How to plan a trip to a Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj (Allahabad) in 2019!

Kumbh Maha Mela 2019 is ccurrently on at Allahabad (now Prayagraj) and here is all that you need to plan a trip to this holy city for a complete Kumbh experience.

I attended the Maha Kumbh Mela at Allahabad in 2013 and spent a few days there living in an ashram. It was an experience quite unlike any other, especially for someone who isn’t even religious. I was with a friend and we not only explored spiritualism and faith, but also interacted with people from all walks of life. I wasn’t so much into interviewing strangers at that point of time, at least not formally, but I had a great time having small talks and photographing the sadhu babas there, especially the Naga babas. I even had a small tiff with Instagram at that time when they pulled down the picture of a Naga baba which they thought was inappropriate for all audiences. This year, however, I do see such images and I hope that means they updated their policies.

Naga babas at the Kumbh Mela

I will hopefully be there at 2019 Allahabad (Prayagraj) Maha Kumbh - taking pictures and talking to many many people there. If you are also planning a trip, give me a shout-out and we will catch up there over a cup of chai with pakodas :)

The Legend of Kumbh Mela

Before we proceed ahead, I guess it’s good to do a quick recap on the story behind it. For this we need go back to the the story of ‘Samundra Manthan’. So a long long time ago, the Devas (demi-Gods) lost the battle with the Asuras (demons) who then decided to hatch a conspiracy to diplomatically defeat their enemies on advice of Lord Vishnu. It was a known fact that deep within the ocean lay the all powerful amrut or nectar, and even one drop of it would give you immortality. Devas proposed to the Asuras to work together to get this out so that they could both share it and live forever.

A vehicle at the procession to the river ghat

A Naga baba 

However, when it came out after much difficulty, fighting ensued and Garuda took the pot and flew off. While in flight, four drops of amrut fell on earth at Nashik, Haridwar, Ujjain and Allahabad (Prayagraj). As amrut fell, the land also became divine and blessed and hence started the tradition of a Mela (fair) here. The rivers at each of these places became blessed as well and it came to be believed that a dip in these holy rivers would rid you of all your sins and help you attain moksha.

So now Kumbh is celebrated every 12 years years in rotation at these places:

Prayag (Allahabad) - confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers

Haridwar - Ganga river

Ujjain - Shipra river 

Nashik - Godavari river

Ardh kumbh (or half Kumbh) is held every six years at only two places - Prayag and Haridwar.

Kumbh Mela schedule at 2019

This year the Kumbh Mela starts at Allahabad (Prayagraj) on the 15th of January and finishes on the 4th March 2019. The mela has some important dates when everyone takes a holy dip at the sangam.

Here are the key dates:

• Makar Sankranti - 15-01-2019/Tuesday
• Paush Purnima - 21-01-2019/Monday
• Mauni Amavasya (Somvati) - 04-02-2019/Monday
• Basant Panchami - 10-02-2019/Sunday
• Maghi Purnima - 19-02-2019/Tuesday
• Mahashivratri - 04-03-2019/Monday

It’s difficult to pick a dates from among these, especially if you are attending Kumbh for the first time. Well, I can share my two cents from my limited experience at the last Kumbh Mela at Prayag.

I believe that if you want to truly understand and feel the Kumbh experience, you must attend one of the Shahi Snan (Royal Bath) days. These are three in total and on each of these days there is a procession and a very large number of people participate. As a photographer, it’s almost like heaven, especially if you like people. Naga babas (naked sadhu, more later in the post below) also come out in full force and though you can't interact with them much then, you can certainly take pictures. When I was at Prayag two years back, I got stuck with one of the akharas of Naga babas and ended up taking a holy dip with them. It was not planned, but I got to see them quite up, close and personal, and quite literally too :)

It's good to come for three days, and plan this around one of the main bathing days. Do yourself a favor and never come on the day of the snan, as getting into the city would be close to impossible. Be in Allahabad a day in advance and come only using public transportation. If you come in your car, it will be a pain to find a place to park - though it's not impossible. The buses will drop you at the main bus-stand and from there the last few kilometers would be on foot. You can also take shared autos or other means of local transportation.

The busy bathing ghats

Holy men leading the performance

Two men praying on the floor all the way to the ghat

Suggested Itinerary for 2019 Prayagraj Kumbh

Here is how a typical three-day itinerary for Prayagraj Kumbh could look like. The intent for this itinerary is to attend any of the main events. I suggest reaching two days before the event  and leaving on the day right after that.

