Hindu ascetics bathe naked and covered in ashes at Kumbh Mela
Prayagraj, India—— Naked Hindu sadhus and pilgrims took a dip in the icy water at the confluence of holy rivers in northern India on Tuesday, the first major bathing day of the Kumbh Mela, the largest religious gathering on earth.
Armed with tridents, swords, spears and small double-headed drums, ash-covered Hindu saints pray to the Ganges, Yamuna and mystical Saraswati rivers in the northern city of Prayagraj at sunrise. Travel to the intersection. The men, who sported tangled dreadlocks and marigold crowns, chanted religious slogans praising the Hindu god Shiva and rode in war chariots in a procession that included singing, beating drums and blowing horns. The car was escorted to the bathing location.
The Maha Kumbh, held every 12 years, began on Monday with more than 15 million pilgrims bathing in the holy river, officials said. Over the next six weeks or so, the festival is expected to attract more than 400 million people, many of whom will take part in elaborate ceremonies.
Hindus believe that bathing at the intersection can wash away their sins and free them from the cycle of rebirth.
The festival has its origins in Hindu tradition, where Lord Vishnu is said to have wrested a golden pot containing the nectar of immortality from the hands of a demon. Hindus believe that a few raindrops fell in the cities of Prayagraj, Nasik, Ujjain and Haridwar – four places where big festivals have been held. Kumbh Mela for centuries.
The Kumbh Mela rotates between these four pilgrimage sites approximately every three years, with dates determined by the cosmic alignment of the sun, moon and Jupiter.
This year’s festival is the biggest and biggest of them all.
Authorities built a sprawling tent city on the river bank to accommodate saints, pilgrims and tourists attending the festival. The Indian government spent more than $765 million on the event, hoping to impress the predominantly Hindu Indian public and attract tourists from around the world.
The tent city is equipped with 3,000 kitchens and 150,000 toilets and urinals. There are also about 50,000 security personnel stationed in the city to maintain law and order and crowd management.
Hindu sadhu groups also established a massive camp at the site, where tens of thousands of pilgrims traveled to hear religious lectures and participate in prayers. Known as “Naga Sadhus,” these sadhus are part of a religious group that was once a mercenary group, and they often revere the Hindu god Shiva.
Bathing takes place daily at the site, but on the most auspicious days, Hindu sadhus rush to the holy river at dawn.
Many pilgrims also stay throughout the festival, observing austerities, giving alms and bathing at sunrise each day. River baths, prayer, meditation and yoga classes, and other religious rituals are organized by Hindu sadhus and funded with public funds.
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