| "What is the most wonderful sight in India - the | | | | in river clay. Some of them wear no clothes at all, |
| strangest thing to be seen in all this land, where so | | | | and are regarded on this account with peculiar |
| much is strange? For my part, I am inclined to doubt | | | | reverence." |
| whether anything can be witnessed more impressive | | | | - Sydney Low during the visit of the Prince and |
| and picturesque, more pregnant, too, with meaning | | | | Princess of Wales to India (1906) |
| and significance, than the Kumbh Mela, or great | | | | Around the eighth century CE, Advaita |
| Pilgrim Fair, which is held, once every twelve years, | | | | Vedanta-proponent Adi Shankarachrya is believed to |
| where the waters of the Ganges and Jumna meet, | | | | have established four Mathas (Hindu monastic |
| below the wall of Allahabad. Until you have look upon | | | | establishments) in North, South, East, and West India. |
| one of these tremendous gatherings of humanity | | | | These four Mathas later started their own Akharas |
| many aspects of Indian life and character must be | | | | (gymnastic centres) to train their ascetics in the |
| hidden from you." | | | | martial arts. Frequent assertions are made that the |
| - Sydney Low during the visit of the Prince and | | | | first Akharas came into being already during the first |
| Princess of Wales to India (1906) | | | | millennium CE. |
| The Kumbh Mela is held in rotation among four holy | | | | Alternatively, theories abound that the Akharas were |
| places: Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nasik. In 2010, | | | | founded to defend Hindu temples from the Muslim |
| the Kumbh Mela returned to Haridwar, where millions | | | | invaders at the beginning of the second millennium CE. |
| and millions of pilgrims come to participate. The | | | | By Mughal Emperor Akbar's time, there were large |
| Kumbh Mela draws an incredible spectrum of | | | | numbers of armed ascetics all over India. They did |
| humanity: yogis from the Himalayas and Sikhs from | | | | not only come from the Hindu religion. A great many |
| the Punjab, peasants and businessmen, sannyasis and | | | | of them were also Muslim ascetics. |
| politicians. In Haridwar, the riverside steps at Har Ki | | | | During the time of Mughal decline in India, orders of |
| Pauri, where Vishnu left his footprint and the Ganges | | | | military ascetics became significant players in the |
| leaves the Himalayas, provides the setting for the | | | | quest for power. Some orders had more than 10,000 |
| Mela. | | | | warriors under their command. They used |
| Kumbh is an ancient term that is already mentioned in | | | | state-of-the-art weaponry, including musketry and |
| the Vedas, where it refers to a pitcher or vase full | | | | artillery, as well as horses, camels, and elephants. The |
| of water. The Kumbh is a recurring image on | | | | most famous fighting ascetic Umrao Giri (alias Himmat |
| temples, coins, and seals, and is evident on items | | | | Bahadur) even ruled his own small kingdom from 1790 |
| recovered from the civilisation of the Indus valley. | | | | to 1802. The Kumbh Melas served as the staging |
| Generally, a Kumbh is used as a symbol of fertility. In | | | | ground for the mobilization, recruitment, and |
| ancient river festivals, a Kumbh full of grains was | | | | mercenary employment for the Akharas. |
| soaked in the waters of a holy river and its contents | | | | These orders of ascetics were not only mercenaries |
| then put to seed during sowing time. | | | | but were also successful traders. During their annual |
| Kumbh in the Epics (i.e., the Mahabharata and the | | | | pilgrimage cycle, they could transport goods freely |
| Ramayana) and the Puranas refers to the legend of | | | | because of their sacred status. They focused on |
| the pot of Amrit (nectar of immortality) that arose | | | | small, but highly valuable goods in order to maximise |
| from the churning of the Ocean of Milk. The Devas | | | | their profits. Remnants of this trade can still be found |
| (gods) and Asuras (demons) decided to churn the | | | | today. Many members of these orders trade in |
| ocean in order to extract its bounty. The biggest | | | | crystals, beads, and hashish. |
| prize was Amrit, which both groups sought in order | | | | Militant ascetics made use of their Akharas as |
