Maha Kumbh Mela, TRIVENI SANGAM Pandora's Box-Mauni Amavasya Snam
Millions of Hindus, forgetting the caste to which they belong, the region of origin and social status are poured into the sacred river for a kind of purifying bath. This is the Maha Kumbh Mela, the Hindu Jubilee, the month in which the Earth and the Sky fruitful ago in India, where millions of believers flock in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh to immerse yourself in the place of confluence of three sacred waters of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, known for such as "Triveni Sangam" (the three-match) to participate in the largest gathering of religious and human of all time. "Apple" is equivalent to meeting or party, but it is not a simple religious gathering, is an addictive great pilgrimage that takes place at the rivers associated with the mythological legends of Hindu sacred literature, that they do consider as the most auspicious in India . The origins of this event dates back to the time when the gods (Devtas) and Demons (Asura) resided on the land and were fighting for the sacred urn (khumbh) enclosing the amritha, the nectar of immortality. Jayantha God is changed into a raven, and managed to steal the urn fleeing chased by demons. During the flight stopped four times, and each time a few drops of nectar came out of the jar by wetting the soil at four points. Some mythological scriptures handed down that the war between the gods and demons in the sky lasted for twelve days for the possession of the sacred urn, so the commemoration of this event Maha Kumbh Mela is celebrated four times every twelve years for the four points that places sacred, where legend has it they are falling drops of nectar, and corresponding to the four sacred rivers: the River Ganges in Haridwar, Ujjain on the Shipra, Nasik on the Godavari, and Prayag (Allahabad) at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati river ( an underground stream disappeared thousands of years). As a result, the Maha (Great) Kumbh Mela is celebrated at Allahabad (Prayang) after twelve Purna Kumbha Mela, which is over 144 years old. The Purna (Complete, Unabridged) Kumbh Mela is celebrated in four major sites (Prayang / known as Sangam Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nashik) every three years, rotating, while the Ardh Kumbh Mela ("Half" Apple) in two places (Haridwar and Prayag / Allahabad) every 6. The second last Kumbh Mela was held in 2001 with 60 million visitors. In 2013, instead of the 12th edition of the Maha Kumbh Mela ('Great' Kumbh Mela) was held at the Sangam at Allahabad with 100,000,000 attendance concentrated within 55 days with 7 main bathrooms from January 14 to 10 March 2013. The Kumbh Mela is the largest religious gathering in the world, one of the most powerful performances on stage spontaneously made by man. Sangam at Allahabad was an impromptu city within the city to welcome in an area of 50 square kilometers: 10 hospitals, 18 floating bridges, 40 barracks with 14 000 police officers, soldiers and riot police engaged day and night to control the huge 11 camps; immortelle night and day with dirt roads on a project to plant a square, vehicular traffic prohibited for safety reasons, it was a bustling open-air tent city for pilgrims with Indian huts close to each other, with ever-present stench of piss and shit, hot in the day and freezing cold at night, and a series of tented camps organized for tourists and visitors. In this chaos, there is a makeshift Dante's inferno of characters in search of everyone's karma with Hindu pilgrims camped out waiting for their purifying bath in the waters; the crowd that comes out is indescribable as well as scenes of daily life, in our eyes magnified to the highest concentration of various human observable in the course of several visits over the Indian subcontinent. Every little space on the banks of the river just to get wet meditating and praying, and in the vicinity are beggars begging, including sheep emaciated, some with breasts covered with bags of rags to avoid emptying the sucking of the nipples by the lambs, and sacred cows wandering, some sheltered from winter blanket, which roam undisturbed through piles of garbage, while a little further on some improvised barber for those who want to cleanse the body and present in the grace of Vishnu to the bathroom, and some other little hidden for nothing further undisturbed crap! There's no time and no space for improvisation and reigns contend in a miserable exhibition space by ubiquitous merchants of necklaces, flowers or any merchandise useful to the daily sustenance of the immense community teeming with the presence of cripples and freaks of all ages from the West Indian total look in search of nirvana and safe trip, smoke and dreams. Holding Hands is a must and often just hang on to the hem of the dress of the joint above, to stay connected and not get lost in the huge crowd that moves without directional coordinates. There is no shortage tourists obvious mystical crisis, with Japanese