Sangam Bank, Allahabd |
Last week I went back to My home town, Allahabad for attending my best
friends marriage and the way I took a dip in Sangam, I'll never forget
the way we bathed with out spare clothes with us :)
I still remember my childhood times, arround 15 years back when my grandmother used to stay in the camps of Kubh Mela, which happens every year in the month of January.
The Kumbh Mela, believed to be the largest religious gathering on earth, is held every 12 years on the banks of the 'Sangam'.The one celebrated at the Holy Sangam in Allahabad is the largest and holiest of them as the confluence of the holy rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.
After visiting the Kumbha Mela of 1895, Mark Twain wrote:
“ It is wonderful, the power of a faith like that, that can make multitudes upon multitudes of the old and weak and the young and frail enter without hesitation or complaint upon such incredible journeys and endure the resultant miseries without repining. It is done in love, or it is done in fear; I do not know which it is. No matter what the impulse is, the act born of it is beyond imagination, marvelous to our kind of people, the cold whites."
“ It is wonderful, the power of a faith like that, that can make multitudes upon multitudes of the old and weak and the young and frail enter without hesitation or complaint upon such incredible journeys and endure the resultant miseries without repining. It is done in love, or it is done in fear; I do not know which it is. No matter what the impulse is, the act born of it is beyond imagination, marvelous to our kind of people, the cold whites."
With my brother, 'Anurag' and uncle's son 'Bholu', we went to area named 'Keedganj' for some work while coming back I asked to take the short cut which goes near by the area where Kumbh Mela happens, is known as 'Pared Area' locally. During normal days you will find lots of local people playing cricket, learning driving.
Badwa Hanuman Temple, Allahabad |
Casually I said to Bholu that if I had bathed then we can go for Hanuman Temple, Which is very famous in Allahabad, also known as "Bade Badwa k Hanuman Jee". Bholu took a turn towards sangam and said come we will go towards the bank of Sangam. When we reached my old memories came back I said "It has been around 15 years since last time I took bath in holy Sangam." That too when my grand mother used to do "Kalpwas". Bholu looked me very strangly and said "no one is so sinner than me, You are from Allahabad and still didn't took bath in holiest Sangam, come we will go and have bath now". We didn't bring any towel or other spare cloths, how will bath, how we will change. He said no problem he will arrange. He went to one of the "Pandas", pandit used to sit on the bank for worship, bring one towel and said now go and have dip. It was really amazing. When came back Bholu said put your wet cloths in polythin bag, which also was arranged by him from somewhere when I was enjoying the dip. With old memories came back home. :)
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