Berliner Boersenzeitung - Indian Hindu pilgrims take the plunge ahead of largest gathering

EUR -
AED 3.766641
AFN 73.23806
ALL 98.213989
AMD 412.332779
ANG 1.856297
AOA 935.240708
ARS 1062.018763
AUD 1.66908
AWG 1.848433
AZN 1.747392
BAM 1.955481
BBD 2.079661
BDT 125.649516
BGN 1.955987
BHD 0.386137
BIF 3046.903275
BMD 1.025483
BND 1.40867
BOB 7.11684
BRL 6.280229
BSD 1.030032
BTN 88.642549
BWP 14.496637
BYN 3.37075
BYR 20099.463259
BZD 2.068963
CAD 1.479356
CDF 2943.136063
CHF 0.93984
CLF 0.037515
CLP 1035.163783
CNY 7.519562
CNH 7.551092
COP 4459.872923
CRC 519.91524
CUC 1.025483
CUP 27.175295
CVE 110.247027
CZK 25.104029
DJF 183.420098
DKK 7.46716
DOP 63.229692
DZD 139.334285
EGP 51.791557
ERN 15.382242
ETB 129.247629
FJD 2.398301
FKP 0.812164
GBP 0.840043
GEL 2.89703
GGP 0.812164
GHS 15.192523
GIP 0.812164
GMD 73.325971
GNF 8906.547999
GTQ 7.948704
GYD 215.494869
HKD 7.987845
HNL 26.19473
HRK 7.355692
HTG 134.558063
HUF 413.751951
IDR 16732.956986
ILS 3.778509
IMP 0.812164
INR 88.392009
IQD 1349.280032
IRR 43160.012072
ISK 144.839589
JEP 0.812164
JMD 161.513669
JOD 0.727482
JPY 161.723809
KES 133.328264
KGS 89.217365
KHR 4163.321269
KMF 490.232455
KPW 922.933964
KRW 1511.689901
KWD 0.316366
KYD 0.85836
KZT 543.59138
LAK 22474.336092
LBP 92236.063097
LKR 303.410536
LRD 192.6086
LSL 19.575809
LTL 3.027985
LVL 0.620305
LYD 5.09117
MAD 10.352112
MDL 19.250862
MGA 4877.204887
MKD 61.519971
MMK 3330.728196
MNT 3484.590487
MOP 8.259753
MRU 41.107298
MUR 48.023749
MVR 15.796269
MWK 1786.008834
MXN 21.24647
MYR 4.611088
MZN 65.532176
NAD 19.575809
NGN 1591.006216
NIO 37.903821
NOK 11.768137
NPR 141.827878
NZD 1.844062
OMR 0.394366
PAB 1.030032
PEN 3.875868
PGK 4.129327
PHP 60.512755
PKR 286.853535
PLN 4.269649
PYG 8087.681495
QAR 3.755088
RON 4.980877
RSD 117.065915
RUB 104.230108
RWF 1432.766421
SAR 3.849289
SBD 8.65448
SCR 14.727599
SDG 616.315522
SEK 11.508485
SGD 1.405223
SHP 0.812164
SLE 23.330115
SLL 21503.865086
SOS 588.604042
SRD 35.999613
STD 21225.423919
SVC 9.012531
SYP 2576.556598
SZL 19.571809
THB 35.613006
TJS 11.237268
TMT 3.58919
TND 3.306261
TOP 2.401787
TRY 36.303429
TTD 6.99186
TWD 33.955073
TZS 2592.477358
UAH 43.558099
UGX 3808.379134
USD 1.025483
UYU 44.972668
UZS 13345.82428
VES 55.18254
VND 26016.499127
VUV 121.747374
WST 2.833191
XAF 655.850079
XAG 0.033731
XAU 0.000381
XCD 2.771419
XDR 0.793171
XOF 655.850079
XPF 119.331742
YER 255.601965
ZAR 19.595798
ZMK 9230.579631
ZMW 28.453361
ZWL 330.205049
  • NGG

