Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Drops of Amrita
in
Kumbha Mela
By
Mora Abilahoud Singh
2
Published by:
Shri Vidya Trust, Rishikesh
Table of Contents
KUMBHA MELA: GATHERING IN A VESSEL ... 5
What is Kumbha Mela? .................................. 13
Introduction ................................................... 17
Journey to Haridwar ....................................... 20
Visit to Kumbha Mela Camps in Haridwar ...... 31
Kalyani Devi ................................................... 35
The Jhuna Akhara .......................................... 45
Swami Karnapuri ........................................... 47
Haridwar, April 12, 1998 ................................ 57
Braj Wali Mataji.............................................. 60
Rishikesh, April 13, 1998 ............................... 64
Swami Naradananda ...................................... 66
Rishikesh April14, 1998 ................................. 73
Dr. Devaki Kutty............................................. 75
Penny Mataji .................................................. 83
Swami X ......................................................... 96
Rishikesh April 15, 1998 ................................ 100
Mata Pardeshwari ........................................... 105
Saint Subhadra Mata ..................................... 108
Shivaratri, 21 February 2001.......................... 111
Glossary ......................................................... 121
4
KUMBHA MELA:
GATHERING IN A VESSEL
Kumbha is a water vessel of a particularly
rounded shape very commonly seen in India. A
potter is called a kumbha-kara, maker of kumbhas.
The people of the kumbhakara crafts-guild (caste
group, if you prefer) trace their ancestry to prajapati,
the Progenitor who has shaped all the round clay
vessels like the earth. Another word for kumbha is
ghata which refers both to the clay vessel and to the
vessel called the body. A clay pot, a kumbha or a
ghata has space inside and space outside. So it is
with the cosmic round objects, and also with the
human body.
Just as the body is seventy per cent water, so
the common household object called the kumbha is
most often used for fetching water from the village
well or a stream, and for storing the same water.
The kumbhas are not only made of clay; they may be
brass, copper or bronze. The largest silver objects in
the world are two huge kumbhas in the Jaipur
palace which were used to bring the holy water from
Ganga for drinking as some devout kings would
drink no other water.
The kumbhas can be of many sizes; the
smaller hand carried ones are called kalasha but
they serve the same purpose.
What purpose is it? Fetching and storing
water? No, the purpose is fullness. Kumbha or
6
Introduction
Journey to Haridwar
Kalyani Devi
Swami Karnapuri
Swami Naradananda
Penny Mataji
Swami X
Mata Pardeshwari
Glossary