Kumbh Mela—India’s pilgrimage economy
About this time last year, preparations for the 2019 Kumbh Mela had entered their final phase. After all, it was a Kumbh in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), host to the largest human congregation on the planet. Despite the fact that the Kumbh is held every three years by rotation in four different cities — Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nasik, it is the Prayagraj edition that captures the imagination of a billion Indians and millions worldwide. Perhaps not mine — for sure, not in any spiritual or religious way. My allusions to the Kumbh have typically seen two Bollywood brothers getting separated at the Mela and reuniting at the climactic scene to bash up the baddie. My notions of the Kumbh not withstanding, the noise from the media following 2013’s Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj had been deafening.
For the spiritually inclined, Kumbh translates to “the nectar of immortality and nirvana.”
But the visually inclined, i.e. photographers from all over the globe, have swarmed to India over the last decade to find their own nectar — the illusive Naga sadhus, sacred baths, ceremonial sacrifices, and the masses of pilgrims — for assignments, news stories, and workshops. After all, Prayagraj’s Kumbh is the “Monaco Grand Prix,” “Le Mans,” and “Indy 500” of Hindu or any pilgrimage all rolled into one. And then some. The 55-day long Mela in 2019 saw over 200 million pilgrims with 30 million devotees gathered on the main bathing day alone. Sure, take a minute to absorb those numbers.
But Prayagraj? Isn’t Haridwar the Kumbh’s origin story?
Having spent my undergraduate years not too far from Haridwar and being somewhat aware of the town’s celebrated standing in the Indian pilgrimage circuit, I associated Haridwar with the Kumbh over any other location. Maybe because all Kumbh Melas in Bollywood movies took place in Haridwar and present-day Bollywood has abandoned the Kumbh sub-plot entirely, so it is hard to keep up. It took me some time to realize that Haridwar is to “Imola” and “Pau” what Prayagraj today is to “Monaco” and “Monza.” In fact, while records of an annual fair in Prayagraj, known as the Magh Mela, date back to the 3rd century (the first Puranas), the earliest mentions of a “Kumbh Mela” there go back only to the late-1800s. For centuries before that, the overriding Kumbh Mela took place in Haridwar and was undeniably controlled by akharas — religious sects of sadhus, who were astute traders and fearsome warriors. The Kumbh provided a forum for them to meet and trumpet their wares as well as war skills. Over time, mercantile opportunities became bountiful and boundless, attracting traders from as far as the “Silk Route,” which crossed the northern tassels of India, transforming Haridwar to a quasi-marketplace for religion, commerce, and combat. For at least 300 years before things got industrious in Prayagraj, it was Haridwar that hosted the definitive Kumbh Mela.
© Ayash Basu 2019
22 temporary pontoon bridges were built for 2019 Prayagraj Kumbh to ferry over 200 million pilgrims over the sacred rivers of Ganges and Yamuna.
Let’s rewind a few centuries: enter, the East India Company
In their quest to maneuver religious discourses, settle disputes, collect taxes on pilgrims, animals, and merchandize, the Vishnu-worshipping Bairagi akharas and the more dominant Shiva-worshipping Gosains often got into violent conflicts. There have been multiple instances of tens-of-thousands left dead due to akhara conflicts in Haridwar in the mid-to-late 1700s, leading to dips in attendance from pilgrims. Now, we all know that savvy investors wait for downturns to adjust their portfolios in the hopes of making a killing when the tide turns. Inevitably, the then rising British East India Company saw itself well-positioned to insert itself into Kumbh proceedings, despite the headaches of dealing with the enormous bedlam of a religious crowd. “Some pain and a lot of gain” sort of thing.
First, revenue potential from “pilgrim-commerce” at the Haridwar Kumbh was too big to ignore. Seriously, “p-commerce” was a real thing almost two centuries before “e-commerce!” Second, the region around Haridwar and the fertile Ganges had been ceded to the Company by 1801, thereby necessitating a close watch on entitled and empowered warrior sadhus, who in their large numbers could pose military level threats. “Diminish their influence at the Kumbh and weaken their clout overall,” was an underlying objective. Lastly, the British being able to tame the Mela with a blanket of security and structure fortified the significance of their presence — and perils of their absence — in the collective psyche of pilgrims, who started showing up in even greater numbers, tremendously boosting the Company’s balance sheet.