Kumbh Mela
Foreign Correspondent
EDMOND ROY
30 April 1998
Roy: There's only one way to go
today, and that's towards the city of
Haridwar.
Set at the foothills of the Himalayas,
where the River Ganges enters the
plains of India, Haridwar is one of the
seven most important pilgrimage sites
for any devout Hindu.
It's also the scene of this century's last
maha kumbh
a bathing festival no self
respecting Hindu would want to miss.
Roy: So what am I doing here
anyway. Well, this is the kumbh
mela
and for another one to come around, I
have to wait 1 2 years. And whoever
said the kumbh mela was only a
religious festival.
Singing
Roy: This is the mother of all fairs. It's
actually been going on for the past
three months. With all manner of
entertainment for the crowds.
But its climax on the final day is what
everyone here has been waiting for.
The Bath of the Saddhus, the
reclusive
Hindu holy men, who often confine
themselves to the harsh environment
of the Himalayas, is about to begin.
According to Hindu mythology, a dip
during the auspicious time of the
maha kumbh,
makes one immortal.
The story goes that the gods in a fight
amongst themselves, spilled some of
the holy nectar of immortality on to
earth.
A few drops fell here at Haridwar, and
once every 12 years, when Jupiter
enters the house of Aquarius, it's
believed the waters of the Ganges here
turn into the nectar of immortal life.
But now it's the turn of the Saddhus,
who are led down the stairs of the
gods into the holy waters, by their
bodyguards, the mysterious nargas,
who go around with their naked
bodies covered in ash.
In the past, violence between various
sects of nargas have led to
stampedes,
killing several hundred pilgims.
And authorities know that unlike the
planetary configuration that rules the
heavens, and makes this maha kumbh
possible, it's chaos, the rules down
here.
Man: It's an act of worship. It's more
than just a dip in the Ganges. The
Kumbh Mela is very important for
us
Hindus — and it only happens once in
12 years. That's why I'm here.
Man 2: Coming to the Kumbh is an
act
of devotion and essential pilgrimage
for every Hindu.
Roy: That's a sentiment reflected
down at the river, as the crowd shed
their inhibitions along with their
clothes in their quest for immortality.
For the millions of people that come
here, a dip in these holy waters is
absolution. All this pushing and
shoving is but a small price to pay for
what they go away with. But this
sinner though that's a tempting
thought. On the other hand, I don't
think so.
Fortunately this year, there are no
stampedes and the maha kumbh mela
winds down in the serene evening
light. It'll be 12 years before another
one of this magnitude comes along.
Enough time for the town of Haridwar
to recover.
And among this vast crowd of seven
million, I'm the only one carrying their
sins back with me, for I'm probably
the only one who didn't take a dip in
the holy but polluted waters of the
Perhaps there is some spiritual force
controlling all of this. After all, seven
million people came and went without
an argument. Well, if only the gods
could get the government to stop
arguing, get the trains running on
time. Get the population under
control, get my gas connection...