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Considered not only the largest human gathering on the

planet, but also one of the oldest (dating back to 10,000

B.C.), Khumb Mela draws millions of devout Hindus on a

country-wide pilgrimage for the opportunity to bathe in

Indias most sacred rivers. What make these rivers so

sacred? Well, that depends on who you ask. Shrouded in

thousands of years of mystery and speculation, the most

common belief emerges from a combination of astrology and

mythology.

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Khumb Mela

One of my favorite memories in India, also happens to be one of my last. Just for a moment, imagine sitting at a cafe and watching the entire population of

Omaha, Nebraska walk past the window in the time it takes you to finish your latte and the morning paper. Well, thats exactly what Ive been doing...all

week.

As the story goes, the gods and demons of a time long ago found a jar containing amrita, the nectar of immortality, and for the 12 days and 12 nights

following, waged a tremendous war for its possession. During the battle, four drops of the precious nectar fell to the earth at four river convergences in,

what is now, present day India, and only during the same astrological periods when the nectar struck the earth, will the waters transform into portals of

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8/3/2019 "Khumb Mela" - India TRAVEL

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Like a cloud of locusts descending on a vulnerable patch

of green, pilgrims swarmed into Haridwar. Pouring over

every stretch of road, sidewalk, park, and river bank, one

city block could have easily housed tens of thousands of

people. Vehicle traffic ground to a complete halt still

dozens of miles short of the city and any form of order

was placed in the hands of a few hundred police officers

with batons. There was no such thing as personal space

in a crowd of this magnitude, nor was there any escape.

Once swallowed by the enormous gyration of humanity,

the only way out was hours of shoulder rubbing, body

bumping and extreme patience.

Nightly accommodations, eating areas and bathrooms became indistinguishable, the side of the

road providing all the "comfort" pilgrims needed. Tents forged from random articles of clothing,

picnics of rice and chapati spread forth over the tarmac, and bushes, trees and ravines employed

as natural latrines. There were no luxuries to be had, yet these believers made the journey appear

The shear amount of people overwhelming such a

small area was incredible enough, but how the

people traveled to the festival and continued to

sustain themselves while there, was mind-boggling.

Only bringing the bare essentials, one single bag

was enough to house an entire families necessities.

Its contents usually nothing more then a few tin

cups for drinking, a singular canister of dried lentils

and rice, a small cast iron hot plate for cooking

meals, and maybe a blanket or two. The head of

the household, a wife, mother, or teenage girl,

bearing the burden by balancing the luggage atop her

head every step of the way.

immortality. Portals that will offer amrita to only the purest and most pious of Hindu bathers, extracting them from their human chains and moving them

into nirvana. Bare in mind, there are no verifiable accounts of these heavenly transfigurations, only stories and legends, but true or not, just bathing in these

divine locations on these most auspicious dates, is said to cleanse both body and spirit of sin and evil, and is an achievement of incomprehensible

importance for all Hindus.

In accordance with the strict astrological dates, the Khumb Mela cycle spans 12 years (the human equivalent of the 12 days and 12 nights fought in god

time), rotating the ceremonial bathings every three years between the four cities where the immortal nectar fell. Celebrated over the course of a few

months, on a handful of those months most propitious days, this years Khumb Mela spanned from February to mid-April in Northern Indias holy city of

Haridwar.

Already based in the nearby town of Rishikesh, my pilgrimage to Haridwar only required 100 Rupees and a 20-minute rickshaw ride. For others, the

pilgrimage could have easily taken days, weeks, even months of train travel, bus rides, and more often then not, walking.

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8/3/2019 "Khumb Mela" - India TRAVEL

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effortless. Many laughing and enjoying the ever-changing company of those met along the way,

while others remained silent and withdrawn, stuck in a blissful trance, fixated on their ultimate

goal of bathing for salvation.

Young or old, rich or poor, lay person or guru, all walks of life were represented in the seamless

stream of humanity. The suit and tie business men of New Delhi, the poor farmers of Indias

interior wearing the traditional mens kuta pajama (long cotton shirt and baggy pant), the easily

distinguishable orange hair and colored eye South Indians, and the less easily classified, bands of

female pilgrims, all wearing their best and brightest sarees along with layers of glittery bangles,

flashy anklets and ornate gold nose rings. The more the better it seemed and even after days ofless then comfortable, clean, or ideal travel, not one woman failed to look beautifully put together.

