Catholic community has small role in largest Hindu festival in India
MUMBAI, India – As India begins the largest religious gathering in the world, the local bishop says the Church’s educational and religious facilities will be used to help millions of Hindu pilgrims.
The Hindu festival of Maha Kumbh Mela is taking place in northern India’s Prayagraj city, where the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers converge. The religious event takes place every 12 years, and lasts six weeks. It began on Monday, and has already seen around 5 million people dip themselves in the water of the rivers.
A total of 400 million pilgrims are expected to attend the event.
The festival comes from a Hindu tradition that the god Vishnu, known as the Preserver, wrested away from demons a golden pitcher that held the nectar of immortality in the area.
Prime Minister Narndra Modi described Monday as a very special day for those who cherish Indian values and culture, saying the massive religious event embodies India’s timeless spiritual heritage.
“With the holy ‘snaan’ on Paush Purnima, the Maha Kumbh has begun on the holy land of Prayagraj from today. On this divine occasion associated to our faith and culture, I salute and greet all the devotees from my heart. I wish that this huge festival of Indian spiritual tradition brings new energy and enthusiasm in the life of all of you,” Nodi wrote on X.
In the Hindu religion, devotees believe entering the water of these rivers during the festival can wash away sins and facilitate liberation from the cycle of rebirth taught in Hinduism.
The city of Prayagraj in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, which has a population of 241 million. Nearly 80 percent are Hindus, and only 0.18 percent are Christian, making up a little over 350,000 people.
Bishop Louis Mascarenhas of Allahabad said that despite its small size, it is trying to assist Hindus coming into the area for the festival.
“Our schools and hospital are made available for pilgrims. Bethany School, which is very near the Ganges, is open for the use police personnel. St. Joseph’s college is designated as a holding center. It’s crowd management. Nazareth hospital is designated to manage the health emergency of the pilgrims,” he told Crux.
“Last Sunday, I visited the Akhadas [a communal religious monastery for ascetics and saints] . There are 13 Akhadas at the Kumbh, they hold spiritual discourses. I spent over four hours on a one-to-one dialogue with the Hindu seers,” the bishop said.
Father Anand Mathew of Varanasi is also engaging with the Hindu ritual.
“I had participated in the previous kumbh mela, performing street plays and stage play. The seminarians of St. Joseph’s Major Seminary used to be giving voluntary services in the Kumbh Melas in the last centuries,” the Catholic priest told Crux.