Come and take a holy dip

Pure Water For Everyone

For many religions, water is an essential and sacred part of many ceremonies.  Kumbh Mela is one such example.  It is a mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith.  It is held every third year at one of four places: Haridwar, Allahabad, Nasik and Ujjain.  The main event of the festival is ritual bathing at the banks of the river in the specific town.  It is the largest congregation of people in the world.  110 million people will make the trip.  The current Kumbh Mela began on Jan. 14.  Kumbh Mela relates to the pot of nectar in Hindu mythology, and the fight over it between gods and demons.

Such a large gathering needs water…pure water.  In the article, “Environmental activists get machines to offer Kumbh pilgrims pure water,” News Track India reports, “Activists of a local organisation [sic] have brought water purifiers to provide pure drinking water to ascetics and pilgrims attending the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela here.” For a mass pilgrimage of faith, it does make sense to have pure drinking water, especially a pilgrimage that involves purifying one’s self by bathing in a river.

The pure water machines are available in various capacities.  According to Hindu spiritual leader Swami Chidanand Saraswati, “The DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation), the FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) and the Ganga Action Parivar have taken this initiative, so that we can provide pure water at the banks of the Sangam (confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers) through the use of this machine.”

Having pure water readily available is common sense.  When you have such a large gathering of people, there are bound to be cases of dehydration.  The pure water is an effective preventative measure.  Not only that, but pure water contains no harmful chemicals and contaminates.  Simply put, pure water will make you feel better.  It will make the holy festival a better all-around experience.

Imagine all those people drinking pure water!  That is quite the vending job…

Slowly but surely, we are becoming a pure water world.

For more information on pure water and Kumbh Mela, you can go here.

 

By: Edward Gale