Spiritual Bath - Allahabad Kumbh Mela

India's Hindu Kumbh Mela festival begins in Allahabad

By Geeta Pandey BBC News, Allahabad

 

India's Kumbh Mela festival begins

Continue reading the main story

Related Stories

• In pictures: Kumbh Mela begins
• A day at the Kumbh Mela festival
• In pictures: Why am I at the Kumbh Mela

Several million people have been bathing at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers at Allahabad in India, on the opening day of the Kumbh Mela festival.

At least 10 million pilgrims are set to do so by the end of the day.

The event, every 12 years, is billed as the biggest gathering on Earth. More than 100 million people are expected to attend the 55-day festival.

Hindus believe a festival dip will cleanse sins and help bring salvation.

In 2001, more than 40 million people gathered on the main bathing day of the festival, breaking a record for the biggest human gathering.
Sprint to waters
The festival formally started at dawn on Monday. All roads leading to the Kumbh Mela grounds are packed with hundreds of thousands of pilgrims.

Continue reading the main story

Kumbh Mela in numbers

• Visitors: 80-100 million
• Number of days: 55
• Area: 20 sq km (4,932 acres)
• Drinking water: 80 million litres
• Toilets: 35,000
• Doctors: 243
• Police: 30,000

• Live updates
• Preparing for millions

There was a chill in the air as holy men sprinted into the waters in Allahabad, but the day dawned warmer than in recent weeks when a cold snap hit northern India.

Police estimated that by early afternoon about four million people had bathed.

For many at the festival, one of the most memorable spectacles of the day was when the Naga sadhus, or ascetics, sprinted into the river reciting religious chants, many clad only in marigold garlands.

The naked ash-smeared men arrived in a colourful procession and waded into the chilly waters of Sangam - the point at which the rivers converge.

The Kumbh Mela has its origins in Hindu mythology - many believe that when gods and demons fought over a pitcher of nectar, a few drops fell in the cities of Allahabad, Nasik, Ujjain and Haridwar - the four places where the Kumbh festival has been held for centuries.

Teams are managing crowds on the river bank - as soon as pilgrims finishing bathing, they are encouraged to move away and make space for other bathers.

"I have washed off my sins," Mandita Panna, a resident of Nepal and an early bather, said.

Allahabad has been preparing for the festival for months and a vast tented city has grown up around the river.

Fourteen temporary hospitals have been set up with 243 doctors deployed round-the-clock, and more than 40,000 toilets have been built for the pilgrims.

Police checkpoints have been set up on all roads leading to Allahabad and about 30,000 policemen and security officials have been deployed to provide security during the festival.

The main attraction at the festival is the sadhus, the Hindu holy men

Tens of thousands of men, women and children have set up camp on the white sands of the river front.

On Sunday night, smoke could be seen rising from hundreds of small fires which people had built to cook dinner or keep warm.

One of the main attractions at the festival is the sadhus - Hindu holy men - who have been leading processions accompanied by elephants, camels, horses, chariots and music bands in recent days.
Health concerns
The festival has prompted health concerns, however, with campaigners warning that the river waters are heavily polluted.

Most pilgrims drink a few drops of the Ganges water and many fill bottles to take home with them.

Authorities say they have taken steps to address the concerns.

Last week, companies along the banks of the Ganges and Yamuna were warned against discharging any pollutants into the waters.

Hindus believe a festival dip will cleanse sins and help bring salvation

Reservoirs upstream have been ordered to discharge fresh water into the rivers ahead of the six big bathing days, and the festival authorities have declared the Kumbh Mela area a plastic-free zone.

The Kumbh Mela, which is costing the authorities 11.5bn rupees ($210m; £130m) to organise, is expected to generate business worth at least 120bn rupees, according to a report by India's Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham).

The report says that the festival is also expected to draw over a million foreign tourists.

Are you taking part in the Kumbh Mela? What prompted you to take part? What's the atmosphere like? Please share your comments and experiences either using the form below or tweet us at @BBC_HaveYourSay using the hashtag #BBCkumbh - please also include your contact number in India if applicable

 

From  BBC.com

Images

Decorations and  images  of  gods  and  goddesses   on  sale  during  the  festival of  Diwali.

