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Share your unforgettable experience of visiting the Maha Kumbh with us at getahead@rediff.co.in (Subject: Maha Kumbh).
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Singapore-based Smitha and Raghavendra Ramachandra made a spontaneous decision to attend the Maha Kumbh. They did not expect what followed.
Soon after the Maha Kumbh began on January 13, my wife and I started talking about going there; we were probably influenced by our own desire to attend and the hype on social media.
Over the next few days, we started deciding which places we wanted to visit; we had a few days in hand since Singapore was having the Chinese New year holiday during the week beginning January 27.
Our original plan was to visit Ayodhya, Prayagaraj and Varanasi; we later added Gaya to our list.
We wanted to fly to Uttar Pradesh via Delhi or Kolkata but were finding it difficult to reach Ayodhya from these metros. Also, we were quite sure we wanted to avoid visiting Prayagraj during Mauni Amavasya.
Finally, on January 25, we left for Ayodhya from our home town, Bengaluru.
It was our first trip to UP and my wife Smitha and I were thrilled to be part of this huge gathering.
We reached Ayodhya in the afternoon and -- braving the huge crowd and dust due to the ongoing construction -- managed the darshan of Lord Ram in the huge temple complex just after one year after the grand opening ceremony. It was an unforgettable moment.
The next morning, we headed for Prayagraj; the drive of around 145 km took us close to 4.5 hours.
As we approached Prayagraj, the traffic slowed because of construction and route deviations.
When we finally entered the city, it was past 2 pm; you can imagine how hungry we were.
We had no plans to stay overnight in Prayagraj; our main purpose there was to take the all-important dip at the holy Sangam.
Our driver -- who was from Varanasi -- was new to both the city and the profession. Google, thankfully, came to our rescue.
We had a sumptuous meal at the Civil Lines' Bikanarvala before proceeding towards the Sangam.
Without knowing which ghat to approach, we drove as near as possible towards the Ganga ghat near the Sangam and then walked the rest of the way.
We hired a local guide to help us reach a ghat from where we planned to take a boat to the Triveni Sangam.
To our dismay, the boat rides were cancelled in many ghats leaving even the locals surprised. Later, we came to know this precautionary decision was taken in anticipation of the Amrit Snan on January 29.
Around 5 pm, we reached a place called the VIP ghat. Boats were available there but only for senior government servants and their families; no one was willing to take us.
We were frustrated and wondered if, after coming all the way from Singapore, we would not able to take the holy dip.
Smitha was very upset and nearly in tears.
Suddenly, a boatman approached us. He said he had been watching us for over half an hour and would take us to the Sangam but we had to tell anyone who approached us that we were Swasthya Nigam karyakaris.
That's how we rode on a boat meant 16 people all by ourselves, enjoying the Yamuna's waves, the serenity of the Ganga, the colourful ghats, the seagulls and a beautiful sunset.
We took dip in the Sangam, the confluence of the three holy rivers.
Destiny had brought to the momentous time in our lives.
Jai Sri Ram! Har Har Mahadev!
Did you visit the Maha Kumbh Mela this year?
Share your unforgettable experience with us.
Tell us about the most memorable moments of your journey: The spiritual experience, the sights, the sounds, the encounters with fellow pilgrims from all walks of life and the food.
Don't forget to include your photos and videos.
Please do mention your NAME and WHERE YOU ARE FROM. Write to us at getahead@rediff.co.in (SUBJECT: Maha Kumbh)