All equal during Khumb Mela, the only pilgrims deemed higher then the rest, are Indias, holy

men, or, sadhus. Sadhus are to Hindus, what Saints are to Christians. Offering their lives to

the devotion of a chosen Hindu deity, sadhus spend their days in austerity, relying on the

kindness of others for their next meal or place to rest their head.

Recognized by their long, unkept hair, beaded necklaces, and either bright orange or stark white cotton outfits, most sadhus own nothing more then the

clothes on their back, a small tin pale for food offerings, and a walking stick. Some sadhus choosing to fade into the shadows of humanity, focused in

deep meditation and non-public devotion of their chosen deity, while other sadhus formalize the sect to which they belong, entering a more public sadhu

community.

The Standing Babas (baba is another name for sadhu), for instance, not only take the unwritten vows of poverty and devotion, they also vow to never sit

or lie down...for the rest of their lives. Or, how about the Silent Babas, who, as you can probably deduce, give up their ability to speak in exchange for,

what they consider, a better chance at nirvana. And even still, there are the Naga Babas. By far the most well known and highly anticipated holy men,

naga babas live in caves, smoke marijuana religiously (no really, they believe it awakens their spirituality) but most shockingly, do not believe in clothing.

They roam the earth as naked as the day they were born. Slathering their bodies in ash and refusing to cut their hair, about the only decoration nagas

display are orange and yellow flower arrangements or prayer beads hung around their necks.

Due to their strict lifestyles, these sadhus intentions are obvious and overall respected, but other, less defined sadhus, fall under much more skepticism.

Basically, any Tom, Dick or Harry wearing orange, offering prayers and asking for food and money, could appear a sadhu but in reality, they could be

nothing more then an impostor using the holy garments to reap the benefits they bring. Namely, food and money. This is why many Hindus have all but

stopped their once plentiful handouts and replaced them with a huge loss of respect for sadhus.

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Whether true or not, an estimated 4-5 million sadhus live

in India, in which a small percentage have pursued more

public routes of devotion, attracting large followings of

believers and launching them into, what I like to call,

Superstar Sadhu Status (S.S.S.). Celebrated at

Khumbh Mela more as gods, then people, S.S.s

(Superstar Sadhus) are hoisted up on parade-style

floats, adorned in flowers, and prayed to by hundreds of

thousands of believers as they are carried down to the

waters edge for their publicly anticipated ceremonial

baths. Bathings which I, unfortunately, could not see.

6 million people were reported to bathe on Haridwars holy banks on

this years most auspicious day, April 14th (the day I attended) with

a grand total of some 60 million pilgrims over the course of the

entire festival. A peaceful gathering that unfortunately, does not

always end peacefully. Dozens, often hundreds, of people are killed

every festival by either drowning during their ceremonial dip or being

literally crushed in the masses of people. This years death toll

thankfully low compared to most. 2 drowning related fatalities and 7

more in a car accident turned human stampede.

Before attending Khumb Mela, I could only wonder how and why so

many people continued these seemingly outdated pilgrimages, but

now I understand why...faith. A faith deeply rooted in superstition

and karma. A faith that transcends time and spits in the face of

modern day change. A faith and an energy strong enough to

replenish not only the strength of Hindu believers, but also that of

outsiders, tourists like myself, who left the festival feeling

awakened, renewed and 100% alive!

The religious mob proved too formidable, forced to settle alongside the main parade route leading to the bathing ghats. From this vantage point, I watched

float after float ramble by with their Superstar Sadhu seated comfortably atop, offering glamorous Miss America waves and Movie Star wind kisses for the

masses. Like a fan trying to touch the hand of a lead guitarists, or a devout Catholic reaching out for the hand of the Pope, so too did the pilgrims reach for

that one moment of potentially life altering contact with an S.S. I also watched the undisputed crowd favorite, Naga Babas, strut their stuff (all their stuff

mind you), dancing, chanting, and smoking large hash pipes all the way to the main bathing ghats.

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