Devotees took the holy dip in river Ganga at Triveni Sangam with chants of “Har Har Gange” in the early hours of Tuesday. It is widely believed that taking the holy dip in river Ganga would wash away one's sins and bring them salvation. Kumbh Mela, which commenced on January 15 on the festival of Makar Sankranti, saw people taking the ritual bath, Shahi Snan, in the holy waters of the Sangam in Prayagraj. Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, has called out to the religious for centuries.
Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has allocated a budget of £423.6 million for the Kumbh Mela 2019, an iconic Hindu festival that is celebrated every six years. Budget for the event which is held in Prayagraj (earlier known as Allahabad), is more than thrice the budget of the Maha Kumbh in 2013. State Finance Minister Rajesh Agarwal said, “The UP government has allocated £ 423.6 million for 2019 Kumbh Mela. The previous state government had spent around £130 million for the Maha Kumbh, which was held in 2013.”
Of the overall budget, the Uttar Pradesh government is investing £200 million, and the Centre has allocated £220million, of which, £120 million has already been released. Apart from the budgetary allocation, some other departments have also allocated funds for the mega event. Agarwal said this time the Kumbh Mela has been doubled to 3,200 hectare as compared to 1,600 hectare area in the previous melas. The largest peaceful gathering of pilgrims who come together every three years in Haridwar, Prayagraj, Ujjain, and Nasik, Kumbh this year is expected to host around 150 million people from across the world.
The mela premises is an entire city in itself, with 247 km streets inside the venue, a parking capacity of 5,63,000 to 1,22,500 toilets and 58 police outposts. Over 2,132 medical personnel and around 20,000 police officials, including home guards, PAC companies, and central para-military forces have been deployed at the venue. This year, the theme of the Kumbh is ‘Swacch Kumbh, Surakshit Kumbh,’ which means ‘Clean Kumbh, Safe Kumbh,’ showing the local government’s backing of this festival.
This year, to manage the massive flow of pilgrims, police have said that worshipers may not bathe longer than 41 seconds so as to avoid deadly stampedes, such as the one in 2013 that killed more than 40 people.
UP Cabinet Minister Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary said the religious congregation is being held after 350 years as Allahabad was renamed Prayagraj and it is perhaps for the first time since Independence that proper arrangements, including milk, ghee, food, blankets and firewood, have been made for the seers, ashrams and akharas. “Nearly 350 years ago, the name of Prayagraj - considered a prominent centre of Hindu culture and Sanatan Dharma - was changed to Allahabad. However, last year, under the leadership of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, it was decided that Allahabad should be renamed as Prayagraj, as mentioned in ancient Indian texts including the Vedas. And it is after 350 long years that the world's biggest spiritual congregation is being held in Prayagraj in the form of Kumbh Mela,” the Religious Affairs Minister said.
History
Kumbh means pot or pitcher, while mela means festival or fair. According to ancient Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu released drops of an immortality nectar (carried in a kumbh) in four places where the festival is now celebrated. The festival rotates approximately every three years through these cities, with the exact dates, places and length largely determined by astrology. In 2017, UNESCO added the festival to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, citing the event’s “central spiritual role in the country.”
The main ritual of the festival is bathing in the rivers. Washing in holy waters is believed to deliver worshipers from their past sins and lead them to moksha, or liberation from the cycle of birth and death. A vast tent city dubbed a “pop-up megacity” has been built around the delta in Prayagraj to accommodate the millions that will come to submerge themselves in the sacred rivers.
Worshipers will line up before sunrise, and proceed into the water throughout the day. On Feb. 4, the most auspicious bathing day, 30 million are expected to attend. Sadhus also play essential roles in the tradition. There are a variety of sadhus, some of which are recognizable by their matted hair and naked bodies coated in ash. While they generally lead lives of isolation, at Kumbh Mela these holy men come together en masse in pursuit of enlightenment.
