The Lords of Kumba Mela

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The Powerful of Kumba Mela at Ujjain, April 2004
Before tell you my recent experience at the Kumbha Mela in Ujjain, I must give a brief introduction about its meaning. The Kumbha [jar] mela [festival, festival] originates from the Hindu mythology, and refers all'episodio where gods and demons temporarily allied in an effort to derive from the nectar of immortality, churn the water.
When Dhanwantari from the left with a pot of amrita, it was necessary to find someone who give away, and that Vishnu assumed the form of a beautiful woman and a little trick gave the demons the "varun" - a kind of liquor-and gods the true nectar of immortality. But the demons do not fall nell'imbroglio and seized the vessel.
During the fight a few drops of nectar fell on earth and in the confusion the son of Indra, Jayant, kept the pot and ran away. He stopped in four places in India to rest. Each time you stopped and drank the nectar in place the jar on the floor a few drops fell to the ground. These drops gave rise to the four holy places where it is still celebrated KumbhMela: Haridwar, Allahabad, Nasik and Ujjain.
This year is the turn of Ujjain to host the big party, the first day of full moon, April 5,-one of the five dates for the holy bath in river-, my group and I joined the 200,000 people on Rama ghat descending towards the river Kshipra.
We arrived the day before, and already the entrance to the city with our machines has been an adventure. Under a sun that gave a temperature of 40 degrees, the police has not stopped us wanting to continue to enter the city. The security services were impressive and effective, 15,000 policemen and 10,000 men of the forces, and our place lock controlled by a kind but firm official has made us lose a lot of time and sweat.
Finally we managed to reach our wonderful campsite fixed property of the Maharajas of Jodhpur. Colonial service!
In the late afternoon we ventured, with a tuc tuc local, towards the center of town where there were the preparations for the feast. The first impression was to walk through the exhibition, music, stalls selling everything, and people, so many people who walked in our direction, towards the Rama ghat. The vialone on the right side was full of tent camps to house sadhu of various sects, each with its own space, rather, a tent and a fire, and all smoked cylum large. The smell filled the camps dell'hashish.
I found a little sacredness and apparently a lot of these sadhu in orange clothes, entered a tent I saw a famous Santone which is always only on one leg while the other backs on a rope hanging from a wooden structure. I asked him to photograph and I smiled to show his support. Clik.
I immediately reflected on my sense of disappointment when outside, sitting on his own, I saw a sadhu of the Aghori sect, with a tradition of several millennia behind.
I made him see my guide. A small sect of this Aghori! Their territories are the preferred places of cremation will adorn with human bones and roll in the ashes of the dead, eat meat - in contrast to previously viewed sadhu who are strictly vegetarian-, feed on human flesh and excrement and are convinced that by going against social rules show equanimity towards all things, in a world where there is neither pure nor impure, neither good nor bad.
He was there! Real estate, did not seem to care much what was happening around him, apart from threatening us intrusive Westerners trying to photograph him with his stick.
Resumed our walk down the road it was closer and fields organized left the place a simple tent or shelter behind walls and houses. We were entering the territory of Naga Baba.
The Naga, the attraction of the festival for the West, belong to a sect of Shaivism and are known to be very combative, because the group is divided into a kind of regiment.
Here we received something different from the fields visited before. A climate of austerity surrounding these hermits naked, covered in ash, almost spectral, their only assets were a trident and a skin on which sat. The typical figure of the Hindu ascetic stood in front of us. When I approached to photograph their red eyes looked straight into my, not well understood if it was a "yes" or "no", or "those who care." Not a smile, her face serene but distinguished them from other much more playful. In a tent magrissima figure, naked and white because of the ashes, sat in meditation.
The Naga Baba called me near him, and after that I had photographed, I said something watching my poor and heavy camera, but I understood I was not frightened by his seriousness, for a moment I thought that would fall apart, then leaned against the wall and lost any interest for me. It was in another place.

In a previous Kumbha Mela there were riots and deaths as a result of research priorities for the sacred bath. The dispute was between the Naga Sadhu and the other seven: you fight and died in honor of the peace. This time the division was tough and on the Naga one bank, which had priority, the other, where were we, the other sadhu.
We arrived at 06.00 on the ghat, the time when the Naga were starting their descent toward the Rama ghat. We saw them well, they were far away, then the idea ... I pulled from the card and press the police gave us permission to go where no one could get closer. We were eight, with one press card!
The staircase in front of us was full of Naga, the water was wedge of naked bodies that were dancing, jump, play. They were happy! The austere figure of the first afternoon for a moment had disappeared, now they were children playing happily and lived a very holy moment!
We were to go away when we heard shouts on ghat happy, saw a corresponding run. Was coming the first of a long list of "powerful" sadhu! A carriage carrying a silver veneratissima Santone, who wore glasses, just came down, who was approaching him to touch his feet, to offer crowns of flowers. He went majestically toward the river with his entourage, is bathed, and returned while another procession was coming. This time an old sadhu down to the ghat, with the smiling face and supported the arms of some of his disciples. He was 151 years. So I was told!
The loudspeaker announced Sadhu arriving each with its own name, was the apotheosis. Who arrived with elephants, who richly decorated lorry, who on machines in the middle of a crowd that only India can provide. We had them in the middle of the color, the joy of the participants, the flowers no longer knew what to watch and what is not: it was all worthy of attention and wonder, fascinated awe of what can happen in a religious festival in India.
The difference with the other side was notable, while the Naga arrived on foot, naked and without any means of transport, this part was a display of wealth or at least ease, sadhu followed by many disciples, silver sticks that beat the pavement to make way for "the powerful Kumbha Mela".
To 10.00, with 38 degrees of temperature, we decided to go away, to our campsite, drinking a coke. We were happy, happy to have had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in this crowd and in a way that they were involved in this exceptional event in the country where everything can happen, "India ".....
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