INDIA: KUMBH MELA FESTIVAL LATEST

Описание: (16 Jan 2001) Eng/Jap/Nat
The Kumbh Mela festival in northern India is building to a climax, when in a few days time tens of millions of people are expected to be on the banks of the river Ganges and Yamuna to bathe in the waters.
Although a Hindu festival, tens of thousands of visitors and tourists have made their way to north India to witness the spectacle.
Whether it's the sheer number or the staggering range of beliefs and sects on view, the Kumbh Mela has something for everyone.
A Hindu holy man crawls his way to the Kumbh Mela.
As a personal choice he travels this way to show the sacred nature of the festival.
There's also a belief that such acts help to purify the soul.
The size of the Kumbh Mela is difficult to comprehend.
For as far as the eye can see, the banks of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers are full of people bathing and praying, of giving offerings to their gods.
Hindus believe that at this auspicious time, only every twelve years, their sins can be washed away by a dip where the rivers join.
On the banks, by boat, people pray and reflect on their lives.
It is an intensely spiritual festival where visitors are required to be respectful to all beliefs.
Meat eating and the consumption of alcohol is banned.
For the many tourists who come, it's a chance to see India in a microcosm.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Many things bring me here. One, to make a film which shows people in America how India truly is -- its beauty, its serenity and its power. And beyond that, just to be art of a festival of great prominence and with such history and tradition. I'm just proud to be able to be here and to represent America and hopefully communicate with people and learn."
SUPER CAPTION: Ben Myerson, Visitor from Seattle, USA
For first time travellers to India the experience is often overwhelming.
SOUNDBITE: (Japanese)
"Amazing. That's the only word I can think of. Amazing."
SUPER CAPTION : Nishimura Kyogi, visitor from Japan
As many as 70 million are expected to dip into the river's chilly waters for a holy bath during the 43-day celebration.
Kumbh Mela derives its name from a Hindu myth that tells how the gods and demons fought over a "kumbh," or pot, of nectar that would give them immortality.
Legend has it that one of the gods ran off with the pot, spilling four drops of nectar near four blessed cities, of which Allahabad is the key one.
The festival ends on February 21st.

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