Although the Ardh Kumbh mela began on the New Year day and the first snan falls on January 14, only one akhara has asked for land allotment in the Kumbhnagar for holding of camp to date apart from NGOs, say the Mela officials.
The Ardh Kumbh mela of 2016 is expected to attract about half the number of visitors expected in Purna Kumbh Mela to be held in 2021. The religious preachers with more visible followers among foreigners like Soham Baba and Pilot Baba do not come for Ardh Kumbh Mela in Haridwar as has been the past experience. Ujjain city beckons the big akharas in 2016 this time for Sinhasth Kumbh mela so the crowd is divided.
Speaking to The Pioneer, Mela Adhikari S A Murugesan said,“To date, only the Awahan Akhara has sought allotment of land for the Ardh Kumbh Mela. Among the 200 applications received till date, most are from the social organisations and NGOs.”
In the year 2010 during Purna Kumbh Mela, nearly 2500 applications were received by the Mela officials. “We had been able to give land to 1500 applicants only out of the applications received during Kumbh mela in 2010. We are in the process of finalising the applications for the Ardh Kumbh mela this year. Only Awahan akhara had filed its application till last week,” he said. Many times it happens that big and famed akharas ask for land allotment a week or a month before and for a short period and smaller organizations book much in advance. To cater for all types of applicants, district administration is going to make a final call soon.
“The duration sought by the akharas is also variant. Some of them ask for a week and others may stretch their demand for land allotment to two months depending on their following. They generally demand during the Mela. So we are going to make a final call to the akharas giving reminders to file their application,” said Murugesan.
Mahamandaleshwar of Agni akhara Kailashanand Brahmachari has asked for land allotment for food grains storage and religious rituals. Juna, Mahanirvani, Niranjani and Nirmal Akharas are yet to submit their applications. As per the land allotment officer Manjeet Singh, Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati has submitted his application apart from which outfits like the Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Durga Vahini and Sanatan Sabha would also be holding their camps in Ardh Kumbh mela.