So after "finding" myself in Rishkesh it was time to move further down the Ganges stream to Hardiwar. As I promised myself on that scary bus ride up to Rishikesh, I forked out the 750 ruppees (as opposed to the 10 rupee bus ride) to get my own driver to take me the 1 hour drive back down the hill from the rear of the ashram - rather than carrying that cursed backpack 4kms across rocks and the unstable Ganges bridge. The car was the "Ambassador" its like the Volvo of India I say - not because of the driving but more the fact that they are known as solid tanks that never die!
We took the back mountain road from Rishikesh to Hardiwar and it was really beautiful forest and fresh air - I now was transported to Switzerland :) The road follows the Ganges as it winds its way down to Hardiwar and the water continues with its strong current and crystal blue waters. We even passed a park reserve that is said to home several tigers - like a kid I had my head hanging out the window as we sped past and I was determined to spot a wild tiger - alas no Tigger!
Only our final descent down the last hill into Hardiwar I was taken back by the sight that greated me - thousands of tents just like a refugee city! As I mentioned in my previous blog, my timing was perfect for the major Kumbah Melah festival! After my last post quiet a few people asked me what this Kumbah Melah is all about as you had seen some mention on the news of the worlds largest gathering of Hindu pilgrims - sorry I haven't gotten back to you sooner but here's the low-down on Kumbah Melah 2010. So every 6 years there is what is called the "Ardh Kumbh Mela" - at the last one held in 2007 there was apparently 17 million pilgrims who rocked up for this - yes 17 MILLION Hindus!!! So every 9 or 10 years there is what is known as the "Maha Kumbah Mela" (great one) - the last was held in 2001 and attracted 60MILLION Hindu pilgrims - making it the largest gathering in the world according to Wikipeadia! So this is what I was walking into - :) My sister says she hates crowds so I guess she wont feel like she missed out on not attending this one hey?!
The deal is that is is held over a few months- this time it was Jan - April and by the time I reached Hardiwar 40 million people had already passed through! It works on auspicious bathing dates so they are the ones to avoid and I missed it by 3 days so the crowds were still pretty strong. Apparently its held at different locations according to the position of Jupiter and the Sun and is considered the most sacred of all pilgrimages for a Hindu to attend. The thing I was most scared of was the 000's of naked Sadhu's I had been warned to steer clear of - and I mean naked. I saw a few and they kindly bent over in front of me to take a dip in the ganges - thanks for the view!
I think I was really lucky as to me it felt like any other populated Indian city but with a few extra naked sadhu's running around. I stayed at the Hotel Jewel pretty much 2 blocks from the train station - I think they forgot my booking as he quickly went to make my room whilst I waited outside and I so loved the old soap from the previous guest in the shower, dirty floors and need I mention the toilet! Thankfully being a germophobe stuck in India I had my Pine O Cleen wipes - thanks mum - so I got to work and cleaned everything. Oh and I had to tie my sari up in the bathroom window because the staff would sit there for a smoke and could look right in and see me on the loo and in the shower - nice but that's India for $30 actually I think I was getting ripped! Best ever AC and jet powered fan though and of course a TV with all my favourite bollywood tunes - yeah!
After dumping my stuff I was famished and decided to brave the crowds and look for this Big Ben restaurant that I saw down the street and recalled Lonely Planet recommends. Yes I agree it was brilliant to sit in AC comfort in a a fishbowl and watch the world go by, but they too looked back at me and you could see them comment how many foreigners were all in the same location - time to go!
Just before sunset I took a cycle rickshaw down to the main ghat where the major Aarti ceremony was taking place that night. The city was in military lockdown everywhere as there were just too many people to control. My cycle rickshaw was only allowed to drop me around 2km from the ghat so I had to walk the rest of the way, but there were so many people I just followed the crowd. The second I stepped down to the ghat there was just so much to see - I really was like a kid in a candy store and was going "snap Jap haapy". My senses were peaking so I decided the best thing I could do was find a step on the ghat amongst some of the pilgrims and watch the people parade. Wow I could have sat there for days!!!! Where to look.... the amazing sunset, the pilgrims placing their offering of flowers and candle as it floats with the current down the ganges, the slum kids in the ganges who tie themselves to the railing so the current dosent pull them down stream whilst they hold a pane of glass and place this at the top of the water looking for valuable offerings that they can take back out of the Ganges!
Let me tell you about this crazy scene... a man walks down to the stairs of the ghat says a prayer and throws a roll of Indian Rupees that he has "cleverly" wrapped in a piece of leather and tied twine around the roll of cash - he finishes his prayer and throws it into the Ganges!! We are talking a poor country with this guy throwing cashin into the Ganges as an offering - its humbling but mind blowing at the same time, especially considering two minutes early two men said a prayer and threw in a 100 rupee note and those kids with the magnifiying glass.... he dives in and fetches it in front of the guy!!! As you might have guessed the Indian guy chased him and clipped him one across the head, cursed him, said a prayer and threw it back into the Ganges whilst glaring at the kid to make sure he didn't do it again!!!
