Watch: Devotion hits a new high at Ujjain Kumbh, thanks to a 121-feet-long agarbatti

In May, the Simhast Kumbh Mahaparv in Ujjain saw canals being built to divert River Narmada’s water to River Kshipra. The government created ghats, from the ground up, to accommodate all the devotees and their urge to cleanse themselves of their sins. But even this humongous feat wasn’t the highlight of the festival. That title goes unarguably to an incense stick.

But more of that later.

When it comes to Kumbh, for many of us, our reference points are Bollywood dialogues and the unending images of holy men smoking their way to salvation.

Reality hits you, when you see that Indians had been doing rave parties since before the beginning of time. via GIPHY

The sheer number of people around, grooving to spirituality wants you to draw comparisons to concerts which you attend in the big cities.

Amidst this you gauge your inclination towards religion a little.

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Somewhere you realise the bizarre nature of things. The level of dedication one puts into region is spellbinding.

You then come across the miracle of humanity. (No, Burj Khalifa will probably look up to it)

But this May, the Ujjain Kumbh was home to the world’s largest and most expensive incense stick. The stick was 121 feet in length, had a diameter of 3.5 feet, weighed 4000 kgs and cost Rs 2,95,350 to make. It was lit non stop for 45 days.

Watch the story of Kumbh’s 121-feet-long agarbatti in episode 3 of Firstpost’s documentary web series #ColoursOfKumbh.

 _Watch the earlier parts of the series here:_ 








Part 1: The colours of Kumbh: Organising the globe’s largest festival ain’t an easy job 












 Part 2: The colours of Kumbh: A search for knowledge and salvation