The 2019 Ardh Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj (Allahabad), India
© Meredith Mullins

Where Faith and Family Merge in Festival

Some travel opportunities are so rare and so provocative that their seductive siren’s song goes straight to the soul.

A total eclipse of the sun in Patagonia. A full moon at the Taj Mahal. Summiting Mount Everest (well, maybe, Base Camp). Running with the bulls in Pamplona. Finding the spiritual rhythm of the Camino de Santiago. The unending magnetism of amazing places in the world.

The only way to silence this call of adventure is to “just do it.”

Such was the song of the Ardh Kumbh Mela for me in India this month—the largest peaceful religious gathering of humans on Earth.

Sadhus from diverse places and cultures
© Meredith Mullins

Who wouldn’t want to mingle with tens of millions of saints, sadhus, and pilgrims from all cultures and all walks of life, with one goal—eternal salvation?

Who wouldn’t want to be a part of an exotic mela (festival) that merges faith and family with the carnival atmosphere of a county fair and the auspicious mystery of traditions that are thousands of years old.

Moments of joy
© Meredith Mullins

Joyous explosions of chanting, song, and dance mixed with reverent dedication to prayer, meditation, and holy bathing to wash away sins.

Burning Man meets Woodstock meets Carnaval/Mardi Gras meets Dia de los Muertos meets the Hajj in true Hindu fashion.

I had to go. It was meant to be.

Seeking salvation in the holy rivers
© René Martinez

Hindu Traditions of Confluence

The Kumbh Mela rotates on a 12-year cycle based on holy rivers and alignment of the sun, moon, and Jupiter. It moves through four cities in India—Prayagraj (Allahabad), Haridwar, Nashik, and Ujjain. The Ardh Kumbh Mela is a half mela (on the six-year rotating mark).

The site of this year’s Ardh Kumbh Mela was Prayagraj, considered the most auspicious of the four cities because of the confluence of three holy rivers—the Ganga (Ganges), Yamuna, and the mystical Saraswati (a tribute to the goddess of learning). The three rivers merge at the Triveni Sangam.

The Triveni Sangam, where the Ganga (Ganges) and Yamuna rivers merge
© Meredith Mullins

This sangam is not just a confluence of rivers, but a confluence of earthly life and immortality. It is believed that if you bathe at the sangam, you will achieve moksha, or salvation from the cycle of life and death.

In particular, if you bathe on one of the three main bathing days during the festival (from January 15 through March 4), the “nectar of immortality” is stronger. On these days, tens of millions of devotees line up to plunge into the holy water—a liberating experience in many ways.

Tens of millions of devotees bathing on the Basant Panchami (main bathing day) at the Kumbh Mela
© Meredith Mullins

The event is well documented, spreading the spirituality and sheer joy of such rare moments around the world.

Naga sadhus, the ultimate ascetic life
© Meredith Mullins

Miracle of Urban Planning

Not only is there a transformation of souls seeking salvation, there is also an extraordinary transformation of land prior to the festival.

The Prayagraj riverbed before construction of the temporary Kumbh Mela mega city
© Denis Vastrikov/iStock

The Prayagraj festival area is covered by the swollen rivers during the monsoons. When the water finally recedes in early autumn, the government team of urban planners springs into action and builds a temporary 20-square-mile mega city in just four months.

The Kumbh Mela temporary mega city—a feat of urban planning
© RM Nunes/iStock

This transitory town is ready to support more than 100 million visitors—complete with roads, bridges, temporary housing, meeting halls, transportation, plans for human flow, telecommunications, sanitation facilities (e.g., more than 100,000 toilets), hospitals, fire brigades, parking, banks, and security.

This accomplishment alone is a feat of faith.

Bursts of color as pilgrims travel to the Kumbh Mela
© Meredith Mullins

The OIC Moments

Although this is a peaceful gathering, it is anything but tranquil. The sensory barrage is extreme, as crowds jostle in the streets, lights flash, and posters and banners showcasing gurus and akharas line the dusty alleys. Sound is nonstop through gravelly speakers.

A baba giving blessings
© Meredith Mullins

It is best to seek small bites of this feast. Spend time with the friendly people who have brought their “homes” here for the duration of the festival—people happy to share whatever they have.

An invitation into a temporary home
© Meredith Mullins

Sit with the sadhus and feel their wisdom. Watch as the naga sadhus prove their indifference to pain.

A naga sadhu lifts a log in a moment of pain-free penile faith.
© Meredith Mullins

Fall into the rhythms of the rituals of bathing and meditation. See first-hand the meaning of sacrifice.  And marvel at how these diverse religious beliefs and traditions have found a unifying force.

Volunteers feed the hungry.
© Meredith Mullins

The Eyes Have It

How does one make sense of this chaos?

One of my approaches was to look into people’s eyes. In the eyes of the hundreds of passersby, I found a kindness—a gentle spirit that seemed to come from an understanding of our place in the world as humans. I found eyes that seemed to know joy even under the most challenging circumstances.

Looking into the eyes of faith
© Meredith Mullins/Charlie Meagher

These eyes confirmed the underlying spirit of the Kumbh Mela—that everyone is free to find their own path.

On the path
© Meredith Mullins

For more information on the Kumbh Mela, visit the official website.

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