Day 1

• Arrive in Allahabad in the morning
• Find a place to stay and dump all heavy and expensive stuff there. There is a possibility to stay a tent at the ghat also - do check for this before you go as typically they will all be sold out.
• Walk to the main ghat and see where all you will get access on the main day, if required speak to the police. If you have a camera you could say you are a freelance photographer and need help. Check for timings on the Shahi snan day.
• Take pictures, plan and more importantly soak in the space
• Walk to the area where sadhus stay (ask politely before you enter the camp)

Day 2

• Go to ghat and attend the ceremonies there
• It's a huge area and it's good to go early and know all about it - also figure out the path of the procession
• Take pictures, talk to people
• If possible visit the tents where the sadhus live and interact with them - this isn't easy and you need good people skills to do that

Day 3

• Reach the main ghat really early morning, much much before sunrise
• After this, just go with the flow - protect yourself and the camera
• If you also want to take a holy dip, leave your camera behind or leave it with a friend
• Wear your shorts under a dhoti, so that you can easily change - it also helps you merge with the crowd
• Hang out till the day gets over - it can get very very tiring
• Leave back to your city late in the night or early next morning   

Life inside a Kumbh Camp

As I said, there is nothing quite like staying within the Kumbh camp itself. There is so much to do, and so much to see, it’s just crazy! Here are some images, though they don’t tell you everything that you can do there - consider this to be just a sneak peel :)

It's really easy to get lost at the camp, and you would often need to ask people for directions. Remember the gate you enter from, and if possible, some landmarks also.

The camp in Prayagraj is located not too far from the ghat and you can easily walk back and forth. The following images can give you an idea of what to expect at the Maha Kumbh mela.

The view of the living area in the Kumbh camp

An early morning at the camp site

A young begger girl at the camp

Women drying their clothes and chatting up

Crossing over a make-shift bridge

A community eating area where free food is distributed

The guruji from the ashram where we stayed

Lunch in making - most cook in open kitchens

Lost and Found - call of the loudspeakers
As you move around the camp, there is one sound that follows you everywhere, and this is the sound of loud speakers making announcements from the 'Lost and Found' section. It's heart breaking to hear the cries of young children telling their names and calling out to their parents. Most of these kids do get reunited and the endings are happy.

However, you will also hear numerous old men and women calling out to their children to take them back. Often, these calls go unheeded as some misuse the mayhem of Kumbh to leave their old parents behind and go back to their villages. The really old and frail parents sometimes do not remember their homes and villages well, and often have no money to go back, even if they do. What happens to them after that ? Some find a place in an ashram in town, many become beggars on the streets and some simply perish.

The Holy Dip

As I said, a dip in the river is believed to help you attain moksha so it's really important for many Hindus. People come from far far away places for this, and many of these are extremely poor. It's considered auspicious to to take bath on the most important days and the myth is that it cures you of all your illness and washes away all your sins.

In any case, here are some images of people talking a holy dip from Allahabad.

The bathing area early in the morning

A young man jumping in to the river

Bathing goes on late in the night - two women helping each other dress up

An old man at the ghat

Praying together to the river Ganga

A young man contemplating on the river bank...

Naga babas - the elusive ones...

Every time you see images of Kumbh, it would most certainly be dominated by these naked sages who come out of their living spaces for the holy dip and then disappear again altogether for the next four years. But the obvious question would be to ask who exactly are these babas? And where do they come from? Do they have a social structure and hierarchy? And most interestingly, why are  they naked or ash-smeared?

Baby getting ready...

The rockstar Naga baba

Time for blessings

Long ago when Hinduism was at it lowest in India and Buddhism was the main religion of almost the entire country, there emerged a leader who is considered as one man responsible for the revival of Hinduism and making India in to a Hindu country once again. Born in Kerala, this man came to be known as Shankaracharya. It was not an easy struggle and Shankaracharya realised that to achieve this, he would need to fight this religious war on two front - philosophical as well as on the battlefield. This is how he made both shaastra (knowledge) as well as astra (weapons) the part of Hinduism, with acharyas taking care of the shaastra while the Naga babas were organised to lead with the shastra. After the religious war was won, they were not needed for fighting any battles and hence the retreated into their own camps, where they continue to learn martial arts and living completely by themselves away from the rest of the world.

Waiting...

Taking a walk in the mela...

Taking a kash...

So what do the Naga babas do? What’s the social structure?

Some of them are part of Dashnam Sanyasi tradition and move around on foot from one Kumbh mela to the other, passing through hundreds of villages and telling tales of Shiva. The rest of them live a life of extreme privacy and rarely seen unless you go to a Kumbh Mela.

