A Kumbh of inclusion

The recently held Ujjain Kumbh mela brought together faith and inclusivity as dalits and marginalised women took holy dips and were greeted with warmth.

The Ujjain Kumbh mela, one of the four fairs traditionally recognised as Kumbh mela in India, is a mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith in which devotees gather to bathe in a sacred river. It is the world’s largest religious gathering.

The kumbh (pot) is the symbol of the holy bath of faith, as Hindus believe that a dip in the holy water of Ganga cleanses them of all their sins and paves the way to salvation. According to Hindu mythology, Vishnu dropped drops of amrita (the drink of immortality) at four places while transporting it in a kumbh (pot). These four places, including Ujjain, are the present day sites of Kumbh melas.

This year, on the occasion, women from Alwar and Tonk districts of Rajasthan belonging to a caste whose members performed manual scavenging in the past, took a holy bath at the famous Ramghat. The dalits who were earlier known as ‘untouchable scavengers’ and widows from Vrindavan also took a holy bath at the sacred ghat of Kshipra. Dalits are not generally allowed to perform most Hindu rituals, including the Kumbh dip, but this year, when the group emerged from their holy bath, priests belonging to the highest Hindu caste welcomed them to mainstream society by blowing conches, chanting hymns, smearing holy ash on their forehead and declaring that they were no longer ‘untouchable’.

“It’s the biggest sign yet, of changing attitudes towards India’s outdated caste system,” remarked Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of the Sulabh Sanitation movement. “This Kumbh ceremony should be viewed as a bold and successful step towards the egalitarian inclusion of the downtrodden in the religio-social world of the Hindus,” he added, pointing out the historical importance of the high caste Brahmins supporting the women in particular.