Kumbh Mela English 2002

Where the Ganges and the Jamna meet people from many, many, different traditions of Hinduism come together. There will be many genuinely holy men, some charlatans, and some obscurantists. But the majority of those who come to bathe in the Sangam will be villagers. The Kumbh is an awe-inspiring demonstration of simple piety and a clear example of the power of myth. Of course, the Kumbh Mela is a magnificent spectacle too. Millions of people gathered in one place, colourful holy men, naked sadhus, wondrous feats of asceticism, piety on a scale unparalleled anywhere else. But much more than a spectacle, the Kumbh Mela is an experience, an experience for which we have to shed our certainties and our self-confidence to be able to capture its meaning through the power of the imagination.