    -1.8500

    56.13

    -3.3%

  • BCC

    -1.5200

    115.88

    -1.31%

  • BTI

    -0.8400

    35.9

    -2.34%

  • RIO

    0.2100

    58.84

    +0.36%

  • GSK

    -0.6600

    33.09

    -1.99%

  • CMSC

    -0.1800

    22.92

    -0.79%

  • SCS

    -0.3300

    10.97

    -3.01%

  • CMSD

    -0.1500

    23.25

    -0.65%

  • BP

    0.1700

    31.29

    +0.54%

  • RBGPF

    60.4900

    60.49

    +100%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0300

    7.07

    -0.42%

  • BCE

    -0.6700

    22.96

    -2.92%

  • AZN

    0.4300

    67.01

    +0.64%

  • JRI

    -0.1400

    12.08

    -1.16%

  • VOD

    -0.1600

    8.05

    -1.99%

  • RELX

    -0.4000

    46.37

    -0.86%

Indian Hindu pilgrims take the plunge ahead of largest gathering
Indian Hindu pilgrims take the plunge ahead of largest gathering / Photo: Niharika KULKARNI - AFP

Indian Hindu pilgrims take the plunge ahead of largest gathering

Indian farmer Govind Singh travelled for nearly two days by train to reach what he believes is the "land of the gods" -- just one among legions of Hindu pilgrims joining the largest gathering of humanity.

Text size:

The millennia-old Kumbh Mela, a sacred show of religious piety and ritual bathing that opens Monday, is held at the site where the holy Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers meet.

This edition of the mega fair, in the north Indian city of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh state, is believed to be the biggest ever.

Organisers expect up to 400 million pilgrims from India and beyond over six weeks, running from January 13 to February 26.

"It feels great to be in the land of the gods for the Kumbh Mela," said the 53-year-old Singh, who came from a village in Madhya Pradesh state, a journey of more than 600 kilometres (375 miles).

"I will stay as long as the gods want me to."

The riverside in Prayagraj has turned into a vast tent city.

Many pilgrims are already taking dips in the chilly water, with temperatures on the banks at midday around 20 degrees Celsius (around 70 degrees Fahrenheit).

A shivering Sunny Pratap Gaur's eyes teared up and his teeth clenched in the cold as he stood by the river after a bath in the grey waters.

But he said he was happy to have "beaten the crowds" with his early dip.

"I took leave from the office to be here," said Gaur, a mid-level government bureaucrat from the state capital Lucknow.

- 'Another world' -

Beyond the bathing area, scores of boats lined up, offering pilgrims a trip to the Sangam, the spot believed to be the confluence of the three rivers.

Hindus believe bathing there during the Kumbh helps cleanse sins and brings salvation.

The festival is rooted in Hindu mythology, a battle between deities and demons for control of a pitcher containing the nectar of immortality.

"Hundreds of boatmen from all over the state have come with their boats to serve the pilgrims," said Ramheet Nishad, one of them.

Sprawling fields of tents -- divided into sectors, complete with restaurants, shops and makeshift toilets -- flank the river.

Wealthier pilgrims camp in luxurious tents; more humble ones huddle under tarpaulin sheets.

Saffron-robed monks and the naked ash-smeared ascetics roam the crowds, offering blessings to devotees.

They will lead the dawn charge into the river waters on the most auspicious bathing dates.

The massive congregation is also an occasion for Uttar Pradesh's local Hindu nationalist government to burnish its credentials.

Billboard after billboard lists the government's achievements -- some with QR codes linked to a specially designed website advertising the state's public schemes.

Indian police said they were "conducting relentless day-and-night patrols to ensure top-notch security" for the event.

But for some visitors, the fair transcends politics and religion –- a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"It is about the feel," said 26-year-old Rohit Singh. "The people, the river, it is another world."

(A.Lehmann--BBZ)