AHMEDABAD, INDIA, February 22, 2001: Kumbha Mela, the 42-day-long religious fair, came to an end Wednesday with the last spurt of bathing fervor. Two-and-a-half million made their dip into the holy waters of the confluence of the three rivers, the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. “Initially, we were keen to come towards the beginning of the fair, but soon we realized that it would be much better and more meaningful to take our dip in peace towards the end,” said Ramesh Lenka, a shopkeeper from Orissa. The one million-strong township of Kumbhnagar in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, has disappeared as swiftly as it sprouted on the sand banks. The 50 sq. km. Kumbhnagar is now an endless stretch of sand, the Hindu monastic orders that came from all corners of the world for a dip into the confluence have gone.
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