SCREEN

SHORT CUT TO NIRVANA: KUMBH MELA

Matthew Scott Hunter

Every twelve years, a sacred Hindu gathering is held known as the Kumbh Mela. Considered the greatest of all pilgrimages, it draws millions of spiritual truth-seekers to an enormous tent city at the intersection of the Ganges and Yamuna holy rivers. 2001 actually marked the Maha Kumbh Mela, a particularly important occasion that takes place every 144 years with the alignment of the planets. An estimated 70 million people turned out for the event, making it the largest gathering in history, and yet few people in the Western world know anything about it.


So what does it all mean? Who cares? Check it out! There's a guy with his penis wrapped around a pipe, and he's asking people to step on it!


Unfortunately, the documentary doesn't dig much deeper than that. With so much going on, the camera is far too overwhelmed to make any sense of it, opting instead to madly dash around, showing us the bizarre sights. So we get a less-than-profound speech from the Dalai Lama, a woman who buries herself for three days and the aforementioned guru, who seems to have attained enlightenment at the expense of his genitals. It's entertaining enough as a circus sideshow; just don't expect it to broaden your own spiritual horizons.

  • Get More Stories from Thu, Sep 29, 2005
Top of Story