The astradhari sadhus or Naga babas are organised into akharas or regiments. Some of the bigger akhara are Juna (old in Gujarati) Akhara with highest number of babas, followed by Niranjani Akhara and Mahanirvani Akhara. An Akhara has a well organised structure and is led by a council called Sri Pancha representing Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti and Ganesha. A Naga baba is often a Shaivite (follower of Shiva), but some are also Vaishnavite (follower of Vishnu).

These vehicles come out in the procession on the day of Shahi snan

A young Naga baba  giving his blessings

When at Kumbh, a specific order is followed for the snan (holy bath) and it is always led by the Naga babas, and then followed by the general public. Even amongst the Naga babas, there is hierarchy which is always followed. 

Can one become a Naga baba?

Well, technically it is possible though it is not an easy task. The first step to initiation is to find a guru who would take you in his fold and under his guidance you can be one like him. Kumbh Mela is the place to be if you intend to find a guru.

Why are Naga babas naked?

Naga babas give up all things that bind them to life and its comforts, including clothes. It allows for easier communion with the almighty. However, its not a compulsory to be naked and you can see some of the younger Naga babas in a langot (loin cloth) also.

You will also see many with ash smeared on their bodies; this is to keep them warm,e specially if Kumbh takes place during the cold winter months.

Some extreme yoga!

Babas just after the holy dip

Tips for Allahabad Kumbh Mela 2015

General Tips:

1. Start Early - this means start before the sun comes up and join the devotees when they take the morning bath with the rising sun
2. Sleep Late - the place never really sleeps and there is much to be experienced late in the night 
3. Don’t just walk with a camera, interact - talk to people, everyone. It is alright to walk in to the akharas and even talk to the Naga babas. They are not exactly friendly, but they do interact if you are respectful to them and their makeshift home. Taking pictures is alright, but sometimes things can get tricky. Do not sneak in and take pictures, many babas hate to be clicked.
4. Do not miss talking a holy dip - I know the water gets dirty and looks dirty and with hundreds of naked or semi-naked bodies around, the last thing on your mind is to join them. I would still suggest that you do that. I did it and the experience was very unique.
5. Attend a sat-sang or two - the mela is full of ashrams and prayer halls. They are all open to everyone (most of them), and you must walk into some and spend sometime listening to what the sadhus have to say. Its an integral part of the mela and you don’t want to come back without the whole experience, do you?
6. Listen to a guru talk - these are more personal interactions with the guru of an ashram, and you can’t just walk into these sessions. However, if you are dressed well, look respectful and walk in confidently, no one will stop you.
7. Be humble and be respectful - Don’t ever forget this, because as a traveler you are actually going to witness a highly personal celebration of this group. Smile and be respectful.
8. Food - you will only get vegetarian food during the festival. There are many dhabas in and around the mela area, and you will get food till late in the night also.
9. Carry practical stuff - water, extra batteries, cheap footwear (don’t wear shoes, just flip-flops)

Tips for women travellers: 

1. It’s a little tricky to be a women traveller, though I would not at all recommend you not going there. I hope my suggestions do not sound regressive.
2. It’s good not to travel solo, so see if you can go with a bunch. A few guys in the group would help.
3. Dress conservatively and avoid skirts - salvaar kameez would be the best in my opinion
4. Do not go into the Naga baba akharas, unless you take permission from them in advance. These men are celibates and such distractions may not always be appreciated
5. Be careful if you want to take a holy dip, its a very busy space and there might be some inappropriate touching

Having given these warnings, I think it’s not a scary place and you must not worry. Just be more cautious and you are bound to have lots and lots of fun :)

Where to stay?

Stay could be tricky during the Kumbh mela as most hotels get pre-booked much in advance, especially around the key bathing days. When I visited Allahabad, my friend and I actually stayed with a baba in his makeshift ashram on the river bank within the Kumbh complex. This happened only because he knew someone who was a big donor to the babaji and so we were almost treated like VIPs and even got a tent with an attached western style toilet and running water. This was luxury and I do not think one should hope for this.

Your best bet would be to stay in a hotel or a lodge in Allahabad (Prayagraj), unless you know someone already in the city. Of course, living within Kumbh complex is an experience in itself, especially the midnight walks as the place never really sleeps.

I have no personal recommendations to make for Allahabad (Prayagraj), so use google for it :)

How to reach?

Allahabad is easy to reach by either bus or train - it has excellent connectivity. You can also drive in but parking in the city would be a challenge.

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Need some more advice on something? Do leave me a comment and I will reply back to you as soon as I can.