As sunset was fast approaching I decided to stroll further up along the river to work out where the Aarti would be held - easy enough just look for the 000's of people already parking themselves for prime position. Security was getting everyone to pack up like sardines and sit rather than stand - all a little to claustrophobic at that moment for me so I kept strolling. All sorts of preparations were taking place kind of like the absolutions a Muslim does before prayer - that's what appeared was happening. Parents had their babies held down by relatives as a barber seated on a flattened cardboard box on the floor with this super sharp blade shaved the babies head - as you can imagine the babies are screaming their heads off. Men were also sitting cross-legged on flattened boxes getting haircuts, trimmed moustaches and faces shaved - these were not barber stalls my understanding is that it was all their "cleansing" ritual before taking the holy dip. The barbers and flower offering sellers were making a roaring trade! There were even children roaming the crowds selling plastic sheets to sit on, but wait these sheets are taken from the printing machines of food factories - I saw Maggi noodles, CC's - all those foil packets before they are made into packets and are still part of the sheets from press - cracked me up!
As more people appeared to be descending onto the ghat for the start of the Aarti, I decided it was time to scout for my spot and take rest, thing was I really didnt want to sit just incase there was a surge and I got trampled on or if I did start feeling claustrophobic, then I could make an easy exit. See that's the problem right there, the word easy! This is India, nothing is easy :)
(OK delicious sweets and curries are!) So I found my spot where it appeared those around me didnt want to sit either - perfect. Ten minutes later the "Aarti police" as I called them in their official blue uniforms and "donation" book came and screamed at us telling us to sit, so reluctantly we did.
So this Aarti police... I had read that if you want to give a donation you give it to them and they give you a receipt, rather than encouraging begging etc. Except if the charity collectors in Australia adopted the Aarti polices collection methods, I think charities would be rich, rich, rich! Let me set the scene... so they get you to sit so no-one can move, you are trapped and thoughts of using the toilet is not an option, then they have you so they start pacing back and forth like an army general barking orders that as a pilgrim you should be making a donation, what kind of Hindu dosent support the organisation that pulls this together and allows this event to take place, 5 rupees - you cant afford 5 rupees?! This abuse seriously went on for an hour and it was happening throughout the crowds - there were several of these guys tag-teaming so just as you sighed releif that the headache was leaving the next guy came over and started and if you caved and gave money you were a national hero. My head killed and based on principle of how they were doing this I made sure I made no eye contact and refused the "donation under interrogation" (im so making a heap of t-shirts with all these sayings!)
Aside from my migraine, I became aware of a Indian man just behind me on my left who couldn't seem to stop staring at me and every little photo I took - more on him later though.
So the Aarti was finally starting and it was like they had just opened a new slide at Wet n Wild on the Gold Coast! People go into the Ganges for dip - men in their undies, women in their saaris and Sadhus some naked but most in their Sumo style g-string! The bells started ringing and two men holding a brass burner with huge flames blessed the crowds - the heat from the flames so bad there was a nominated guy there with a bucket of water to keep pouring onto the burner holders hands and face so I'm assuming he felt less pain! Some families took their children or elderly to the priests for blessings and then it was all over just like that! Being non-Hindu, I definately enjoyed the spectacle in the lead up to the Aarti more.
So back to my friend behind me, peering over my should- ok so he wanted to look at my photos or was he eyeing off my camera? So as the crowds got up and I took the emergency brace position from any wondering hands that see a foreign girl and like to grope - luckily I managed my second crowd incident free (Jaipur was obviously my friends faults for being blonde and blue eyed! ;) So as I start to move with the crowd this guy and his friend start following me, I know because I did the mandatory Hollywood weave and chase technique - around the corner and they were right behind me again. So usually all you have to do is turn, look them in the eye so they know they have been spotted and being embarressed they leave you alone - not the case with stupid and his friend. Second time I raised my voice so everyone around would hear and see - they back off a little but catch up later. This went on for 10-15 min and my patience was out so I stormed up to a policeman who was standing next to the military guys, grabbed his stick, turned raised it and my cursing voice to the two stupids behind me and boy you should have seen their faces! Actually mine would have been interesting too because I didn't even know what I was doing until it was too late - the police and solider jumped at me then saw the two guys I was aiming at and they took over my cursing for me. I apologised profously to the police man and gave him back his stick - they couldn't stop laughing at the crazy foreign woman that just lost it. Needless to say I didnt see those guys for the rest of the night. After that I strolled around the bazaar, ate some dhal and rice at an over-priced AC franchise that looked like an Indian version of McDonalds. I headed back down here the next day in the daylight to take some last pictures and send off a little prayer of my own down the ganges. So when the publish the final headcount of Kumbah Mehla 2010 you can include me :)
Next blog Hardiwar to Dehli on the toot toot.....
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