Intersections between Spirituality and Sustainability at Kumbh Mela: The Case of Religious Tourism and the Ganges

The purpose of this project was to examine the experiences, motivations, and environmental attitudes articulated by Kumbh Mela pilgrims so as to understand their spiritual relationship with and ecological commitment to a dynamic and biophysical revered pilgrimage site, the River Ganges. Kumbh Mela is a Hindu religious festival held every twelve years that is described as the largest gathering of pilgrims in the world. This year’s Kumbh Mela (a focus of this study) was held in Allahabad, India on the shores of the revered River Ganges and it saw a record attendance level of 120 million devotees. Within some academic circles the Ganges has been reputed to be one of the most ecologically degraded and polluted water bodies on earth and yet pilgrims attest to its purity as they journey by the millions to bathe in it. Inquiry into these parallel vantage points has remained a relatively under-researched area yet it can unveil valuable knowledge about the relationships between cultures and places, the broader dynamics between human beings and ecological systems as well as the nexus between spirituality and sustainability.

This project was sponsered by the Institute for Humanities Research.