Maha Kumbh 2010, Haridwar, India

Kumbha (Kumbha means pot) Mela (means fair) is a sacred Hindu pilgrimage that takes place at the following four locations of India at every 12 years:

• Prayag, Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh) at the confluence of three holy rivers - Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati

• Haridwar (Uttarakhand) where the river Ganga enters the plains from Himalayas

• Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), on the banks of shipra river, and

• Nasik (Maharashtra) on the banks of Godavari river.
  

The pilgrimage occurs four times every twelve years, once at each of the four locations. Each twelve-year cycle includes the Maha (great) Kumbha Mela at Prayag, attended by millions of people, making it the largest pilgrimage gathering around the world.
I just returned from Haridwar Maha Kumbh. Nice amazing experience to see lots of Sadhus at one place. Various Akharas have setup their Ashrams at Haridwar Mela site. It looks like a whole new city where you will see only sadhus everywhere.

One Akhara in itself is a small city there comprising lots and lots of Ashramas under one Akhara. It is spread in many kilometers here at Haridwar across Ganga.

All Ashramas are well decorated, each Ashram is having some kind of religious function organised and have arranged "Langar" (Lunch) for sadhus or daily basis. We hear different sounds of religious chanting coming from each Ashram.

Akhara (also akhada, literally "wrestling arena" is amorganization of the different sects of Sadhus or Hindu ascetics, history dates back to the 8th century AD when Adi Shankaracharya established seven Akharas, Mahanirvani, Niranjani, Juna, Atal, Avahan, Agni and Anand Akhara.
Kumbh Mela is the largest gathering of gurus, sadhus and holy men. They come from their ashrams, monasteries, caves and veritable palaces of marble, gold and glass. They come from India’s vast rural backyard, cities, clearings in dense forests and remote ice- bound heights of the Himalayas.
Some come humbly with the meagre belongings of a holy man - the water pot, the fire tongs, a shoulder bag and a blanket. Some come with their retinue of disciples following the guru like a medieval army, armed with tridents, chains, spears and muskets.

Then, there are the heads of large monastic orders that arrive to the fanfare of brass bands, and some, well-heeled international gurus come in limousines.

There are hundreds of sects and sub sects of Sadhus in the Hindu world. They can broadly be divided in two groups, the Vaishnavas, who are followers of Vishnu and the Shaiva, who are followers of Shiva.

The most ferocious and exotic of the sadhus who come to the Mahakumbh Mela are the Nagas (the Naked Ones), the militant wing of the sect, the defenders of the faith. Seated by their ritual fires, covered in ash, matted hair flowing to the ground they accept obeisance and charity of the millions of pilgrims that flock to the festival.

We took holy dip at "Har ki Podi" in early morning and straight away went to Kumbh Mela sites just a few km from "Har ki Podi". It was a wonderful experience, and recommend everyone who can visit there to try and make it for even one day.
But one day is too short to explore whole Mela. :-) (will try to re-visit shortly)