Kumbh Mela: A very personal spiritual experience shared with millions of people. Blog series 1/4

By Hindumitra Karen Dabrowska, London, UK

FIRST STOP VARANASI

Kumbh Mela 2025. Over 45 days (13 January to 26 February)  more than 620 million people – nearly a third of India’s roughly 1.4 billion population -  attended the Maha Kumbh Mela, or the festival of the Sacred Pitcher, on the riverbanks in the city of Prayagraj at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna. The statistics were mind boggling : 160,000 tents, 40,000 police and security officials, 15,000 sanitation workers, 99 parking lots for over half a million vehicle, 30 floating pontoon bridges over the river, 67,000 street lights, 150,000 toilets and 25,000 bins.

Pilgrims in Prayagraj

I’d heard about the mela but never imagined I would be there with the Naga Sadhus who lead a life of complete renunciation, giving up all material possessions, including clothes, food luxuries, and family ties. 

But on a spiritual journey we have to let go, let God. My heart was set on seeing the Golden Temple in Amritsar. On my last trip to India the 35 degree heat in Rishikesh  made me ill and I decided to abandon the visit until February. But in February God had other plans.

As I made my way to London’s Paddington station my intuition told me I was not going to the Golden Temple and there was need to go to Southall the Sikh district with an information centre and book shop. Trains were cancelled due to a trespasser on the line. I looked on my phone and there was a whats ap message from Om Prakash of Rishikesh Day Tour: “The Golden Temple will always be there but the Kumbh Mela is only once in 12 years – and this is a special Kumbh due to the special position of the sun, moon, Jupiter and Shani which only happens once every 144 years -  I booked you a luxury tent at the mela.”

So time to start the homework. Shani is the divine personification of  Saturn in Hinduism. The name "Kumbh Mela" translates to "Festival of the Pitcher" in Sanskrit. "Kumbh" refers to the pitcher or pot that contained the nectar of immortality in Hindu mythology, while "Mela" means a fair or gathering. Hindu scriptures recount the legend of the Samudra Manthan - the churning of the ocean of milk by gods and demons in search of the nectar of immortality. According to mythology, four drops of this nectar fell on the locations where Kumbh Mela is now celebrated, making them sacred.

There was a lot of news about the kumbh focusing on the millions of people converging on Prayagraj. I was too embarrassed to tell my Hindu friends I couldn’t find the city on any map and it took me a while to realise that it was once  Allahabad. The news of the stampede that claimed 30 lives and the fire in the tents was frightening so I decided to stop reading about the kumbh and just go.

Tushita Om’s daughter who was  doing a BA in Yoga Studies accompanied me and we took a flight to Varanasi (aka Banares and Kashi) often referred to as the “City of Death” because of its close association with cremation rituals. It is believed that by dying and being cremated in Varanasi, Hindus can break free from the cycle of rebirth and attain salvation. Cremations take place 24 hours a day and fires light up the night sky. But a visit to the cremation ghats was impossible due to the crowds.

Night time at Varanasi

It was hot, uncomfortable and stifling even at ten o’clock in the morning and after a pleasant cup of mint tea in a café on one of the ghats I wanted to beat  a hasty retreat to the hotel. It was heartening to see Indians who stand for one world family on top of the menu.

Tushita was right when she said the best way to see the ghats and Varanasi for that matter is from a boat on the river. A boatman with a small rowing boat obliged and pulled out two life jackets. The river was a hive of activity with large boats, small boats, ferries and motor boats but we managed to find a quiet spot on the river and surveyed the centuries old temples and buildings.

Varanasi is considered  the oldest continuously inhabited city in Asia, and probably in the world dating back over 3,000 years. Time seemed to stand still as we gazed at the ancient temples overlooking the river.

The evening was the time for the Ganga arti on one of the ghats.  First there was a long  speech from a priest then the politicians came and spoke at length. People kept coming  - and going and finally the men with the seemingly magic lamps fuelled by paraffin made an appearance.

Young priests, dressed in silk robes, waved incense sticks in all directions to purify the surroundings, while ringing prayer bells. The focal point of the Aarti was the offering of light through large, multi-tiered lamps, which were carefully waved by the priests in a synchronized manner, symbolizing  a divine light offering to the gods.

 It was  an amazing  spectacle of colour and expression of faith.

Early to bed as the taxi to take us to the Kumbh was due to arrive at 6.30am. It actually arrived half an hour early. The driver seemed keen to get on the road and wheeled my suitcase to the car parked about ten minutes away from the hotel.

On the narrow streets it was sometimes easier to abandon the car and walk. We sped out of the city famous for its silk saris which are considered the finest in India into the countryside.

About the author:

Hindumitra Karen Dabrowska lives in London, UK. She first became interested in Sanatana Dharma in 2020 after reading Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. In 2022 she visited Babaji’s cave where Yogananda’s master was initiated into kriya yoga. She found India an enchanting, fascinating and welcoming country which she has been visiting twice a year since 2022. She then visited Rishikesh and in it the Vasishtha Cave home of Vasishtha one of the seven immortal saints. In February 2025 she felt it to be a great honor to go to the kumbh mela a very personal spiritual experience shared with millions of people. In her own words "I felt I was part of one gigantic family and we all embarked on a pilgrimage together."

In 2023 she listened to a talk at Laxmi Narayan Temple in West London by Hindumitra Dr Malladi Srinivasa Sastry, founder of Hindumitra Foundation, and was inspired by his clear presentation of the concepts of Sanatana Dharma. The talk was a condensed version of his ten-lesson course “Bring out the best in you – the Sanatana Dharma way” which she studied online. She kept in touch with Dr Malladi by email and WhatsApp and when he heard that she was planning to visit south India in January this year she was invited to Visakhapatnam to see the activities of Hindumitra. There was a fascinating visit to Dimili village where young people gave a performance of traditional dancing and art forms. Hindumitra is keen to promote the preservation of cultural traditions. She also took part in a major Hindumitra event with the theme the world is one family in Visakhapatnam public library where Hindumitra Karen ji spoke about her spiritual journey with Sanatana dharma. The programme attended by over 100 people was very full with a discussion about Hindu parenting and folk culture performances and demonstrations. Residing in UK, Hindumitra Karen ji actively contributes to the spiritual work of Hindumitra and is currently attending weekly classes on Bhagavatam by Hindumitra Dr. Malladi Srinivasa Sastry.