon.
One of the most popular days is January 29, Mauni Amavasya, when celestial alignments are said to be ideal for purifying waters.
Celebrations culminate on February 26, Maha Shivaratri, the final holy bathing day.
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