| to become immortal. When they managed to churn | | | | banking, marketing, and information networks. In |
| the ocean, Dhanvantari, the divine healer, emerged | | | | times of conflict, Akharas also served as |
| with the Kumbh of Amrit. A fight broke out between | | | | safe-havens. By 1750, the Shaiva Akharas were the |
| the Devas and the Asuras over who would get the | | | | largest property owners in many pilgrimage centres. |
| Kumbh. After a vicious fight, portrayed in many | | | | They were engaged in money lending and used their |
| different incarnations in the various Puranas and Epics, | | | | military apparatus to enforce the repayment of loans. |
| the Devas finally defeated the Asuras. | | | | In contrast to the Shaiva Akharas, the historical |
| "The tale is great, one may say enormous. Every | | | | reason for the emergence of the Vaishnava Bairagi |
| twelfth year is held to be a year of peculiar grace; a | | | | (dispatched or dispassionate) Akharas can be traced. |
| greatly augmented volume of pilgrims results then. | | | | Bairagi Akharas were created as a reaction to the |
| The twelfth year has held this distinction since the | | | | militant Shaiva Akharas, who were intimidating |
| remotest of times, it is said." | | | | religious pilgrims, attacking Hindu pilgrimage places, and |
| - Mark Twain during his travels in India at the end of | | | | trying to seize economic control over holy centres. |
| the nineteenth century | | | | The rivalries between Vaishnava and Shaiva ascetics |
| Pilgrimage to sacred places is a very ancient practice | | | | were not only based on ideological or religious |
| found almost universally across the world's religions. | | | | differences, but also from their historical interactions. |
| But pilgrimage also has an inner path next to the | | | | They usually fought on opposing sides when hired as |
| outer path of journeying to a sacred place. Pilgrimage | | | | mercenaries and struggled for control over important |
| includes the internal voyage to one's own religion. In | | | | religious centres, since these brought prestige, bases |
| the beginning, the performance of Yajnya (sacrificial | | | | of power, and continuous flows of revenue. |
| ritual) was dominating in Hindu religions. Over time, the | | | | Even today, Vaishnava and Shaiva ascetics camp |
| resource-intensiveness of sacrifices and the exclusion | | | | separately during Kumbh Melas and rarely associate |
| of large parts of the population from performing | | | | with each other. But, remarkably enough, the Kumbh |
| Yajnya led to the development of substitutes. One | | | | Mela is one of the very few pilgrimages, where the |
| expression of this development is the institution of | | | | sectarian itineraries of Sadhus intersect. Strikingly, |
| pilgrimage. | | | | besides the Vaishnava and Shaiva orders, orders of |
| Places of pilgrimage in India are referred to as | | | | ascetics that are often considered not to belong to |
| Tirthas, which is derived from the Sanskrit verb "Tr", | | | | the Hindu religion play a very prominent role in the |
| meaning to cross. The term Tirtha occurs eight times | | | | Kumbh Mela. The Udasis think of the holy book of |
| in the Rig Vega, all of them associating it with water. | | | | the Sikh religion, the Granth Sahib, as a very |
| In time, the term Tirtha was used more and more | | | | important part of their tradition. The Nirmalas go |
| exclusively for river banks or confluences of rivers | | | | even further in their syncretism. They proclaim in |
| sanctified by the performance of sacrifices and the | | | | their prayers that the Puranas and the Quran are one |
| revelation of mantras. | | | | and emphasise the identity of (Hindu deity) Rama and |
| The formation of Hindu places of pilgrimage was | | | | Rahim (one of the 99 names of Allah in Islam). |
| largely shaped through important ritual sacrifices that | | | | When the various religious orders, especially the |
| were performed at a specific location. Because these | | | | Akharas, arrive in the townships that are erected for |
| places were generally next to sources of water | | | | each Kumbh Mela, they enter in pompous parades |
| (rivers, lakes and the sea), they became the major | | | | called Peshvais (receptions). The monastic heads are |
| locations of pilgrimage centres, and remain so today | | | | adorned like royalty in these parades. They are |