Image and Incarnation

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Jill Carattini

Malcolm Muggeridge is remembered as one of the most notable figures of the twentieth century. The wit and style of the self-dubbed “fatally fluent” journalist made him as endearing as he was controversial. His presence was a decipherable entity in print, over the radio, and on television. With over fifty years in the public eye, Muggeridge knew well the effect of publicity on the human ego. In the words of one biographer, Muggeridge was troubled by “the strange metamorphosis that turns an individual into an image.”(1) He once confessed, “There is something very terrible in becoming an image… You see yourself on a screen, walking, talking, moving about, posturing, and it is not you. Or is it you, and the you looking at you, someone else? [...] Once, sleeping before a television screen, I woke up to find myself on it. The experience was quite terrifying—like some awful nightmare to which only someone like Edgar Allan Poe or Dostoevsky could do justice.”(2)
In our media-saturated, celebrity-producing culture, the warning may well be appropriate. Though I do not think it is only the televised that find themselves in danger of becoming an image.
Of course, some of the images we may have of ourselves obviously come with the territories. New parents learn to see themselves as parents; a journalist sees herself as a journalist. Muggeridge was speaking of images beyond this—namely, a journalist who starts to see herself as an icon, the father who starts to see himself as an image of success or humility, or the woman who sees herself as the image grief or helpfulness. This is perhaps where many of us can relate.
God once asked the prophet Habakkuk, “Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak.”(3) The most dangerous thing about becoming an image is that we start to believe that we created that image: I am the maker of my success in this company. I am the one who has molded myself to be this flourishing employee, parent, or Christian. But such images only teach lies. Interestingly, God spoke these words to the prophet after Habakkuk had uttered a complaint, questioning the image and identity of God: “O Lord, are you not from everlasting? … Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?”(4) God replied by asking Habakkuk to look again at the images he had fashioned and the Image before him.
For the images we create, even our images of God, must be crushed by the creative God who moves and speaks, the one who spoke creation itself into existence. We are not the images we think we are.
But we are being made into the image of one who is. Thankfully, though sometimes painfully, God is continually at work shattering the images we fashion of ourselves and of God. The Incarnation is the greatest example. This is not the Messiah those who were waiting for him expected. It’s not the Messiah we would expect either. This is not at all what we imagined he would ask of us. Yet this man who wept at the grave of Lazarus and sweat in blood at Gethsemane stands and asks us to consider it. Coming as an infant, Jesus brings us more of what it means to be human than we are yet able to emulate. Coming as God, he silences our questions of who God is—with a face, a hand, a Cross. We can no more mold ourselves into lasting icons than we can mold a lump of clay into a god that speaks. But we can be molded into the image of the God who lives, when shaped at the hands of the God who sent him.

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

DIWALI LIGHTS

The  Hindu  festival  of  lights  called  Deepawali  or  Diwali  is  being   celebrated  all  over  India  this  week.  Shops ,  markets  and commercial  centres  are   all lighted  up  and  decorated  to  woo  customers  to  buy,  buy  and   buy  some  more. People  worship  Goddess  Lakshmi ,  the   goddess  of  wealth  on  this   night  and light  up   their  homes   with  diyas  -   earthen  oil  lamps  and  electric  lights to  welcome   the goddess  into  their   homes. Setting  off  firecrackers   both noisy   and colourful   and  eating  special  Diwali  sweets  is  everyone 's  favourite.  People  give  gifts   to  each  other and   have  Diwali  get  togethers  and  parties.
Read  more about  Diwali  HERE

 

Eid and Ganesh Utsav

The fabric of India is interwoven with strands of several religions and we live harmoniously side by side.
India has the world' s 3rd largest Muslim population. Today is their festival of Eid -ul-Fitr, which is celebrated after a month long Ramadan fasting.
Our Muslim friends brought us some Eid food which was very nice as I did not have to cook dinner.

The is sweet vermicelli which is an Eid speciality. It is also called Sheer Korma.It is vermicelli cooked in milk and sugar, garnished with dry fruit.

Check out this website for an easy recipe HERE with illustrations
These are web photos but they also brought us chicken curry and rice similar to this.

