Mahakumbh-2010 concludes peacefully

The biggest-ever Hindu congregation
The silken threadof Hindu oneness
By Ravindra Saini

Over six crore pilgrims from 140 countries took holy dip in the Ganga during the Kumbh

MAHAKUMBH-2010, the unique cultural, religious festival unfurled the flag of Indian philosophy in the whole world by giving the message of spiritualism, peace and unity. Despite the fact that about six crore devotees from more than 140 countries speaking 56 languages visited Haridwar and took a dip in the holy river Ganga, the Kumbh concluded peacefully. It was in fact an opportunity for Uttarakhand to showcase the rich and varied cultural heritage of India, and everyone felt the state successfully managed to do so.

All the 13 akharas participated in this Mahakumbh in the four shahi snans that took place; and one of the best things that was witnessed during this Mahakumbh was that numerous saints from all parts of Uttarakhand assembled at Haridwar along with thousands of devotees and took a holy dip in the Ganga.

It was for the first time in the history of the Kumbh that 80 per cent of the total works done during the Kumbh were of permanent nature, and only 20 per cent were of temporary nature. The Government of Uttarakhand had made elaborate arrangements for parking of about one lakh vehicles in an area of 300 hectare land at 45 places. Six permanent bridges and 5.35-km-long ghats were constructed for the Mahakumbh.

The security system was perfect and it had 25 companies of PAC, 20 companies of CRPF, 10 companies of RAF, 10 companies of ITBP, one company of BMP, and 50 police horse-riders were deployed during the Mahakumbh; and 32 sector police stations, 38 police posts, and 10 police lines were established for the smooth conduct of the Mahakumbh.

The Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ himself made many visits to the Kumbh area without informing the Mela authorities, in order to ensure that the security and other systems remained alert during the course of the Kumbh. Six permanent base hospitals, 20 temporary 10 bed hospitals, and 19 primary health centres were established, while 264 doctors and 50 ambulances were placed in the Kumbh area.

About 14,000 temporary toilets were constructed out of which 4,000 toilets were of semi permanent nature. Many new roads were constructed and maintenance of 170 km-long roads made the access to Kumbh area at Haridwar easy.

The Mahakumbh concluded after a span of three-and-half months with 15 lakh devotees taking a holy dip in river Ganga on the occasion of Vaishakh Adhimaas Purnima. More than six crore pilgrims, including around 3.5 crore on 11 major auspicious days, attended the Mela which started on January 14 in Haridwar. Barring the death of eight persons in a road accident followed by a stampede on the last shahi snan on April 14, when around 1.6 crore pilgrims thronged Haridwar in a single day, the event was peaceful.

More than 1,6000 personnel of state police, central paramilitary forces and 125 close circuit cameras (CCTVs) were used to monitor and regulate the movement of pilgrims. It was made mandatory for pilgrims including saints to carry their identity proof if they wanted to stay in Haridwar. And keeping in view the terror activities across the country, for the first time coconut and flower bowls used in “Ganga Puja” were banned on bathing ghats.

Lakhs of saints belonging to 13 akharas participated in this Kumbh. They took dips in river Ganga on four shahi snans on February 12 (Maha Shivratri), March 15 (Somvati Amavasya), March 30 (Chaitra Poornima) and April 14 (Mesh Sankranti).

As the security arrangements were tight and the vehicles of devotees were stopped at temporary parkings on the outskirts of Haridwar, the devotees were seen walking on foot ranging from 6 kilometres to 12 kilometres to take a dip at the bathing ghats of their choice. The parking arrangements made at a distance from bathing ghats helped in keeping the queues of devotees thin and manageable.

Chief Minister Dr ‘Nishank’ said the Mahakumbh deserved a Nobel Prize for being the world’s largest religious gathering. He noted that Kumbh Mela during the current year had attracted more than six crore pilgrims, which was the highest-ever number for a religious gathering anywhere in the world. The High Commissioner of Britain Sir Richard Stagg called on Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ at the Secretariat and congratulated him on the successful conduct of Kumbh Mela 2010 at Haridwar. Sir Stagg said that managing a crowd of millions of people in a small city like Haridwar during the Kumbh Mela was truly praiseworthy.

On the successful completion of the Kumbh all the ministers of Uttarakhand took a bath in the Ganga on April 30. This followed a meeting of the Council of Ministers on the banks of the river. At the meeting the ministers took a pledge to make the stretch of the Ganga from Gaumukh to Haridwar pollution free. They also passed a resolution that the Ganga, which is a national heritage, should be declared an international heritage and so they have decided to send a request to the union government to take up this matter at UNESCO.

Initially, the state would run the Gangotri Nirmal project and clean the Ganga from Gangotri to Uttarkashi by the end of 2010. The Cabinet has also decided to upgrade the Chardham Yatra route on the pattern of Kumbh Mela. A Save Ganga Authorities Board will also be constituted for the purpose.

Shri ‘Nishank’ said that in order to provide better facilities to common devotees and pilgrims, the Government of Uttarakhand had appealed to the VIPs from India and abroad not to visit Haridwar at the time of the major snans, so that the common pilgrims did not face any inconvenience. Despite this appeal, about six crore people took a dip in the Ganga in addition to many VIPs who visited there.