Something in me said that it was a call of the Ganga which I should heed. Moreover with the friend having made all necessary arrangements in advance, I jumped at the opportunity without a second thought.

The Maha Kumbh dates back to the creation of the universe when the devas and the asuras churned the ocean to retrieve the pot (kumbh) of nectar, using a giant serpent as a rope.

Later when Dhanwantri, the divine healer, appeared with the kumbh in his hands a great fight broke out between the devas and the asuras. During the fierce battle fought for the possession of the immortal nectar, a few drops spilled at four different places - Priyag (Allahabad), Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik.

Ever since, when the stars and the planets are in that auspicious position, it is believed that the holy waters of the rivers in these locations turn to nectar. This happens once very 12 years, three years in rotation between the four regions.

This year the festival, at Haridwar, culminated with the Maha Kumbh on April 14 tapering off to the last bath on May 14.

The holy city at the foot of the mighty Himalayas through which the holy Ganga flows was bustling with activity. Sonic waves from the loud speakers filled up the vast expanse of the region with bhajans, kirtans and other devotional songs. At times the singers, though devotees, no doubt whose untrained voices were a bit too harsh on the ears, made me wonder as to where were all the big and small artists of classical music? Even the Gods would enjoy some good devotional music, sung well with raag, taal and bhaav. Huge processions of mainly mandaleshwars and mahants, the heads of various matts, was led through crowds of milling pilgrims. They greeted their counterparts who were standing at the gates of their ashrams with their disciples with great reverence.

Some 300 years ago, it was felt that the learned monks were not strong enough to defend themselves whenever there was some physical onslaught from outsiders. Thus, a different order within this framework was created known as naga sadhus who were trained in martial arts and could turn militant when required. These sadhus, who normally lead a secluded life in remote places away from normal civilisation, make their grand appearance during every Kumbh mela. In the morning of Amavasya all the akhaadas and ashrams were asked to take positions in their allotted order which was earlier discussed and agreed upon between the heads.

We were amongst the group of devotees belonging to Ma Anand Mayee Ma's Ashram. Since Ma was held in high esteem by all the mahants, our cart was amongst the first few. The five-km journey along with the path upto the Brahma Kund was smooth. The naga sadhus obviously were the main centre of attraction. They enjoyed the public attention given to them and were carrying swords, spears and trishul on the shoulders.

They are the first to take the holy bath at the Kumbh. They take their own time and demand that nobody else be allowed before them. It was surprising to see that even the Shankaracharyas' turn was after them. After the bath they smeared themselves with ash all over the body. For the millions of pilgrims who wait patiently to wash away their sins by taking the holy dip at Brahma kund the very sight of the sadhus, sanyasis and holy men is inspiring. The dip in the holy Ganga transported us to a state of heightened devotion.

As we were leaving the holy city, the sight of millions of pilgrims and the immortal Ganga reassured us that the Ganga will flow on forever and all will be well with the world.