India, Feb. 6 -- By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik - Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist

Kumbh Mela reveals a side of Hinduism that is often not talked about. There are no temples, no gods, no devotion, no songs, no saints. It is primarily a ritual, dominated by boisterous masculine energy embodied in naked ascetics (digambara), covered with ash (bhabhut), with matted hair (jata), holding staffs (dandi), belonging to various gymnasiums (akhara), evoking the followers (gana) of the wild form of Shiva (Bhairava).

It is all about taking a dip in a particular spot in the river at the right time after it has been consecrated by bathing ascetics. We can argue that the roots are Tantrik, as it involves the body (tanu, in Sanskrit).

Such rituals ...