What an extraordinary day February 10th is… and this year in India, it is more extraordinary than it has been for one hundred and forty-four years at the Kumbh Mela festival at Prayag. The Kumbh Mela is a Hindu festival of pilgrimage to a river and bathe there, along with many tens of millions of others; there are expected to be over 100,000,000 people attending this year over fifty-five days from January 14th. Today is the main day for pilgrims to immerse themselves in the river, and 30,000,000 are expected today.
Therer are four places where this takes place, Haridwar, Allahabad, Nasik and Ujjain; the rivers where these amazing and wonderful rituals and celebrations are held are : the Ganges at Haridwar, the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the Saraswati at Prayag, the Godawari at Nasik, and the Shipra at Ujjain. It must be the most magnificent spectacle, and if ever I went to India I would try to go at the time of the Kumbh Mela.
Millions of holy men, nuns, ordinary people, the rich, the poor, the devoted, join the pilgrimage to these sacred sites and perform their rituals. It takes massive organization to ensure everyone’s heath and their safety, among so many millions of pilgrims. Here are some facts about this year:
- Number expected to bathe: 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
- Number united at lost-and-found centre since 14 January: 40,000
- Number treated at 14 hospitals: 152,326
If you are interested, there is an amazing film available:
Lois Elsden 