Kumbh Mela "2001"

At the moment of pre-dawn divinity,a multitude of bare bodies give themselves to the mother river , only to emerge purified. The knowing Ganga, partially barricaded to control the frenzy of faith, receives the sins, and ensures salvation for the submerged souls. The sadhu, the saint, the sinner, the sinned, the voyeur, the karma junkie, the new age yogi... all of them had come together to turn then spiritual into a Maha spectacle of the millennium. Or, the Maha Kumbh Mela. It was the biggest show on earth, conceived by Hinduism's antique memory, co-scripted by mythology, history & tradition, enacted by the keepers of wisdom and seekers of Moksha. It's the costume drama of nirvana and the passion play of the East. The naked dance of asceticism and Hara-Hara delirium of the hippie. The raw picaresque of pure faith rolled into one oversized panorama of India on its divine diversity-- divine even in the digital age.

Naga Sadhus : The glamour boys of the Mahakumbh The Nagas, the naked ascetics smeared in ash are the most photogenic-- and tribally erotic in the Shiva sense--mystics at the mela. There arrival is a rhythmic, masculine performance. It's a horse back ride or a barefoot march. Nudes are as big a draw in India as they are anywhere else in the world. Among other things, the just finished Mahakumbh at Allahabad was also the largest gathering of nudes in the world, if Guinness book would care to confirm. The reverence of the masses, and the curiosity of spectacle seekers, for the nude gentlemen was touching. Devouts hurry to a side to make way for them and reverentially collect the dust trodden upon by the birthday-suited glamour boys of the Mahakumbh-the Naga Sadhus. The fascination for the naked Naga sadhus- unpredictable and truculent even in the best of their moods-survives some sordid history. Jawaharlal Nehru's presence at the Prayag Kumbh in 1953 had caused more than a flutter. In the crush of pilgrims eager to catch a glimpse of Nehru, some were hurled across the barricades on to the path reserved for the sadhus. This was followed by a stampede, in which a large number of people were killed.

At the Hardwar Kumbh in 1998, competing groups of Nagas from the Juna and Niranjani askharas (monastic orders) scrapped over who takes the first dip in the river. The Nagas have the privilege of having the first bath of the Kumbh, but a war of precedence broke out between different orders (The Nagas belong to one of the three akharaas - Mahanirvani, Niranjani and Juna). Pitched battles were fought, involving use of ceremonial swords, spears and tridents. Intervening cops were thrown into the Ganges, and ashrams were burnt down in the fracas.

The beginning :

Yet, there remains a gloss of divinity about these armed ascetics, who fancy themselves as the defenders of the faith. These Kumbh pinups are a must-see. So, the Nagas arose as warriors of the faith. "We are the (Adi) Shankaracharya's sanyasi fauj (army of mendicants) for the Protection of the sanatan dharma," says Naga Baba Gopalgiri of the Juna Akhara. Detractors claim that they were hoods for hire till as late as the 18th century. Whatever their origin, they are there. And counting. Clearly, they have a following which keeps them supplied with recruits to continue the tradition. The nagas are a little secretive about this aspect of their life. All they will say is that the initiation is a simple ceremony consisting of a holy dip and a string of vows of celibacy and commitment to defending the scriptures with arms if and when needed. The nakedness, they claim, is a symbol of renunciation and transcendence over the elements. They are detached from life, although not necessarily devoid of its pleasures. Their haunt is thick with the air of hashish and logs burning in the dhoona, which they never extinguish (the ash is smeared over their bodies). Their spiritual message is "anand, mauj, masti (bliss and fun)", and they're courted by nirvana-seekers from the other side of the socio-cultural spectrum, anxious to share a drag from the chillum (clay pipe), and much more. Shanti, an Austrian teenager, has already availed of Naga help in acquiring matted hair locks. "Maybe I'll learn more about Hinduism," she wishes. But why do sadhus need a drag? "We're in sanyas (state of renunciation), but then we live in this world," retorts 35-year-old Frenchman, rechristened Omkarpuri by his Juna gang. Others promptly invoke the Shaivite lineage of the Nagas. While the nakedness depicts the primal condition, non-attachment and transcendence, the ash-suit is a symbol of Shiva as the God of death and regeneration.

Where do they go?

Many believe, and some naga sadhus confirm, that after the Kumbh they put on something or the other and slip away to wherever they came from-usually to their akharas by the Ganges in Hardwar or elsewhere - to reappear next Kumbh [at Nassik in 2004, during month of May]  or Ardh Kumbh (Half Kumbh) [at Hardwar in 2004, during Feburary/ March/ April]. Some, it's said, retire to their caves for meditation. And others go back to practicing their little antics for the Gathering in 3 years. Such as the diminutive Lal Baba. He holds a regular show in lifting a 90kg weight with his penis. He terms it "lingasana" , or the yogic exercise of the organ. In fact, he advertises himself as 'Lingasana Baba'. Naga Shyampuri, who does a similar trick, claims that the aim is "not to elongate the penis but to desensitize it and destroy its erectile capacity." Others say it is to show the world that with yoga, even the delicate muscle's pain can be overcome. Bizarre is the buzzword, and some stretch it to limits through acts of extreme punishment to bodies or abstinence. Like the Urdhwavahu, who had positioned himself at the entrance of the Juna Akhara. This emaciated Baba had his right arm permanently raised in a gravity-defying act, reportedly for the last 27 years. He is attended to by awe-struck foreign devotees. The Shirshasins never lie down, and even sleep in a reclining position, always standing, at the most, resting while leaning by the swing. The parivajakas are under a vow of perpetual silence. They love the attention, and for them, the Mahakumbh is a party before they pack off to the quietitude of the jungles again. For every truculent Naga who shooes away journalists, there are 10 others who unabashedly court them. They are most demonstrative while proceeding for the shahi snan (royal bath) in procession, to the accompaniment of bedraggled brass bands. Playing to the gallery, they rip off their garlands and throw them into the gawking crowds. Never-ending row of nudes are a surreal spectacle as they jump, yelp, hurtle and charge for their dip of salvation, while cheering crowds chant 'Har Har Mahadev'.