Key Points
- The Kumbh Mela in India was recognised by UNESCO on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2017.
- This year's gathering is expected to attract more than 400 million devotees, including many from Australia.
- An expert describes it as the largest peaceful human gathering on Earth.
Bharat Tarachandani had 'no hesitations' in again making the 10,000km pilgrimage for Maha Kumbh Mela, the massive Hindu festival underway in India.
The Brisbane resident flew solo to the North Indian city of Prayagraj especially for the occasion, which is anticipated to attract 400 million people between 13 January and 26 February.
Bharat Tarachandani (right) en route to the holy confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers at Prayagraj in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Credit: Bharat Tarachandani
Planning the trip was easy, he said, with flights from Australia to India the only major expense.
"Despite the crowds, accommodation and food has been quite fairly priced around Prayagraj," he said.
For me, it's the perfect opportunity to pause from the daily grind and look at life anew.Bharat Tarachandani
"I am able to get rid of any negativity through snana (ritual bathing), share wealth and blessings through dana (donation) and look at life with renewed energy and focus though dhyana (meditation)."
The festival provides an opportunity to witness ascetics, or Naga Sadhus, practicing their spirituality, along with traditional music and religious lectures that offer pilgrims the chance to deepen their understanding of Hindu philosophy.
The Kumbh Mela is a rare event that blends mythology, astronomy and cultural philosophy. Credit: Bharat Tarachandani.
"I was concerned with the millions of people visiting the place every day, but everything has been so simple and organised," he said.
What is the Maha Kumbh Mela?
The Kumbh Mela is a rare event that blends mythology, astronomy and cultural philosophy.
Held every three, six, 12 and 144 years at four sacred river sites across India — Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain — it draws millions of devotees.
That makes it the largest peaceful human gathering on Earth, according to Dr Jayant Bapat, an adjunct research fellow at Monash University.
Bapat, whose key research areas are temple priests, architecture, deities and the Indian diaspora, was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his contributions to the Hindu community in 2011.
He explained that the festival's timing is determined by fine calculations in accordance with the celestial dance of the planets.
The biggest planet in the solar system, Jupiter, plays the most important part in determining the timing of the festival. Its approximately 12-year orbit around the Sun dictates the 12-year cycle of the Kumbh Mela.
In Hindu mythology, Jupiter is known as Guru. Its alignment with the sun and moon is considered auspicious.Dr Jayant Bapat
Where the Kumbh Mela is organised is based on where Jupiter and Sun are placed on the zodiac.
At present, Jupiter is situated in the Taurus zodiac and the Sun moved into the Capricorn zodiac on 13-14 January. Hence, the present Maha Kumbh is being organised in Prayagraj.
Hindus believe it's very auspicious when planets come into a particular configuration, Bapat explained.
"Indians have very special place for rivers and we consider them sacred so taking dip leads to moksha (salvation)," he said.
The giant tent city which hosts the Kumbh Mela is built temporarily on an area that's normally flooded. Some 30,000 volunteers and 7,000 police are helping to keep it moving until the festival ends on 26 February. (Getty) Credit: Getty
When the sun is in Cancer, Kumbh is organised in Nashik, whereas the sun’s placement in Aries brings the Kumbh Mela to Ujjain.
While the exact origins of the Kumbh Mela are unclear, evidence suggests that large-scale religious gatherings at these sacred sites predate the current form of the festival.
In the 7th century, Chinese traveller Xuan Zang wrote about the cultural significance of Prayagraj in 'Si-Yu-Ki', a well-recognised reference source of India's history, where he mentioned that large religious festivals were held during the reign of King Harshavardhan visited by more than 500,000 people.
A global phenomenon
Indian Union Minister of Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that over 1.5 million foreign tourists are expected to visit the Kumbh Mela this year, providing a significant economic boost to the region.
The Kumbh Mela was recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2017.
A foreign tourist taking a dip during the Kumbh Mela. Source: SIPA USA / Hindustan Times/Hindustan Times/Sipa USA
This week, at least 30 people were killed and many more injured at the gathering after a surging crowd spilled out of a police cordon and trampled bystanders.
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