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INDIA-RELIGION-FESTIVAL
Hundreds of thousands take holy dip in India
HARIDWAR, India, March 11, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Naked, dreadlocked holymen
were among hundred of thousands of jubilant Hindu pilgrims who thronged the
banks of India’s Ganges river on Thursday, ignoring any coronavirus threat,
for one of the nation’s most famous and colourful religious festivals.
Authorities in Haridwar expect 2.5 million people for the Maha Shivratri
festival, one of three auspicious bathing days over the next month as part of
a major gathering called the Kumbh Mela.
Before dawn men, women and children jostled for space along the several
miles of riverbank before a brief plunge in the fast-flowing water, singing
hymns and showering flowers into the Ganges.
The highlight later was set to be a jubilant procession by groups of
hundreds of Naga Sadhus — naked holy men with long dreadlocks, their bodies
smeared in ash — before their dip in the holy town in the Himalayan
foothills.
Because of the pandemic the government has curtailed the Kumbh Mela, a
mass event held regularly in different cities, and negative test certificates
are in theory compulsory.
Announcements on the public address system in Haridwar blared out
reminders to wear masks and maintain distancing as hundreds of volunteers
sprayed sanitiser on the pilgrims. But with coronavirus cases having fallen
sharply in recent months and many aspects of life back to normal in the
country of 1.3 billion people, in reality masks are few and far between.
“There is no fear of the pandemic and people are moving freely. India has
already defeated the disease and there’s nothing to worry about,” pilgrim
Nitesh Kumar, 31, told AFP.
“I have been waiting for this day for years but because of the pandemic I
thought it will be cancelled. But our belief is stronger than the pandemic,”
said Rishab, another pilgrim.
India has recorded more than 11 million coronavirus infections, the
world’s second highest toll, and almost 160,000 deaths.
On Thursday the country recorded almost 23,000 infections, down sharply
from a peak of almost 100,000 in September but more than double the rates
seen in January.
Cases are rising again in several regions, especially in the western state
of Maharashtra and its capital Mumbai where authorities have reimposed
restrictions.
Hindus believe bathing in the Ganges will cleanse their sins and bring
salvation.
According to Hindu mythology, gods and demons fought a war over a sacred
pitcher containing the nectar of immortality. Drops fell at four different
locations, which now alternate as hosts for the immense Kumbh Mela
gatherings.
Recognised as an example of intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in
2017, the last Kumbh Mela in Allahabad in 2019 attracted around 55 million
people over 48 days.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1129 hrs