TRIMBAKESHWAR SIMASTHA KUMBH MELA, NASHIK 2015 - PART 1

Photo Travelogue :
Read first part - Here!

Lost in Meditation,or its Business as usual;
traversing miles in Devotion,or waiting hours 4 Darshan
dats #kumbhmela pic.twitter.com/FOGZ07wzej

— ? ? NandiniDéka ? ? (@NandiniDeka) August 27, 2015

People, people everywhere....But, not really the ocean I was expecting - maybe a sea! Lot less infact. Maybe, they were still to come or had left already. I certainly didn't get pushed around, crushed, stampeded, or even lost anywhere. It was organised quite neat too, no chaos! There were counters where you could leave your shoes against a coupon. In awe, I went into the Mela...


Welcome to Trimakeshwar Kumbh Mela...


there were lots of food stalls, so as usual, pet-puja first...


a sadhu welcoming me to some camp...


colours of the Kumbh...walking the actual grounds with other pilgrims...


sadhus in all shapes, sizes and ages...


procession of saffron clad sadhus, arriving in...ahem ~ tractors!


their followers followed in droves, carrying flags and err umbrellas...


police personnels deployed, but no frisking or metal detectors...


people taking holy dips at the kushavarta kund before taking holy darshan...
oh, and that's my feet enjoying the cool waters, by the way...
Kusavarta, a kunda ( sacred pond ) in the temple premises is the source of the Godavari River, the longest river in peninsular India. ( wiki )


long lines of devotees waiting for their turn to enter the temple...


there are different entrances in the temple...east, west, south, and north!


not sure what these are...but there were offerings inside the chambers...


roodraksh & meditation beads/ malas, conches and souvenirs for sale...

Un-intentionally though, I ended up looking like a sadhu myself with the OM tilak of chandan/ haldi smeared on my forehead. Oh well, I didn't mind at all..it was rather amusing because the little boy who put it on my forehead proved to be my guide around the premises, taking me to the 'secret' spot where there was no crowd at all, from where I could get a better glimpse of inside the temple, which otherwise, was simply impossible because of the crowds and the security. I didn't join the other people in long queues, as my intention was not really a darshan of the diety; I was okay just having darshan of the insides of the main premises just so I could click pics, lol. I loved my time there, simply looking around. Even though, its called a mela, I didn't see those amusement rides anywhere or recreation of any sort. It was Mela simply because of the large gathering of people. There were veg restaurants near the temple, where I had my lunch of a thali; before loitering about a little more, and then finally, heading back. During the kumbh, and also it being a pilgrim site, the transport facility is good and you get frequent buses to and fro Nashik, and other places.


lunch at the Kumbh Mela ~ veg thali :-)


it was drizzling, clouds covering the hills as I catch the last glimpse...


thank you...dhanyavad...bye bye Kumbh, and....exit...!!

A fab day that was #KumbhMela2015 @Kumbh_Mela_2015 @WeAreNashik #Nashik @NashikNews #kumbh #Trimbeshkwar #KumbhMela pic.twitter.com/FCaqCoS9D1

— ? ? NandiniDéka ? ? (@NandiniDeka) August 28, 2015

Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha is a Hindu religious mela held every 12 years in the Nashik district of Maharashtra, India. The name of the festival is also transliterated as Sinhastha or Singhastha. It is one of the four fairs traditionally recognized as Kumbha Melas, and is also known as Nashik-Trimbak Kumbha Mela or Nashik Kumbha Mela. ( wiki )

Address : Shrimant Peshwe Path, Trimbak, Nashik, Maharashtra 422212, India, Asia
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