Maha Kumbh Mela concludes

KUMBH NAGAR, FEB. 21. As the curtain goes down today on Maha Kumbh Mela 2001 - the largest human spiritual confluence so far - after the `Maha Shivratri' bath, the world will now be divided into two: those who have seen it and those who have not.

And arguably the `haves' are in a majority, with millions having experienced it directly or otherwise through images on television, Internet, newspapers and magazines the world over.

The 44-day spiritual carnival that formally started on January 9 on `Paush Poornima' culminates today, again only formally, as devotees would continue to take a dip at the `Sangam'.

Coming after 12 years with planetary positions that repeat only once in 114 years, the Maha Kumbh 2001 in Allahabad will go down in history as one of the most peaceful, most photographed and relatively incident-free spiritual gatherings on earth.

An estimated 30 lakh devotees took the holy dip on the first day in the chilling waters on `paush poornima' followed by Makar Sankranti five days later when 80 lakh people `cleansed' themselves.

After that their numbers only swelled with nearly two crore people converging at Kumbh on Mauni Amavasya on January 24, and one crore people on the Vasant Panchami day. Another big occasion was Maghi Poornima on February 8.

The `shahi snan' or royal bathing days of Makar Sankranti, Mauni Amavasya and Vasant Panchami stole the limelight, both in terms of numbers and the opulence and fanfare that accompanied them.

Equally explosive was the political significance of the event, as the largest human gathering became an occasion for the Hindutva forces to score a point. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad-sponsored dharam sansad declared the date for beginning the construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya, thereby earning Kumbh a mention in India's political history books as well.

This time with all the cameras of the world clicking, many a national leader ensured their presence at the Maha Kumbh.

Congress president, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, took a `symbolic dip' at the Sangam. Communists were around too, with CPI-ML holding a parallel sansad blasting those who `tried to make political mileage' of the maha mela.

Another presence the administrators successfully prevented were that of the potential saboteurs. Admittedly, there was a threat of terrorist attack, which thankfully did not mar the proceedings.

- PTI

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