For the Hindus today was the first day of a 10 day long festival in which the elephant god Ganesh is worshipped. This festival is most popular in Western India- the state of Maharashtra and its capital Mumbai (Bombay) but its catching up in other parts of India.
Special sweets , the favorite of Ganesh are eaten today and offered to him. Modak (photo above) is made with rice flour, milk, sugar and dry fruit etc. I have never had them though.






If a man does not keep pace with his companions perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears,however measured or far away.



HENRY DAVID THOREAU (Walden)

We 've had a good spell of rain this evening, its cooler.
My knees and back hurt quite a bit and I get tired rather quickly.
My desktop problem corrected itself. Now my blog appears normal.
I subscribe to blogs by Bloglines and they are going to end services on Oct. 1st. I am looking for an alternative feeder. Can anyone suggest a good one? I have Google Reader but its too cluttered..

I have noticed that some bloggers don' t allow a RSS feed so you can 't follow them. They will get more blog traffic if they permit RSS feeds etc.

Bond of Protection - Raksha Bandhan

On August 5th, Raksha Bandhan will be celebrated

by Indians everywhere.

This festival commemorates the tie between

brothers and sisters.

Our Hindu friends give it a religious intonation,

but people of all beliefs celebrate it in their own way.

Sisters tie a rakhi or colorful thread

on their brother 's wrist, which is a tie

of protection and love.

I took some pictures of rakhi stalls near my house
These are the cheaper ones

Very colorful and intricately designed

You can make your choice

These days Chinese rakhis are in vogue

Depending on your pocket

you can buy the more expensive rakhis

These can cost anywhere

between a few hundred

to thousands of Rupees

The sisters give sweets to brothers

and they in turn give them gifts of money,

candy, fashion accessories, jewelry,

clothes and toys.

These are the bracelet types

Very finely crafted

Rakhis for kids

Encrusted with gems

Gold plated rakhi

You can order them online with a box of sweets

A display of Rakhi gifts

You can tie a rakhi on your blood brother 's wristor anyone you call a brother,

he can be an acquaintance, colleague,

school-mate , your husband 's friend.

You can even tie a rakhi on a guy

to show you are not

romantically interested in him.

I am posting videos which I think you will like

Here is another video from a TV show.
This takes place in a royal family.

Magh Mela - The Sacred Bath

Today the January Festival or Magh Mela opened

in Allahabad, my hometown, at Prayag on the banks of the Ganges River.

Magh is the eleventh month of the Hindu calender.Sangam is the spot where the 3 rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the unseen Saraswati have their confluence.According to Hindu belief bathing in the Sangam during holy auspicious times can wash away sins and help obtain moksha - freedom from the cycle of re=births.

The above photos were shot by my niece Mahima
2 years ago when she was 14.
________________________

(The following excerpt has been taken from http://www.hindublog.com/}

Magh Mela is an important annual Hindu ritual held on the banks of Sangam ( Rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati) in Prayag (modern day Allahabad). Magh Mela is also known as mini Kumbh Mela and is held in Magh month as per traditional Hindu calendar followed in North India. The main ritual involves taking a holy dip (bathing) at Sangam on auspicious dates. In 2009, Magh Mela begins on January 11 and ends on February 23. It must be noted here that Magh Mela is not confined to the Magh month and the important bathing dates are spread over a period of 45 days.
The important dates during Magh Mela 2009 are:January 11 (Paush Purnima)January 14 (Makar Sankranti)January 26 (Mauni Amavasya)January 31 (Basant Panchami)February 9 (Maghi Poornima)and February 23(Maha Shivratri)
It is widely believed that taking a holy dip at the Sangam on the auspicious days during the period will wash away the sins and will lead to Moksha (merging with the Supreme Soul) – the ultimate aim of Hindus.
Important bathing dates during Magh mela attract nearly a million Hindu devotees. A temporary tent city is erected on the banks of Ganga in Allahabad. Numerous religious organizations and ashrams erect separate camps for their followers.
A major highlight during the period is the Kalpavasis – pilgrims who live in these camps during the period of the Magh Mela.

(The rest of the photos were taken from the Internet)

According to the Bible, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.Jesus shed His blood for us on the cross to pay the price for our sin. The Bible says without the shedding of blood there can be no remission or forgiveness of sin. Someone had to die in our place to obtain our freedom .

