“The Kumbha has been rightly described as India’s ageless festival. It has been one of the greatest phenomena in which the collective urge of a race finds expression. The Kumbha draws not only the mystic and the pandit, the ignorant villager and the superstitious woman, the businessman and the politician, but evokes deep-rooted sentiments in persons of the calibre, education and outlook of Dilip Kumar Roy and the highly sensitive and psychic Indira Devi. That it should evoke sentiments and lend inspiration to persons of such varied equipment in every stratum of life shows that there is something fundamentally important in the Kumbha”.
– K M Munshi in a foreword to the Book Kumbha – India’s Ageless Festival by Dilip K Roy and Indira Devi, Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan, Bombay, 1955
This year, the celestial transition of the Sun on the occasion of Makar Sankranti will also mark the beginning of the iconic and intangible heritage festival of Bharat – Maha Kumbh. The media will flash pictures of Naga Sadhus taking the holy dip at the Triveni Sangam. There will be a discussion about the preparations and debates about the rationale behind such a festival. Though religiosity and spirituality are integral to Kumbh, it also symbolises something beyond that.
The Maha Kumbh is a testament to the cultural continuity of Bharat. It is a festival that has been celebrated from time immemorial, drawing thousands of people to take a holy bath. Despite attempts by some historians to diminish its antiquity, the legend of Samudra Manthan is deeply ingrained in the beliefs of the people of Bharat and entire Southeast Asia. The Yuga Parv of Vedic tradition and Moksha Parv of Buddhist tradition both mark this auspicious occasion. The Maha Kumbh finds mention in all inscriptions from the reign of Ashoka to Samudragupta, and most of the Puranas describe it as the most wondrous cosmic fair of the world. The Chinese travelogue by Hiuen Tsang in the seventh century, the first documented version of the rituals and faith, clearly mentions the crystallisation of the Maha Kumbh attracting pilgrims from all over Bharat. In the ninth century, the great Shankaracharya gave it a more systematic shape by establishing the four well-known monasteries and ten orders associated with each of them. During the freedom struggle against Islamic invasions and European colonisation, the Maha Kumbh played a significant role in maintaining the cultural continuum and protecting Sanatan Dharma.
Along with continuity, the connectivity of the Bharatiya sects and traditions is also reflected in Kumbh. They all gather to present their findings about attaining the ultimate bliss, deliberate on contemporary challenges society faces, and devise solutions to address them. The regular assembly of all schools of thought ensures maintaining contact with the sadhus of other denominations and the fortification of the spiritual aspirants. The discourses that take place reignite the cultural and spiritual strength of the society. This consistent and systematic effort takes care of all the attempts to create disharmony through artificial divisions. The Kalpavasis and Sadhus become connecting points and messengers of this great civilisation. Thus, Kumbh is a platform for the religious and spiritual legislation of Lok Vyavahar and Lok Sangrah (public conduct and social order).
Another critical dimension of the Maha Kumbh is its role in nurturing collective consciousness. The pilgrimage is not just about individual immortality or Moksha; it is more about instilling a sense of collective identity and unity about the uniqueness and antiquity of this age-old Rashtra, nurtured by Rishi Parampara. People from all strata of society, from villages to metropolitans, from ascetic Sadhus to silent observers, from seekers to rational investigators, employ different means, from bare walks to aeroplanes, to join the congregation. The barriers of caste, sects, language, region, etc., submerge in the sea of people, reinforcing the collective consciousness that the Maha Kumbh fosters.
The growing means of communication and technological innovations have added different dimensions to the festival, enhancing its relevance in the modern world. Reviving knowledge traditions with modern means, providing healthcare at affordable costs, temple traditions linking with prosperity, addressing the evils like caste discrimination and intolerance towards Sanatana, promoting sustainability, etc., are the parallel efforts introduced by Sadhus, Dharma Sabha and organisations like Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). While experiencing this unique festival, we must celebrate and internalise this national festival of social cohesion, economic prosperity, knowledge tradition and cultural continuum.
