Advice for 2010 Kumbh mela

delhiwala

At Kumbha Mela time it will be difficult to learn Breathing Exercsises or Meditation............. As gurus will be busy in satsangs, snans and darshans....

You may checkout following website: www.kumbh2010haridwar.gov.in

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livinhimalayas

Haridwar will be too busy and if you can find to sleep that it self will be a mini miracle!

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sham_s

Thanks, everyone. Actually, it'd be nice just to have a recommended place to stay where we can book reservations in advance. Do either of you know of any such place? thanks

michael sunkist

Nameste, Hardiwar is kinda crowded normally, during Khumb Meyla when anywhere from 12-20 million more people roll in housing will be a bit tight. Rish-Kish upriver about 19 miles is a yoga town (the Beatles had their ashram there back in the day)and altho it too will probably get super crowded it might be easier to get into an ashram there. It was no problem when I was there 2 years ago. Happy trails

sham_s

thanks, michael. I think I'm going to try to book a hotel in advance in order to guarantee a spot.

labrol

And better travel by train, reserved in advance, of course, because road traffic will be diverted much before Haridwar, forcing a long trek and search for your hotel.
Leisure hotels has a riverside heritage property at Ramghat. I had lunch there last year. Even in usual days you have to walk the last km. Someone might suggest a hotel close to the rail station and the ghats.

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livinhimalayas

Lots of hotels GMVN has a property, UPT has Alaknanda a pretty neat place right by the Ganga. Look up Rahi on GMVN site and Alaknanda on Uttar Pradesh Tourism site. Then there are a zillion other hotels and ashrams.

delhiwala

Now a days Haridwar attracts a lot of crowd even on normal days also. I think this Kumbh will surpass all records of attendance.

sham_s

Thanks all for your advice. Silly me, didn't realize that the traffic would be that bad, but it seems pretty obvious in retrospect... We have a car booked for 10 days, and the Haridwar leg is the last portion. How many kilometers do you think we'd have to walk before he lets us off?

We were contemplating staying at the Haveli Hari Ganga even though it's a bit pricey for us (thought we might splurge a little for this last part of the trip..) thanks

sham_s

Hi again,

Originally we were planning to visit Haridwar from 1/31-2/2. However, I notice that one of the big bathing dates (Magh Purnima Snan) occurs on the day before we arrive (1/30).

Is it worth it to alter our trip to get their a day early in order to witness that event? Or will it be just as great to go the days following? thanks!

Sama

what makes you say that? I'm going to be there so am just curious....

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nycank

Just curious... What do you want to see at the Khumb mela you cannot see otherwise ?

1. 1-2 million more people ? Crowds ?
2. Special satsang ?
3. Photo-journalism ?
4. Spiritual dip in the ganges ?

Stampedes tend to be common at that time, in the past there used to be outbreak of intestinal viruses, plus we dont know how the H1N1 will behave this winter; as data on that is still sketchy.

my dos queztal

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machadinha

Well, I'm half-considering going myself, NYC, and I guess it's just the uniqueness of an event like this that attracts me. The half-fascination, half-dread of the sheer number of people involved too, sure.

Then again I've been at a far smaller but nonetheless massive mela that was enough to blow me away & was frankly too much for me (was also on my first trip there though, and if anything I'd expect the Kumbh to have a little more logistics in place to offer something of a crutch to the bewildered visitor); and then again just the thought of logistics involved getting there let alone staying there, not to mention those staggering crowds then indeed, I might just give it a miss.

Will decide on the spot, I suppose (And I may well decide some quieter and more peaceful destinations on my itinerary suit just fine, yes. --> The matter's getting more pressing as it will reflect on where I should fly in & out of though. Oh well, I'll figure it out when the time comes to book my ticket. Or it will just involve another cross-country train ride or two that I can't say I'm much looking forward to, ahem.)

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labrol

I was at the Anandpur Sahib Hola Mohalla mela early this year. Estimated 0.5 million people spread over the town. The crowd seemed intolerable to me and I am an Indian who has always lived in India and occasionally travelled abroad for vacation.
At the Kumbha mela there will be between 10 to 15 million on the river bank and the river bank is already crowded with all round concrete construction. Though they will be all over the town, yet at the auspicious hour all will congregate. Even without a stampede you will find escape impossible once you are in the thick of it. Better to reserve your stay at the river bank for a view from the confines of your hotel, just in case....
Hotel Hari Ganga is a fine option.
All said, I am curious to see the world's largest religious congregation.I have booked in a Dharamshala by the river.

sham_s

Thanks, all. I think that viewing from afar will be a good option. I'm used to the crowds in new york city, but I'm sure that will pale in comparison to what we'll be witnessing at Kumbh. After that, we'll be heading to my family's home in himachal where it's remote as possible, so that will be a nice change.