Mahakumbh stampede: Akhadas display restraint, allow pilgrims to bathe first
Sadhus of 13 Akhadas, including Naga ascetics, showed restraint post-stampede at Sangam, postponing rituals for pilgrims before bathing later.
Sadhus of the 13 recognised Akhadas, including the revered Naga ascetics, known to anger quickly and even turn violent at the smallest of slights, showed extraordinary restraint following the stampede at Sangam Nose on Wednesday morning.
Sadhus of these monastic orders voluntarily postponed their bathing ritual, leaving the Sangam ghats for common pilgrims.
According to tradition, it’s the sadhus that bathe first and only after they leave, do common pilgrims get a chance to take a dip at Sangam ghats even as other ghats remain open for all.
Shri Panchayati Akhada Mahanirvani and Shri Shambu Panchayati Atal Akhada were to bathe first as per set schedule. Unaware of the incident, they even covered part of the distance from their camps in sector 20 of the tent city and reached Ram Ghat after crossing the pontoon bridge of the route while heading towards Sangam Nose in a procession. Here they stopped and then patiently turned back on being informed about the incident that took place around 2am and requests from the Mela administration.
Later, only when the rush of pilgrims receded at the ghats, they took the dip, albeit sans the pomp and show usually associated with the procession and the ritual, and almost 10 hours after their scheduled bathing time.
In doing so, they ensured continuing of the centuries’ old legacy of bathing their Akhada deities and then themselves at Sangam on Amrit Snans during Kumbhs and Mahakumbhs.
Senior sadhus and office-bearers of Akhadas as well as the Akhil Bhartiya Akhada Parishad, the top decision-making body of the 13 ancient Hindu monastic orders, immediately swung into action.
Mahant Hari Giri, the general secretary of the Akhada Parishad, went on foot with a hailer in hand informing all ‘Gurumurtis’ (senior sadhus) sitting on vehicle-turned-chariots that they should immediately return to their respective Akhada camps and Yagyashalas.
After that Akhada Parishad president Ravindra Puri announced the postponement of Amrit Snan in view of public interest. However, later chief minister Yogi Adityanath himself spoke to the sadhus of the Akhadas from Lucknow and after which they agreed to take the dip in a simple manner, but only after the rush of pilgrims receded at Sangam ghats. All the Akhadas then formally agreed to this.
Many sadhus including head of Juna Akhada, the largest of all monastic orders in terms of the numbers, Swami Avdheshanand Giri along with Yog Guru Baba Ramdev, MP Hema Malini and other sadhus took dip in Ganga closer to their camp.
At around 2pm, the Akhadas once again headed towards Sangam from their camps in an orderly manner, but the enthusiasm of the Naga sanyasis usually seen during the procession and the huge numbers remained missing.
Except for one or two chariots of their prominent sadhus, all the remaining Maha Mandaleshwars, Shri Mahants and Mahants reached Sangam for bathing on foot. But keeping with their tradition, the curtailed processions moved ahead with religious flags, their deities on palanquin and spears adorned with flowers symbolising the respective deity. Some sadhus walked demonstrating their prowess of martial arts and use of traditional weapons like swords and tridents.