mask over his mouth and photographic super excited and equipped with sophisticated equipment ready to zoom in on the paintings to the gums! Sangam, the mystical Babel is lived day and night in and out of the stands or large tents which are subject to the ashram, where there are the highest representatives of the schools' traditional Hinduism, the Pandas (religious and spiritual guides) in various types of sadhus, gurus, yogis, ascetics, saints, or assumed, that on this occasion they leave their hermitage more hidden in the jungle or their usual location to give their personal contribution to those who want to approach their faith with knowledge or curiosity or for renewed devotion, dispensing sermons, advice and even a hot meal. As in any self-respecting fair, the guru or sadhu joined by their followers proposes his faith, blessing everyone who approaches him with the palm of the hand, symbol of the '' Abhaya ', and drawing the tikka colored powder on the forehead, symbol money and clothes to the needy saints, observing the vow of silence, known as "Maun Vrat". On the eve of the Royal Bath or Day of Silence our minds are excited about the approach of the main event, preparing in groups in the middle of the night to reach the magical place at 4 am expected by all the heterogeneous humanity to Sangam the most important purifying bath, estimated by the optimal conditional astrological. In the chaos even more indescribable, including An oceanic crowd delirious and traveling, waiting for the procession of Naga Baba, finally the first glimmer of light compact groups to reach them all naked and burnt from head to toe in the big beach "Sangam" and dancing screaming toward the river, brandishing sticks, spears and tridents. money and clothes to the needy saints, observing the vow of silence, known as "Maun Vrat". On the eve of the Royal Bath or Day of Silence our minds are excited about the approach of the main event, preparing in groups in the middle of the night to reach the magical place at 4 am expected by all the heterogeneous humanity to Sangam the most important purifying bath, estimated by the optimal conditional astrological. In the chaos even more indescribable, including An oceanic crowd delirious and traveling, waiting for the procession of Naga Baba, finally the first glimmer of light compact groups to reach them all naked and burnt from head to toe in the big beach "Sangam" and dancing screaming toward the river, brandishing sticks, spears and tridents. A couple of them indulges in a spontaneous performance, tying the penis around a stick that turns 360 degrees as if it was the rudder of a ship, while another sadhu gets on the stick itself to increase the weight of your body pressure on it, giving a clear indication of the achievement of the mind-body separation and sending into raptures lucky bystanders! Behind them simple roll and pilgrims prostrate themselves on the sand where the holy men have walked, throw some sand over your head as if you were dipping into the sacred. Among the first to dive and you are Juna Naga, while the police and keeping order dispensing beatings to those who approach a bit 'too much more than a mere bead of security. The excitement is so great, but the confusion and the crowd are such that not everyone is allowed to approach the front row for observation and participation in the sacred event. Among the Naga Baba is a sort of competition to those who bathe at the first rising of the first ray of sunlight to reach the coveted "Samsara", running and seconding others with more capacity and fanfare of trumpets and sound of shells and bells, and messing back mo 'within their typical Dreamlokcs, with hands in the air to summon the sun in the direction of the first light. The moment is magical, and everyone is absorbed in it. In this view, looking where possible their own space, as a hypnotic ritual all immersed into an act of devotion to the pursuit of achieving its spirit of holiness, fortune and salvation, for the achievement of "Moksha", until the river becomes too an ocean teeming crowd here too, as the sun dispenses its full light and magical energy. After bathing, the pilgrims wear fresh clothes and proceed on foot to listen to speeches and religious sermons in the various communities of sadhus and ashrams. Even our Samsara is done and the satisfaction of being present at this jubilee Hindu is likely to endure in the immediate present the physical removal from Allahabad towards Varanasi, with a blaring and slow procession of vehicles, we follow a queue as they exit Sangam, aware and resigned arrival at very late hours. In reflection matured as a result of participation in this event, we have the inner certainty that we have a pilgrimage, and his mind with the spirit. Our souls now back home are full of absolute truth, that overflowing positivity have a desire to tell and pour the lived experiential those who could not physically be at the Maha Kumbh Mela. Even our Samsara is done! If this is called tourists or pilgrims ... does not matter!
GIUSEPPE RUSSO