The Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh is set to take place from 13th January to 25th February. The significant Hindu festival is expected to attract millions of followers of Sanatan Dharma, as well as visitors from around the globe. As the date approaches, both familiar and obscure aspects regarding the Kumbh and its history have been coming to light. One such lesser-known fact pertains to the period when the British authorities imposed a ban on Kumbh.
Very few people know about the restriction enforced on devotees attending the celebrations in 1942 by the Britishers. This fact remained concealed in the pages of history, known by only a handful of historians. The colonial power had prohibited Kumbh 85 years before that as well, in the 19th century. However, the reasons behind the bans in these two instances were different.
The British provided an alleged justification for preventing the crowd at the religious gathering in 1942. It was during the time of World War II and rumors had spread that Japan might bomb the sacred assembly. Bearing this potential in mind, the British government fortified security arrangements. Trains heading to Allahabad (now Prayagraj) and other modes of transport were thoroughly searched. Both passengers and vehicles were sent back as part of the precautionary measures.
The regional archives office indicated that the British government prohibited Kumbh due to concerns regarding potential Japanese airstrikes on Akbar’s Fort, a military site located along the Yamuna River in the religious fair’s area to prevent mass casualties among the pilgrims. Additionally, they restricted the sale of rail tickets to Allahabad during this time and advised the devotees against congregating in large numbers to mitigate the risk of casualties in the event of a bombing.
They did not allocate any resources for Kumbh to discourage the Hindus, instead redirecting funds towards the ongoing war, which was at its height during that period. However, the absence of any action from Japan, which was ultimately determined to be a false rumour, did not mitigate the impact of the British government’s decision, which barred thousands of devotees from taking a holy dip at the Sangam during the Kumbh.
“Absence of any document regarding preparations, royal bath and expenses in the Regional Archive of Allahabad (earlier Central Archive), Government Archive of Lucknow and even with the urban department supports the view that the then regime refrained from any preparation for Kumbh. Britishers tried every other method to persuade Akharas and pilgrims to keep away from the Kumbh area during the period with the excuse that Japan could invade from the eastern front of the country on any day so there was a sort of war emergency. The British also did not make arrangements and the absence of any document related to Kumbh supports this theory,” Regional archives-officer (RAO) Amit Agnihotri stated. Nevertheless, several sects attended the sacred festival.
However, many historians believe that there was another reason behind the move as the British feared that the massive crowd gathering at the fair could fuel the independence movement. According to the former, freedom fighters assembled during Kumbh. At the time in 1942, the Quit India Movement was at its peak, and a large gathering like the holy Kumbh could become a major concern for the administration. The imperial power was worried that the people present at Kumbh could be inspired to join the freedom struggle.
Thus, the decision had a strong political side. Notwithstanding these apprehensions, the Kumbh of that year was successfully conducted, though with a reduced attendance as only a restricted number of individuals were able to participate.
Restrictions on Kumbh in the 19th century
The First War of Independence in 1857 witnessed several organized uprisings or rebellions in various parts of the then-Allahabad. The Chowk area of the city has been designated and preserved as a historical site, commemorating the location where numerous rebels faced execution. Similarly, the area where the Swarup Rani Nehru Hospital now stands used to be a prison. The area within the contemporary hospital complex that houses the postmortem facility was previously a site where many freedom fighters were hanged, based on accounts.
Hence, in 1857, the British authorities not only bombarded the area where the Kumbh was scheduled to occur but also transformed it into a cantonment, justifying their actions as a means to suppress the freedom movement and prevent the sacred congregation from happening.
According to colonial records, the Prayagwal community (pilgrimage priests) associated with the Kumbh was among those who raised their voices against British rule. They supported and sustained the 1857 rebellion as well as opposed the colonial government and actively campaigned against it, as it supported Christian missionaries and officials who saw them and the devotees as “ignorant co-religionists” and made aggressive efforts to convert Hindu pilgrims to the Christian faith.
The government accused the Prayagwals of inciting unrest in Allahabad and partially provoking the 1857 rebellion. Colonel Neill targeted the Kumbh area, bombarded the site where the Prayagwals resided, and destroyed it. Kama Maclean described as part of the “notoriously brutal pacification of Allahabad” in his book “Pilgrimage and Power: The Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, 1765-1954.” The Prayagwals retaliated by targeting and destroying mission presses and churches in Allahabad.
Before the Kumbh in June 1857, the Mission Compound in Allahabad was set ablaze. At that time, the American Presbyterian Church Mission was also burned down. According to Rev. M.A. Sherring, the author of “The Indian Church During the Great Rebellion,” this act brought missionary activities to a halt. After the British gained control, the Prayagwals endured severe persecution, resulting in the hanging of several individuals. A large portion of the land near the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers was seized and incorporated into the government cantonment.
A missionary named James Owen returned to Allahabad in January 1858. The events he observed have been chronicled in Rev. James Moffat’s publication, “The Story of a Dedicated Life.” James Owen observed that military camps had replaced the tents of the pilgrimage priests near the fort and within the nearby grounds. The city was under rigorous patrol by military and administrative officials and residents were prevented from accessing the area.
Religious customs were preserved through the practice of one or two pilgrimage priests travelling to the Sangam (the confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati) to gather its sacred water in their vessels. Subsequently, they transported this water to Daraganj, a renowned area inhabited by the Prayagwal. There, the water was released into the Ganges, enabling the local community to conduct their religious bathing rituals with this consecrated water during the Kumbh.
The gatherings of Prayagwals and pilgrims at Kumbh were marked by the waving of flags that referenced the rebellion and racial oppression, in the aftermath of 1857. The British also misreported on the issue. Kama Maclean wrote that the British media depicted these assemblies and subsequent protests at later Kumbhs with feelings of “hostility” and “distrust.”
Kumbh continued to play a significant role in the independence movement until 1947, serving as a venue where locals and politicians gathered in large numbers. The Sanatan Dharma Sabha held a meeting at the Prayag Kumbh Mela in 1906 and under the leadership of Bharat Ratan late Madan Mohan Malaviya, resolved to establish Banaras Hindu University. Kumbhs have also been pivotal centres for the Hindutva movement and its politics. The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) was founded at the Haridwar Kumbh in 1964. This historical event highlighted that cultural and religious festivals like the Kumbh not only have spiritual importance but can also have a profound impact on political and social spheres.