| (e.g., Puri, Gaya, Haridwar, and Varanasi). The | | | | carried in palanquins or ride on elephants, and wear |
| prominence of water is derived from its many | | | | fine robes and ornate headgear during the Peshvais. |
| qualities: water is frequently used in sacrifices, is the | | | | Brass bands and traditional musicians accompany |
| primeval source of creation, symbolises the flow of | | | | them. The faithful line the roadsides to receive their |
| life, and is required for purification rituals. | | | | Darshan. The Kumbh Mela is the only place where the |
| The Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore offers a similar | | | | Akharas still show the splendor with which they used |
| rationale behind the locations of Indian pilgrimage | | | | to travel around the major pilgrimage centres in |
| places: "India chose her places of pilgrimage where | | | | former times. |
| there was in nature some special grandeur or beauty, | | | | During the Kumbh Mela, Sadhus who have not seen |
| so that her mind could come out of its world of | | | | each other for years meet again. The brotherhood |
| narrow necessities and realize its place in the infinite." | | | | among groups is reinforced and decisions about |
| Further, Tirthayatra (pilgrimage) offers the | | | | promotions and rank are taken. Moreover, each |
| opportunity to leave the historically and socially | | | | Akhara forms an assembly called the Shambu Panch, |
| structured time of one's day-to-day life and enter | | | | in reality, the collective of all assembled members, |
| the sacred mythological time of the gods. Even | | | | who elect a lead council of eight Mahants (great |
| untouchables and widows, who otherwise are | | | | leaders). This lead council, called the Shri Panch, |
| generally excluded from most religious rituals, can | | | | controls the affairs of the Akhara by unanimous |
| participate, thus allowing them to break out of the | | | | decisions. The Kumbh Mela is not only a time for |
| rigid structures of their local communities. At Tirthas, | | | | coordination within but also between the various |
| a sacred re-enactment of myths takes place | | | | religious orders. During religious discussions and |
| according to the religious beliefs of Hindus. Pilgrims | | | | conferences, conflicts between the religious orders |
| walk on the same ground on which deities and the | | | | are solved. |
| heroes of the Epics strolled. A whole cosmic event | | | | The climax of the Kumbh Mela is the procession of |
| recurs with the pilgrims as participants. | | | | Sadhus leading to the particular bathing sites along |
| "Although Hinduism does not make pilgrimage | | | | the rivers. On the three main bathing dates, the |
| obligatory, yet the ordinary Hindu attribute great | | | | Akharas lead the procession for the Snan (bath), |
| importance to tirth-yatra where they resort to a | | | | which is then called Shahi (royal) Snan. Interestingly, |
| host of merit-earning activities like taking a holy dip, | | | | the Persian, Muslim name for "king" was chosen and |
| darshan (respectful sight of devotion and surrender) | | | | not the Hindu variant, Raja. Leading each Akhara |
| of deities, temples, and ascetics, performing worship, | | | | regiment in the procession are long spears that are |
| listening to religious discourses, hymns and devotional | | | | worshipped by the Akhara as their Ishta (gods). The |
| songs in praise of deity, doing charity to Brahman, | | | | Ishta are bathed first in ceremonial prayer and only |
| beggar and ascetics - all these believed [are] believed | | | | thereafter, will the Sadhus enter the water. |
| to earn punya for an individual thereby advancing him | | | | The whole atmosphere of the Kumbh Mela is |
| to the ultimate goal of moksh." ("The Tradition of | | | | surcharged with religious zeal. There is a powerful |
| Kumbh", Das and Singh, 1990) | | | | impact when millions of people come together to |
| "The Fair (...) is run by associations of ascetics, who | | | | engage in the collective bathing ritual. Thus a sense |
| have their branches all over India. They assume the | | | | of brotherhood among Hindus develops, despite the |
| fakir dress, or want of dress, and go about publicly in | | | | different sectarian backgrounds, ethnicities, and |
| rags, with matted hair, their faces and bodies daubed | | | | languages present during the festival. |