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Indian female Hindu devotees take a bath at Sangam
© AFP/File Manan Vatsyayana

Recently, millions of people from across the country and across the world - Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs… poured into India's northern Allahabad city to participate in the Ardh Kumbh Mela.

One of the largest human gatherings on the planet, the Ardh Kumbh Mela was just not a mega Hindu religious occasion, but also an opportunity to celebrate diversity, plurality and communal harmony...the essence of Indian culture.

Braving freezing temperatures, the devotees plunged into the icy waters of the River Ganges in their quest for nirvana or salvation.

Varanasi resident Shahabuddin amplified his views on the event with clarity. He said that he did not give primacy to religion, but to being an Indian and a human first.

Indian Hindu devotees take a holy bath at the Ardh Kumbh Mela
© AFP Manan Vatsyayana

"I want to send message to all my Muslim brethren that they must visit this festival and see for themselves how the event promotes religious harmony and brotherhood. They should take a bath at the Sangam with their Hindu brothers," said Shahabuddin Siddique

Pakistani couple Amina and Ali, whose ancestors hail from Allahabad, said they were visiting India for the first time to get to know their roots better.

"We came here two or three times during our childhood. We wanted our kids to visit the Ardh Kumbh Mela, where people from various religions gather to offer prayers according to their faiths. So, I brought my family here to show them how people of other faiths worship," said Ali.

Indian female Hindu devotees take a bath at Sangam during Ardh Kumbh Mela
© AFP/File Manan Vatsyana

Even David Koppo, a Catholic pastor from Adelaide in Australia, and his nephew were so taken in by their maiden exposure to Hindu spirituality at the festival, that he decided to convert and become a Hindu ascetic himself.

Koppo came to the Ardh Kumbh at the invitation of his long-time friend, Guru Mahamadaleshwar.

"This festival is something, which is greatly recognised by the whole world as the most deeply spiritual religious experience that gives love and energy to all humanity. This is a very profound thing and is recognised by people of all faiths throughout the world. It is a marvelous thing to be associated with it...and to immerse oneself in the holy waters of Ganga that truly gives spiritual life to not only India but the whole world," said Koppo

Bridging the religious divide and drawing in visitors from different faiths from India and abroad, the Ardh Kumbh festival takes place at the confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers.

In some ways, the special event serves as a coming alive of various religions, a symbol of communal harmony. (ANI)

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