Kumba Mela 2010

My friend, tonight is a big puja and my guru invited 2000 Sadhus for dinner. So as you can see there is a whole lot of potato to be pealed. But the more Sadhus eat from the dinner, the more positive karma my guru gains . This is the way it goes here on the Kumba Mela... The biggest happening of the world that sometimes looks like the most beautiful and holy gathering and other times more like a big circus maximus. Come, see and take your pick :-)

















Women washing in the holy Ganga that does not only clean souls, but works perfectly for dirty clothes as well.















A lower cast family from U.P. in one of the camps having their lunch. These people are real welcoming and happy to make you part of their camp even if just for an afternoon.













This is Pilote-baba surrounded by his disciples.











So what are we gonna talk about? God, consciousness, divine unity, the non-duality of the human beings or just simply the baba's Nokia phone that was manufactured in Hungary?!












This one is a standing Baba. They take a wow that they will stand for sometimes over a period of ten years. Over which their legs and foot become somewhat of a tree trunk. I hope this way they truly get closer to god, because if not than all this effort is a bit of a pity.












But even if they don't speak the language, they ever so ready to share some good Himalayan charas with you. These babas are giving heat to some serious chillums.











They are always welcoming, and in case they speak English one can have some philosophical conversations with them.














On the afternoon it is always worth paying a visit to the Sadhus camps.











Sadhus lining up for lunch.













An elaborate seed and flower display at the Kr.shna camp.












Holy moments. According to the Hindus, if you take a bath in the Ganga during the Kumba Mela at the right place, it takes away all your bad karma.












A Sadhu is taking a rest at one of the fancier tents.












The quiche exterior of Pilot-Baba's camp.












This is one of the big Babas giving a speech to his followers on a sleepy afternoon.












Bathing is not only for humans, but all the devotees of the animal kingdom.













We wondered into a camp with full of Russian devoties. Here good food was garantied daily, and I've found it real therapeutic to peel potato with all the "new-age babuskas".











He is a young companion of a Sadhu who one day may become a Baba himself.
















Rishikes is real hot during the day. So if you aren't taking a bath, you better find yourself some shady spot and gallons of water.














N/c












All ofsprings of the Hindu religion are represented on the Mela at some form. These youngsters we befriended in the Kr.sna camp.












Durring the three and a half monts of the festival, about18 to 25 million people come to take a cleansing bath in the holy Ganga river. The main participants of the jamboree are the sadhus like these ones here. They come from all differend kinds of Sadhu orders but lots of them are just single unit wandering sadhus that live in some caves in the Himalaya.











Welcome to the 2010 Kumba Mela, the biggest religious gathering of the planet.