A day after PM Modi’s appeal to hold Kumbh mela in a symbolic manner, most of the camps bore a deserted look as seers of prominent sanyasi akhadas like Juna, Atal, Agni, Ahavan, Niranjani and Anand – who have announced closure of Kumbh for their seers – started leaving their camps. Those who could not, were planning to do so in view of the state-wide lockdown that has now been imposed in Uttarakhand on Sundays.
Mahant Hari Giri, patron of Juna Akhada said that almost 80% of seers from his akhada had already left Kumbh and only a few seers will take a symbolic dip on the last shahi snan on April 27. “We do not want to risk the lives of the seers and pilgrims coming to Haridwar at a time when Covid cases are rising phenomenally. Therefore, a collective decision was made regarding closure of the Kumbh by our akhada,” he said. Juna Akhada - the largest of the 13 sects of seers in the country - had pulled out of the religious festival after convening a meeting of its core committee on Saturday.
Meanwhile, seers of the Bairagi and Udasin sects reiterated that they will continue to stay on in the Kumbh mela and will participate in the last shahi snan. According to estimates, around half of the seers and most of the devotees from the Bada and Naya Udasin akhadas had left the Kumbh mela area. While the Bairagi seers were camping on, presence of devotees in their camps - where religious discourses and skits are being organised ahead of Ramnavami - was extremely low. Presence of devotees at the evening Ganga aarti at the Har-ki-Pauri ghat, which draws millions of pilgrims, was also minimal on Sunday.
“Even though some seers are saying that they will stay for the last shahi snan, most of the camps are almost empty. The Kumbh is more or less over and we estimate that the devotee numbers will further decline in the next few days,” said an official from the mela administration.
Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to its chief Avadheshanand Giri to wind up the rest of the Maha Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, Juna akhada - the largest of the 13 sects of seers in the country - pulled out of the religious festival. Juna is the third akhada, after Niranjani and Anand, to withdraw from the event, scheduled to continue till April 30, citing concerns about Covid-19, and its decision was quickly followed by pullout calls by two other fellow Shaivite akhadas - Avahan and Agni.
The decision to conclude the Kumbh by the akhadas concerned came in the backdrop of fear about spread of Corona infection among the droves of devotees. The death of Mahanirvani Akhada’s head, Mahamandaleshwar Kapildev Das, earlier this week had intensified the fear. Although some of the akhadas, especially the Vaishhnavaite ones, are averse to the idea of calling off the celebrations prematurely, the step taken by Juna akhada is likely to be a goad for them to pare down the festivities.
Nirmohi akhada chief mahant Rajendra Das said, “All three Bairagi akhadas appreciate PM Modi’s advice but it is not possible to take a bath symbolically on the last shahi snan. We are asking our followers to not arrive in large numbers. Only seers will take a dip on the last shahi snan,” . Avadheshanand Giri said that consensus was emerging among other akhadas and seers to conclude the celebrations shortly or, failing that, prune its scope.
At any rate, the decision of akhadas is likely to also ensure that devotees drop the idea of taking the holy dip at Haridwar, thus relieving the authorities of the worry of thousands getting infected and turning into carriers of the virus. “About 400 of our seers have left the camp on Saturday,” Hari Giri, who is also general secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad, said.
