Hindus throng Ganges for holy bath

ALLAHABAD, India – Nearly half a million Hindus braved near-freezing temperatures to wash away their sins in the icy waters of the Ganges river in northern India yesterday, the first day of a six-week festival.

As many as 70 million people from India and abroad are expected over the whole “Ardh Kumbh Mela” or Half Pitcher Festival, billed as one of the largest gatherings on earth. Men, women, children, holy men in saffron and the infirm gathered at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and a mythical third river in Allahabad city well before dawn, waiting for the sun to rise for the auspicious bath on the first day of the 42-day event.They chanted verses from Hindu scriptures and sang holy songs as they walked towards the bathing areas, some lying prostrate after every few steps to salute the gods.The festival falls midway between the “Maha Kumbh Mela” or the Great Pitcher Festival, celebrated once every 12 years.Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganges during the festivals cleanses them of sin, speeding the way to the attainment of nirvana or the afterlife.After dipping in the polluted but sacred waters, many filled cans, bottles and steel containers for relatives and friends who could not make it.Others sprinkled it on their dry clothes.”It was a long-cherished desire to take a dip here during the Kumbh Mela,” said Naba Kumar Ghosh, a young school teacher from the eastern Indian state of West Bengal.”The experience has been one of fulfilment, a complete cleansing of the inner self.””ONE WITH GOD” Shakuntala, a 70-year-old woman who gave only one name, said she travelled all night from the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh to bathe in the Ganges, just as she has done at every Kumbh Mela over the last 25 years.”It was a divine experience, a dip in the holy waters is like being with God,” she said.”God willing, I will be here for the next ‘Kumbh’ too”.Rama Devi, an old woman from Allahabad who could not remember her age, has not missed a single Kumbh and was determined to make it this time despite her inability to walk.With roads closed to traffic, her 35-year-old son, a soldier in the Indian army, carried her on his back for the 10-km walk from their house to the waters.Thousands of tents and camps have been built to house pilgrims across the 4 000 acre festival area and more than 10 000 policemen, including specially-trained “terrorist spotters”, have been deployed, authorities said.Nampa-ReutersMen, women, children, holy men in saffron and the infirm gathered at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and a mythical third river in Allahabad city well before dawn, waiting for the sun to rise for the auspicious bath on the first day of the 42-day event.They chanted verses from Hindu scriptures and sang holy songs as they walked towards the bathing areas, some lying prostrate after every few steps to salute the gods.The festival falls midway between the “Maha Kumbh Mela” or the Great Pitcher Festival, celebrated once every 12 years.Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganges during the festivals cleanses them of sin, speeding the way to the attainment of nirvana or the afterlife.After dipping in the polluted but sacred waters, many filled cans, bottles and steel containers for relatives and friends who could not make it.Others sprinkled it on their dry clothes.”It was a long-cherished desire to take a dip here during the Kumbh Mela,” said Naba Kumar Ghosh, a young school teacher from the eastern Indian state of West Bengal.”The experience has been one of fulfilment, a complete cleansing of the inner self.””ONE WITH GOD” Shakuntala, a 70-year-old woman who gave only one name, said she travelled all night from the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh to bathe in the Ganges, just as she has done at every Kumbh Mela over the last 25 years.”It was a divine experience, a dip in the holy waters is like being with God,” she said.”God willing, I will be here for the next ‘Kumbh’ too”.Rama Devi, an old woman from Allahabad who could not remember her age, has not missed a single Kumbh and was determined to make it this time despite her inability to walk.With roads closed to traffic, her 35-year-old son, a soldier in the Indian army, carried her on his back for the 10-km walk from their house to the waters.Thousands of tents and camps have been built to house pilgrims across the 4 000 acre festival area and more than 10 000 policemen, including specially-trained “terrorist spotters”, have been deployed, authorities said.Nampa-Reuters