By Dara Fullerton*

DELHI, India–Hoping to have their sins washed away, millions of Hindus go on pilgrimage to the four cities of the Kumbh Mela to bathe in their holy rivers when the planets are auspiciously aligned, making the Kumbh Mela the largest religious gathering in the world.

Every third year, Hindus make pilgrimages to one of four Indian cities that rotate hosting the Kumbh Mela — Haridwar in the state of Uttarakhand, Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, Nasik in Maharashtra, and Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh.

This year, the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar began Jan. 14 and continues through April 28.

South Asia has the greatest concentration of lostness in the world. Of 1.5 billion people, 969 million South Asians — including 80 percent of India’s population — still worship Hindu idols made by the hands of men.

Ten million people gathered April 14, 1998, for a ritual bath in the Ganges River during the last Kumbh Mela in Haridwar. Indian officials anticipate 50 million pilgrims will visit Haridwar during the months of this year’s Kumbh Mela, the Hindustan Times reported.

The lostness that is in Haridwar day-to-day and that congregates in Haridwar by the millions every 12th year is virtually untouched.

“As the Hindu people look for spiritual significance during the Kumbh Mela, please pray that their eyes will be opened to the truth of the Gospel,” Southern Baptist representative Kailey Isard* said.

Hindus believe that when their gods and demons battled over a jar, or kumbh, containing the nectar of everlasting life, a drop of its contents spilled in each of the four Kumbh Mela cities. As a result, Hindus have credited the cities with a mystical power.

Hindus have faith that bathing in the rivers in these cities on certain dates during Kumbh Melas will wash away their sins and give them everlasting life. Astrology determines the best dates to bathe.

March 15 and April 14 are the next main bathing dates in Haridwar this year, according to travel Web sites.

Haridwar means “gateway to god.” Hindus consider it one of their holiest places. The most sacred ghat, or flight of steps leading down to the river, in Haridwar is where Hindus believe the nectar of everlasting life fell. Millions flock to this location to bathe in the Ganges River. Another popular destination in Haridwar is the Maya Devi Temple. A cable-car ride from the temple provides a view of the entire city.

All four of the Kumbh Mela cities have some significance in the Hindu stories about gods and goddesses.

The largest of the Kumbh Melas takes place in Allahabad and will happen next in 2013.

“Pray for the millions of people gathering at the convergence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers for the celebration of the Kumbh Mela festival,” Southern Baptist representative Daniele Gramby* said.

Allahabad is a city of 1.5 million people, but during the mela its population swells tremendously. Time magazine reported in February 2001 that 50 million people attended the last Maha Kumbh Mela in Allahabad. Other media reported that as many as 70 million attended.

Allahabad means “city of god.” Hindus believe Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, made his first sacrifice here after creating the world. In Allahabad, three rivers that Hindus consider holy meet, including the invisible vertical Saraswati River.

“This place is called a sangam,” Southern Baptist representative Brendan Strizek* said. “The Hindus believe this is where the gods come to bathe, so it is the holiest place. Therefore, people travel from all over India and from all over the world to come to this location to bathe and purify themselves in the sangam.”

Ujjain will host the Kumbh Mela in 2016. Ujjain has served as the zero line of longitude for Hindu geographers since the fourth century B.C. Hindus believe Ujjain was one of the sacred homes of Shiva, the Hindu destroyer god, so it has a famous temple dedicated to Shiva. Hindus treat Shiva, often depicted in meditation poses, as the supreme god.

“Pray that Ujjain, which literally means ‘city of victory,’ would experience victory found in Jesus alone,” Southern Baptist representative Darcy Meachum* said.

The last Kumbh Mela of this decade will be in Nasik in 2019. About 110 miles northwest of Mumbai, Nasik is known as India’s wine capital. Hindus believe Rama, an esteemed Hindu deity, spent 14 years in exile in Nasik for the sake of his father’s honor — a legend that makes Nasik a popular Hindu tourist destination.

Christians have been sharing the Gospel with Hindus in Nasik for several years, and some Hindus have surrendered their lives to Christ, Southern Baptist representative Crawford Kaser* said.

“Even with this, there remains no daily church-planting activity occurring there to our knowledge,” he said. “Those people who are coming to faith are traditionally absorbed into the existing churches instead of starting new ones, thus preventing cutting-edge church planting from happening.”

As the Kumbh Mela takes place in one of the cities, a “mini mela” can occur in the other three cities, Southern Baptist representative Johnny Kron* said.

This year, Ujjain will host a smaller mela, sometimes referred to as a half Kumbh. During the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad in 2013, there will be a smaller one in Nasik. During the 2016 Kumbh Mela in Ujjain, some Hindus will be celebrating again in Haridwar.

Southern Baptist representative Bonita Kron* described one of the smaller melas that took place in January 2009 in Allahabad.

“The vastness of the crowd is unbelievable; the heaviness of the oppression is inexplicable,” she said. “Watching men, women, young, old, rich, poor — all attempting to attain salvation through the polluted murky water — is heartbreaking.

“Because of things that had occurred days before our visit, the police had made clear they would not tolerate ‘those attempting conversions to Western religion,’” Bonita Kron said. “Therefore, we were not able to openly share the Truth. We did, however, pray with broken hearts for the millions who do not know ‘What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!’”

With so many religious activities regularly taking place in each Kumbh Mela city, opportunities to reach the lost with the Good News about Jesus’ love are plentiful. Yet, even with such potential, carrying out the task is not easy.

“An Indian believer decided to break the law and passed out tracts; he was arrested,” Johnny Kron said about an incident that occurred in Allahabad.

While limits on direct Christian witnessing may appear to cast a bleak shadow on bringing hope to the lost in the Kumbh Mela cities, prayer sets the foundation for bringing salvation.

Southern Baptist volunteer teams visiting the cities go to the rivers to pray for those who use the rivers for their regular laundry and bathing and for those who come during the Kumbh Melas in hopes of washing away their sins.

“It’s a very emotional time for [the volunteers],” Johnny Kron said. “They can sense the darkness. God really uses that to help them get a heart for India.”

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*Name changed.

Dara Fullerton served as a writer among South Asian peoples while a journeyman with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board.