The day I saw god

The day I saw god I was in the city without borders. The millions were already here,  massing in the lanes and camps. They wore little or nothing. They sang and shouted and prayed as they walked into the river and a life bereft of sin. It was in this place of sacrifice and crowds that I saw him. He was naked and sat for most of the time on a platform before a fire, surrounded by his acolytes and devotees. His hair was long. His face was ageless. His eyes were bright with delight. One day he would die in a car crash. Today he sat in the luminous light, amidst the frenzy, speaking the things I needed to hear.

The world’s largest peaceful gathering – the Prayag Kumbh Mela – takes place every 12 years in the city of Prayagraj or Allahabad, at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati, the tens of millions here to purify themselves of their sins.   

Photos: masthead Ben Christie and teaser Bruce Parry