PRAYAGRAJ, India – Tens of thousands of naked Hindu ascetics and millions of pilgrims plunged into the frigid waters at the confluence of sacred rivers in northern India on Tuesday, in the first of a series of major baths at the Maha Kumbh festival, the religion’s largest. church on Earth.
Carrying tridents, swords, spears and small double-headed drums, Hindu holy men smeared with ashes set out on chariots at sunrise towards the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and the legendary Saraswati rivers in the northern city of Prayagraj. The men – with matted dreadlocks and marigold crowns – chanted religious slogans in praise of the Hindu deity Lord Shiva on their way to the bath with a large procession of chanting, drumming and blowing of horns.
Millions of Hindu pilgrims followed them to the meeting place.
The Maha Kumbh festival – held every 12 years – began on Monday, with more than 15 million pilgrims bathing in the holy rivers, according to officials. In the next six weeks, this festival is expected to attract more than 400 million people, most of whom will participate in many rituals.
Hindus believe that taking a bath at the meeting will cleanse them of their sins and free them from the cycle of rebirth.
Among the bathers was Venkatesh Ramaling, a technologist from the southern city of Pune.
“It is surprising to see people drowning in such cold water. People have strong faith here, and I look at them and feel inspired,” said Ramaling. “After a shower, I feel really happy and full of joy.”
This festival originates from the Hindu tradition that the god Vishnu snatched a golden pot containing the nectar of immortality from the demons. Hindus believe that a few drops fell in the cities of Prayagraj, Nasik, Ujjain and Haridwar – the four places where the Kumbh festival has been held for centuries.
The Kumbh rotates between the four pilgrimage centers approximately every three years on a day determined by the universal alignment of the sun, moon and Jupiter.
This year’s festival is bigger and bigger than ever.
The authorities built a city full of tents on the banks of the river to accommodate the holy men, pilgrims and visitors visiting the festival. The government has provided more than R765 million for the event, hoping to please India’s majority Hindu population and attract visitors from around the world.
“It’s a sort of culmination, a lot of spiritual pursuits, so it’s nice to see everyone with a common purpose,” said Stephen Barker, a New York artist who was at the festival.
The tent city is equipped with 3,000 kitchens and 150,000 toilets. About 50,000 security guards also work in the city to maintain law and order and crowd control.
On Tuesday, millions of people crowded the banks of the river, some carrying clothes, blankets and food on their heads and others carrying wheeled bags. Entire families and groups of people from distant villages marched in large lines as security forces issued warnings to avoid the stampede that has marred the festival in the past.
Rajnish Diwedi, the police chief in charge of security at the festival, said at least 2,700 cameras, some powered by AI, are being used to send crowd movement and congestion information to four central control rooms, where officials can quickly dispatch personnel. The police also use automated systems to avoid traffic jams, he said.
Ascetic Hindu groups have set up camps in this area, where tens of thousands of pilgrims visit to listen to religious lectures and attend prayers. These ascetics – called Naga Sadhus – are part of a religious order that was once a mercenary army that usually worships the Hindu Lord Shiva.
Sri Digambar Ishwargiri, a Naga Sadhu who traveled from the western city of Junagadh, about 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) from Prayagraj, said that immersion in holy water is a step towards attaining salvation. He sat cross-legged next to a small wood fire and the third line of the ceremony inside the tent as devotees visited him for blessings.
“This is a holy place of salvation,” Ishwargiri said, adding that people like him are “soldiers of the Hindu faith.”
“We protect our faith,” he said.
Bathing takes place every day in the area, but on the most auspicious days, Hindu ascetics bathe in the sacred rivers in the morning.
Many pilgrims also stay throughout the festival, observing the auspiciousness, giving alms and bathing in the sunrise every day. River baths, prayer, meditation and yoga sessions and other religious practices are organized by Hindu ascetics and supported by public funds.
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Associated Press video reporters Shonal Ganguly and Rishi Lekhi contributed to this report.
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The Associated Press’s religious coverage is supported by a partnership between AP and The Conversation US, with a grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc. AP is solely responsible for this content.
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