Viajes India
15th Jan 2010
At Mahakumbh, it's India bathing, 10 lakh take holy dip in Haridwar
HARIDWAR: The three-month-long Mahakumbh mela got off to a quiet start before dawn in chilly waters and upon foggy ghats with Makar Sankranti on Thursday.
Ganga was pleasantly clean and serene. Under a thick carpet of security, a 10-lakh-strong crowd braved the cold to take the holy dip that began as early as 3.30am. Only a few sadhus hung loose but foreigners caught the eye.
The dense fog gave way to a mighty sun by mid-morning, and the huddled crowds threw off their shawls and caps to plunge into the cold water. They emerge, ‘‘All powerful!’’ says Gael Metroz, a PhD student from Switzerland, who has specially made this trip to India to take part in the holy festival. Moving between Haridwar and Rishikesh, Gael is one of many foreigners marking their presence. ‘‘But I expected bigger crowds,’’ observes Gael, calling the Mahakumbh phenomenal.
As the sun climbed, the congregation grew in leaps and bounds, with a steady stream of humans swelling the ranks. And yet, there was something remarkable here. There was a measured step. There was no feeling of being ‘crowded in’. There was collective intent. And there was least interest in the other. Each did his thing, holding onto the swinging chains for balance as they dunked repeatedly in the water. Women, petticoats tied at the chest, were equally lost in their own ritual, while all along the ghat, towel-curtains were being used to change. From all corners of the country, the devout were here in all shapes and sizes, across all ages — men, women and children. It was verily, India bathing.
Considered the mother of all festivals, the Mahakumbh is celebrated cyclically in turn at Nasik, Allahabad, Ujjain and Haridwar. A pauranic fest, legend says that in the battle between devtas and asuras over a pot of nectar, drops fell at the four spots where the festival is held. Bathing in the river during this period is thought to expiate all sins and open the passage to ‘moksha’.
On the first day of the three-month-long fest, it was an all-civilian affair with just a few scattered sadhus. The big sadhu brigades will march in later, especially for the February 12 holy dip — the first ‘shahi snan’ and considered by holy men to be the ‘real’ take-off point of the Mahakumbh. They say it is a mere coincidence that this time Makar Sankranti and start of the Mahakumbh period coincided. ‘‘It is only a coincidence. Expect the sadhus later,’’ said Ashok Giri, in saffron but not a monk, who has set up a free-food centre for pilgrims.
The river was a delight. In full spate, Ganga was a torrent gushing along purposively — blue-green, translucent and shimmering in the warm sun. Beyond faith and belief, the Mahakumbh brought to its seekers spiritual reality. ‘‘You can feel the intention of the crowd. So many people geared towards a sacred ritual,’’ said Nicole Salmi from Brazil.
Luiz Pezzini, an occupational psychologist also from Brazil, made it to Rishikesh for liberation, but was now caught in the sheer ‘‘energy of the moment’’. ‘‘Never seen anything like this,’’ said Karsten Parsoe, here with family from Denmark, especially for the Mahakumbh. Daughters with can’t-walk-no-more moms, kids with granddads telling them stories, middle-aged couples helping one another balance in the water — Haridwar was today a pilgrim’s delight. Many in their red gamchas posed in ‘earnest prayer’ for TV crews. No beggars were spotted.
The dense fog gave way to a mighty sun by mid-morning, and the huddled crowds threw off their shawls and caps to plunge into the cold water. They emerge, ‘‘All powerful!’’ says Gael Metroz, a PhD student from Switzerland, who has specially made this trip to India to take part in the holy festival. Moving between Haridwar and Rishikesh, Gael is one of many foreigners marking their presence. ‘‘But I expected bigger crowds,’’ observes Gael, calling the Mahakumbh phenomenal.
As the sun climbed, the congregation grew in leaps and bounds, with a steady stream of humans swelling the ranks. And yet, there was something remarkable here. There was a measured step. There was no feeling of being ‘crowded in’. There was collective intent. And there was least interest in the other. Each did his thing, holding onto the swinging chains for balance as they dunked repeatedly in the water. Women, petticoats tied at the chest, were equally lost in their own ritual, while all along the ghat, towel-curtains were being used to change. From all corners of the country, the devout were here in all shapes and sizes, across all ages — men, women and children. It was verily, India bathing.
Considered the mother of all festivals, the Mahakumbh is celebrated cyclically in turn at Nasik, Allahabad, Ujjain and Haridwar. A pauranic fest, legend says that in the battle between devtas and asuras over a pot of nectar, drops fell at the four spots where the festival is held. Bathing in the river during this period is thought to expiate all sins and open the passage to ‘moksha’.
On the first day of the three-month-long fest, it was an all-civilian affair with just a few scattered sadhus. The big sadhu brigades will march in later, especially for the February 12 holy dip — the first ‘shahi snan’ and considered by holy men to be the ‘real’ take-off point of the Mahakumbh. They say it is a mere coincidence that this time Makar Sankranti and start of the Mahakumbh period coincided. ‘‘It is only a coincidence. Expect the sadhus later,’’ said Ashok Giri, in saffron but not a monk, who has set up a free-food centre for pilgrims.
The river was a delight. In full spate, Ganga was a torrent gushing along purposively — blue-green, translucent and shimmering in the warm sun. Beyond faith and belief, the Mahakumbh brought to its seekers spiritual reality. ‘‘You can feel the intention of the crowd. So many people geared towards a sacred ritual,’’ said Nicole Salmi from Brazil.
Luiz Pezzini, an occupational psychologist also from Brazil, made it to Rishikesh for liberation, but was now caught in the sheer ‘‘energy of the moment’’. ‘‘Never seen anything like this,’’ said Karsten Parsoe, here with family from Denmark, especially for the Mahakumbh. Daughters with can’t-walk-no-more moms, kids with granddads telling them stories, middle-aged couples helping one another balance in the water — Haridwar was today a pilgrim’s delight. Many in their red gamchas posed in ‘earnest prayer’ for TV crews. No beggars were spotted.
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