Beyond the celebrity visits and the crowds, the Maha Kumbh has become a platform for different organisations under the RSS umbrella to hold events “to spread the message of Sanatan Dharma”.
These Sangh-affiliated events, which saw the participation of delegations from different states and even other countries, were attended or addressed by ministers of Uttar Pradesh and the BJP-ruled Central government.
In February, for the first time, the Kumbh saw the participation of 600 Buddhists, both devotees and monks, who also took a dip in the Sangam. This was dubbed the Baudh Maha Kumbh Yatra and was organised by different organisations in collaboration with the RSS- affiliated Dharma Sanskriti Sangam. On February 4, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addressed one such Buddhist delegation and said that Hindus and Buddhists were “branches of the same tree”.
Calling for unity of the two religions, he said: “Yadi yeh ek hi manch par aa jayen to duniya mein sabse shaktishali vatvriksha banege (If the two religions get together on the same platform, we can have the most powerful tree in the world).”
On the final day of the Baudh Maha Kumbh Yatra held on February 5, addressed by Juna Akhara Mahamandaleshwar Swami Awadheshanand Giri, three main resolutions were passed — protesting alleged atrocities on minorities in Bangladesh and Pakistan, seeking autonomy of Tibet, and the unity of “Sanatan Dharma and Buddhism”.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.
