Dip At Sangam, Attending To Pilgrims: Day Inside 'Akhadas' At Maha Kumbh

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Dip At Sangam, Attending To Pilgrims: Day Inside 'Akhadas' At Maha Kumbh

Their barely-clad bodies smeared in ash and long hair in deadlocks, seers at the Maha Kumbh begin each day at 4 am with a dip at the holy Sangam and a litany of rituals before proceeding to receive the pilgrims visiting them. Life in the 'akhadas' for these seers involves a bevy of customs -- worship of their gurus, performing rituals such as 'yagya', meditation and evening prayers. Depending on their following, most of their day is occupied by …