Evolution of Khumbh Mela
Kumbh Mela reveals a side of Hinduism that is often not talked about. It is not about temples, gods, devotion, songs, or saints. It is primarily a ritual, dominated by boisterous masculine energy embodied in naked ascetics (digambara). These ascetics are covered with ash (bhabhut), with matted hair (jata), and hold staffs (dandi). They belong to various gymnasiums (akhara). They evoke the followers (gana) of the wild form of Shiva (Bhairava). It's a ritual gathering, not about meditation or contemplation. It is about taking a dip in a particular spot in the river at the right time, after it's consecrated by bathing ascetics. The roots can be argued to be Tantrik, involving the body (tanu, in Sanskrit). Such rituals happen in many parts of India, where the ash-smeared ascetics congregate. These ascetics likely originated in the east, in the Terai region, and challenged the Vedic order from the western Punjab region, possibly around 1000 BC. They clashed at Gangadwar, now called ...