Jesus took our place on the cross.

Diwali Celebration

Today is the first day of the Hindu festival of Diwali or Deepawali.The goddess of wealth Lakshmi is worshipped tonight. The streets are suffocated with people buying kitchenware, household stuff and gadgets, jewelry , sweets and fire-crackers.

The videos I have posted will give you a glimpse of the celebration

I wish my Hindu friends a very happy Deepawali

Festival Week- Eid and Garba

Today ,Oct. 2nd is Gandhi Jayanti the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and our national holiday.The Muslims are celebrating Eid which marks the culmination of a month of Ramadan fasting. The video above shows Muslim women shopping for bangles in Hyderabad.

The Hindus are celebrating a nine day festival called Navratras. People go to temples to worship goddess Durga and also have Garba and Dandia dance parties.They dress up in traditional attire and dance in open air venues or halls. Upto 2 -3 thousand people can assemble in one place.

The video have posted below has been shot in Singapore
I tried to showcase the cultural aspects of these festivals

Children 's Day

Children's Day is celebrated to honor childhood and is celebrated on 14th November in India, the date which marks the birth anniversary of independent India's first Prime minister-Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru was born on November 14. He belonged to my hometown and his palatial house is now a museum.After his death in year 1963, his birthday has been celebrated as children's day. The reason of celebrating his birthday as children's day is because of his love and passion for children. That 's the reason he is also known as Chacha (Uncle)Nehru. Apart from being known for his skills as a statesman, Nehru was also immensely fond of children.

However, 20th November is universally celebrated as Children 's Day. 14th Nov. is marked with a lot of activities for children. But the fact remains that only a section of the country’s children actually have an opportunity to celebrate their existence. Schools organize events and activities that their students thoroughly enjoy, but there is an entire populace of young ones that are left ignored on this special day – the downtrodden street children.

Some of the plagues which infect our children are, infant mortality, female infanticide,child labour, human trafficking,illiteracy, disease, malnutrition and abuse. What are we doing for the next generation ?

Please say a prayer for the children of India

-------------------------------------------

I want to say Thank You to all my friends for their kind comments regarding my photography.I just want to show you a little glimpse of my life , community and surroundings.

Diwali - The Festival of Lights

To me Diwali means dazzling lamps, brightly lit streets and houses, sweets and fireworks.

Diwali is one of the major Hindu festivals, it is celebrated to commemorate the return of the Hindu god Rama and his consort Sita to their kingdom Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile. Though, Diwali is mainly a five- day festival people prepare for Diwali weeks ahead by cleaning and decorating their homes. on Diwali night innumerable lamps are lit on the roofs and windowsills of the houses. These days its electric lights .It is said that Lakshmi, Goddess of wealth roams the earth on this day and enters the house that is pure, clean and brightly illuminated. Young and old, men and women, all dress up in new clothes . They worship the deities, Lakshmi and Ganesha, and share sweets and gifts with their relatives and friends. It is also the beginning of the new financial year for the business community. However, it is the crackers and the fireworks that attract the kids the most and form the highlight of the festival. People gamble all night to usher in good luck and thieves go out to try their luck, if they are successful they will prosper all year round. So there are many robberies committed during this festival time.

When we were growing up we also illuminated our house with candles and oil lamps and burst baskets full of loud and colorful fire-crackers.Tomorrow is the main celebration .All day long people will be bursting crackers and at night the sky all around with be be lit up with fireworks.It also adds up to the nose and air pollution, and there are many accidents too.

Seeing my city lit up beautifully I am drawn to the Bible verses which say

Psalm 27;1 The Lord is my LIGHT and my salvation

Matthew 8;12 Jesus spoke to them saying,"I am the LIGHT of the world,he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness but shall have the LIGHT of life".

Matthew 5;14 (Jesus says to us)"You are the LIGHT of the world.A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

v 16"Let your LIGHT so shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

-------------------------------------

One of my blogfriends wondered if Diwali celebrations cost so much how can the poor people (a majority) afford to celebrate. They can 't celebrate at this level. Their celebrations are very simple and rustic.