By Eric Vandenbroeck and co-workers
The Kumbh Mela Today
We initially mentioned it in the context of Hindu
Nationalism the latter which is also referred to as Hindutva
In Prayagraj, today
followers bathe in the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of three holy rivers –
the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati – to purify their sins and take
another step closer to “spiritual liberation.” The festival ends on February
26. Muslims are excluded from attendance.
The Kumbh draws upon
Hindu mythology and the legend of demons and gods fighting over a pitcher
containing the elixir of immortality. During the fight, four drops from the
pitcher fell on Earth, in Prayagraj,
Nashik, Haridwar and Ujjain, which
host the festival in rotation.
The gathering is
particularly well-known for attracting large crowds of Hindu holy men, known as
sadhus, who travel from across the country. Sadhus are ascetics who have
renounced worldly goods and life and are famous for their dreadlocks, ash
covered bodies as well as their bright – and at times minimal – clothing. On
Tuesday morning, scores of naked sadhus bathed in the
waters as part of a
key moment at the start of the festival.
Indian Prime Minister
and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Narendra Modi
has invited people from all over the world to attend the festival, recognized
by UNESCO in 2017 as an “intangible cultural heritage of humanity.”
Authorities are
promoting the event not just as a religious gathering but a cultural spectacle
that in the past has attracted both Bollywood and
Hollywood stars.
On Sunday, On 12 January Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh’s
saffron-clad priest turned chief minister known for his provocative
rhetoric against Muslims,
said millions of people had already taken a “dip in the sacred waters of the
Sangam.”
There are six
auspicious days to bathe this time, decided by astrologers, based on the
alignment of specific planets and constellations. They are:
- 13 January:
Paush Purnima
- 14 January:
Makar Sankranti
- 29 January:
Mauni Amavasya
- 3 February:
Basant Panchami
- 12 February:
Magh Purnima
- 26 February:
Maha Shivaratri
Three of these - 14
and 29 January, and 3 February - have been designated as Shahi Snan days when the Naga sadhus will bathe.
Formerly known as
Allahabad, Prayagraj was renamed by Adityanath in 2018, a decision that was
said to recognize the city’s identity as a spiritual destination for Hindu
pilgrims.
Formerly known as
Allahabad, Prayagraj was renamed by Adityanath in 2018, a decision that was
said to recognize the city’s identity as a spiritual destination for Hindu
pilgrims.
Shedding the name
Allahabad, given to the city by Mughal emperor Akbar, was a symbolic move in
keeping with Modi’s ambitions to transform India from a secular, pluralistic
state into a nation of and for the Hindu faith.
This year’s festival
has taken years of planning and millions of dollars to build facilities for the
influx of visitors to Prayagraj, a city normally home to 6 million people.
The grayness in the
sky one can see shows the extent of Air pollution in India.
Around 160,000 tents,
150,000 toilets, and a 776-mile (1,249-kilometer) drinking water pipeline have
been installed at a temporary tent city covering 4,000 hectares, roughly the
size of 7,500 football fields.
In 2013, dozens of
people were killed and injured in a crowd crush at a railway station as
pilgrims gathered in the city. Such deadly incidents at religious gatherings in
India are not uncommon, often highlighting a lack of adequate crowd control and
safety measures.
This year, officials
say extra safety measures have been put in place in Prayagraj to
protect visitors, including a security ring with checkpoints around the city
staffed by more than 1,000 police officers.
Over 2,700
security cameras powered
by artificial intelligence will be positioned around the city, monitored by
hundreds of experts at key locations, according to the central government.
Aerial drones will
provide surveillance from above and for the first time, underwater drones
capable of diving up to 100 meters will be activated to provide round-the-clock
cover, the government added.
Vast numbers of
pilgrims are expected to travel to the region by train, so authorities have
added 3,000 special trains and 13,100 train services.
Fourteen new flyovers
and underpasses, 11 new road corridors, 7,000 buses, 550 shuttle buses, seven
new bus stops, and 30 pontoon bridges have also been added to improve
connectivity, according to the Uttar Pradesh state government.
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