Every religion has its own customs to pursue. Each religion has numerous disciples who in order to acknowledge the path of devotion and salvation have to leave their possessions behind them and divulge in the strict rules via meditation, concentration and asceticism, to learn about the secret of life, the values of a human.
And when a human learns the secret of life and lives accordingly, he becomes divine, the warmth of whose radiance makes the angry calm, which soothes down every part of the body from the mind to the soul. And among those paths, one is taking a dip in the holy water of the ‘Triveni’ at the Mahakumbh.
The Mahakumbh, a joyous and passionate celebration, is a large ‘mela’ organized once every twelve years on the bank of the ‘Triveni’, i.e. in Kumbhnagar in Allahabad where the three rivers-Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical underground Saraswati merge with each other, to form a unique ‘Sangam’ of the three holy water bodies to host the largest aggregation of human beings in the world.
While millions and millions of restless souls converge every dozen years at the Sangam to take a dip in the holy confluence of the three rivers, so that they can attain ‘moksha’ or freedom from the earthly relations and possessions and hence can die in peace, the Mahakumbh is one of those rare occasions when one gets to see the vivid colors of life, feel what life is really about, feel the passion of life and can learn to live life the way it is.
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The vivid colors of this fiesta can be seen from the ‘Triveni’ itself. The Ganga, which is bluish transparent, the Yamuna which is sort of purple and the Saraswati which is supposed to be dusky yellow, converge at this point to assume a color which is a strange sort of violet.
Even though the Kumbh is always in the danger of militant attacks and mishaps such as drowning, stampedes etc., the local authorities are tested on these occasions and have to be constantly on the alert. Despite the chances of catastrophes many people brave these dangers, because the dip in the holy waters is not just a bath, it is something more.
The dip in the Triveni is oddly satisfying and comforting, even though the water is freezing cold. It makes one feel strangely free from earthly possessions, the sensation is that of being born again after the dip, as if one has taken a dip in the ‘Fountain of Oblivion’.
The preparations for the Mahakumbh Mela start a month before the scheduled dates of the mela. Thousands of street lamps are lighted, continuous power and water supply are ensured, campsites and guesthouses are prepared and the stalls for the vendors are erected.
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Even before the preparations begin, there is a great rush in having reservations in the trains and hotels. When, there is so much hustle-bustle going on even before the Mahakumbh, then the activity at the real Mahakumbh is unbelievable.
With every train arrival comes a fresh batch of people who get mingled into the milling crowd waving energetically and showing a lot of exuberance.
The Mahakumbh is really a festivity connected to the Hindu religion. But this does not stop followers of other religions from taking pleasure of this great holy festivity.
Even though several religious parties do not recommend it, several Muslims, Sikhs and Christians break this religious barrier and take a dip in the holy water. Hence, the Mahakumbh is also a symbol of social equality and depicts.