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NASHIK, INDIA, July 30, 2003: Despite monsoon floods, hundreds of thousands of Hindus on Wednesday thronged to the temple city of Nasik for the beginning of the Kumbha Mela. The Mela kicked off in the Trimbakeshwar at 11:51 am when the Sun and Jupiter entered the constellation of Leo. Over half-a-million people took part in a colorful inaugural ceremony. The festival will see millions of devotees plunge into the river Godavari over the next month, with holy dips scheduled for August 17 and 27 and September 1 in Nasik and August 12 and 27 and September 7 in Trimbakeshwar. The Kumbha Mela is held every three years alternatively in four holy sites — Hardwar, Prayag (Allahabad), Nasik and Trimbakeshwar, and Ujjain. Security was tight after Monday’s bomb blast in nearby Bombay, with more than 3,000 policemen deployed at the 12-day festival. Hundreds of lifeguards have been stationed along the Godavari, which until yesterday was flowing at least 5 feet above its normal level. Heavy rains have fallen in the last three days amid inappropriate arrangements of shelter and food, and have affected the work of setting up infrastructure. Hindu devotees are meanwhile all set to kick off the fair despite the hurdles. Millions of Hindus are also gathering downstream for a parallel festival. The Godavari Pushkarma also known as the “Kumbha of the South” is being held at Rajahmundry in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

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