INDIA: UJJAIN & KUMBH MELA

I've arrved in Ujjain, city of the Indian state of Madhya Pardesh. This is one of four cities where it is believed that Vishnu spelt the drink of immortality in the river which is now believed to be sacred. Of course, Vishnu took care of choosing the right size city, too, because it needs to fit around ten million people who will take a bath into the river and wash their sins. 

Even if I didn't have an attention of taking a bath on Kumbh Mela festival I wouldn't mind about some receipe for the eternal youth that Vishnu might have saved for me. 

I have enough time to get familiar with the area and to find the most important spots I can watch bathing, avoiding the crowed at the same time. Everything has already been set as I've thought: festival decoration, calls from the temples, sparkles in the river and the lights over the temples. Real festival atmospere. 

Bathing starts early, before the dawn and lasts all day long. This is the first bathing and there will be two more on different days. What is interesting about this festival is that it happens once in twelwe years in each place: Haridwar, the biggest one on the Ganges River, Allahabad, Nashik and Ujjain. The time of the festival has been set according positions of the Jupiter, the Sun and the Moon in Zodiac. I don't know where the Jupiter is at the moment but the Sun and the Moon are meeting each other, indeed, on the same horizontal line and that is something I witness once in 34 years. 

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My pilgrimage to the river Kshipra is the earliest I can get myself together, few hours after midnight... While I'm approaching to the River, the police is struggling to hold an order. I am not the only one in a rush to see Naga babas or Hindu monks having their bodies rubbed in the ash, walking without any clothes or just one part of the body coverd with a piece of material. They are here because their spiritual leader - guru says that they spent enough time being isolated and having certain restrains from material life. How much time they had spent alone is visible on the length of hair which can sometimes go all the way to the ground. In case I wanted to become a monk, I could have spent the rest of my life in isolation until my hair grows. Plus, I wouldn't give up on some things, like chocolate for example, whatever spiritual award is. In order to reach nirvana, they consume usualy marihuana. They usually sit at the front of the tents where they give the blessing to people saying holy words and touching the forehead with the fedder stick. One of naga babas calls me to come under the tent but I just stay watching because I don't think that instant procedure is enough for my spiritual turnover.

Ritual washing is the most important part of the festival: three times dipping in the river then thoroughly washing the parts of the body. What I can notice here is that older people don't mind at all about taking a bath totally naked. Maybe, once you get into certain age there's nothing more to be ashamed of, or, they desperately need Vishnu's the drink that the River contains. If they miss this chance to take a bath, it might not be another one.

In the afternoon, gurus and monks are going through the city saluting the people. I get stuck in a crowed almost left without possibility to breath, so one polite local invites me in his apartment to watch the parade from his balcony and hosted me with a cup of worm and sweet milk. It is more interesting to watch the festival from the balcony because I can see all old gurus with the grey long beard what makes them look like they really know all the answers (guru is someone who "clears the darkness" by knowledge). According to the sign on the forehead is possible to recognize to which familie they belong to (yellow horizontal lines are Shiva familly and two vertical white lines with red line in the middle are Vishnu familly). Even if, in general, this is a peaceful festival, followers are carring swards. That is a symbol of fighting for their religion. I heard that some families were fighting over the advantage of taking a bath. Sometimes naga babas can be agressive if the cameras interrupt their sessions.

In the time of festival is hard to get into the town because the traffic is more extensive than usaually, specially In India where wehicles are not the only objects on the roads. Cows as the holly creaturs have an advantage on the road, and then cars, tuck-tucks and motorbikes usually seen driving it the opossite direction, goats and occasionaly an elephants ordering the rules of trafficking. I need to pay the constant attention not to get overrun by any of the above. Horning is a part of an Indian tradition and even if the niose is unbearable, it is really neceesery. I think this festival's atmosphere is always going on every day no metter if it is a festival or not. For Indians transportation is not a problem, they just put whole familly on the motorbike in case they don't want to walk barefoot as they often do. 

I get form the festival what I was expected but there was one thing I'm not prepared for. It is my popularity among local people. They stop me on every corner to take a picture with me. I feel like some huge celebrity thinking sometimes to disguise myself in order to avoid publicity. I need more time to get somewhere because of selfies. Locals just love to take a selfie with a strangers and they don't mind if somebody's taking a picture of them. One of them wants to take a picture of his baby with me and puts the baby in my arms before I'm able to react. They obviously trust to everyone and they are not aware of danger. Once, I accidentaly crossed on the side where I wasn't supposed to be and policeman punished me with taking a selfi with each of them. Sometimes the whole group geather around me because of the selfie and a pictures. I had thought maybe I would get tired of merchants trying to sell me something but not for taking pictures of me. It is really tiring and now I understand what it feels like to be a celebrity. I wish I were so popular as a blogger!!!