People worshiping God. It is a wonderful thing to see. Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, whatever their faith and tradition may be. In a world so ravaged by corruption, cruelty and hate, the sight of men and women striving together for what is pure, gentle, loving and right gives hope and reassurance that God has not abandoned this world.
Yesterday, in the ancient city of Haridwar (India) began the largest religious gathering in the world, the celebration of Kumbh Mela. For three months from January 14th through April 28th as many as 20 million people are expected to make the sacred Hindu pilgrimage to Haridwar to bathe in the Ganges River and participate in the massive spiritual and cultural festival.
The Ganges River is sacred in the Hindu tradition, and many devotees believe that bathing in its waters washes away sins. Many Hindu families keep a container of water drawn from the Ganges in their hones at all times believing that it has the power to cleanse the soul and, for some, even to heal the sick.
During the days of Kumbh Mela all streams of Hinduism will immerse themselves in discussion, thanksgiving, prayer, singing, doctrinal debate, harmonization of traditions, service to the thousands of holy men and women who will attend the festival, and in feeding the poor. It is a celebration of Hindu life and renewal of religious devotion.
In 1895 American author Mark Twain encountered the Kumbh Mela during his travels through India. Of what he saw, Twain wrote the following:
“It is wonderful, the power of a faith like that, that can make multitudes upon multitudes of the old and weak and the young and frail enter without hesitation or complaint upon such incredible journeys and endure the resultant miseries without repining. It is done in love, or it is done in fear; I do not know which it is. No matter what the impulse is, the act born of it is beyond imagination, marvelous to our kind of people, the cold whites.” (Mark Twain, Following The Equator)
The festival celebrates a great battle between the gods and demons fought over a pitcher containing the nectar of immortality. Hindu tradition has it that during the battle four drops of the nectar were spilled from the pitcher and landed in the four cities where the festival is alternately held.
Kumbh Mela occurs four times every twelve years, rotating between the cities of Prayag, Haridway, Ujjain and Nashik. The Maha Kumbh Mela (the “Great” Kumbh Mela) occurs every 144 years, and the 2001 celebration was attended by 60 million people. It was the single largest gathering of people for a common purpose on earth.
As a Christian I am jealous of the beauty of this spectacular festival and the antiquity of the tradition. As a believer I am in awe of God’s creation and thankful for God’s people in every place throughout the world. People worshiping God is a wonderful thing to see.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Here in the U.S. we don’t even hear about so many wonderful things that are going on all over the world in different cultures. So many wonderful things are just ignored because they don’t fit into our Western view of the world. I always appreciate learning about things like this Hindu celebration. Thanks for the post.
We have potlucks.