At Kumbh Mela, Indian Religious Leader Prays for Tibet Quake Victims

DHARAMSALA, Jan 14: On the first day of the Maha Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious gathering, a prayer service was held for the victims of the January 7 earthquake in Tibet, the tremors of which were felt in Nepal and the northern Indian state of Bihar.
The President of the Parmarth Niketan Ashram, Rishikesh, Swami Chidanand Saraswati, has said on Monday, “Today, I prayed on the bank of Sangam – for those people who suffered as many houses were destroyed and lives were lost in Tibet and Nepal due to a disastrous tragedy (earthquake),” reported the ANI.
Sangam is the confluence or meeting point of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati.
After performing an aarti (lamp prayer ceremony) in the Indian city of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, Swami Chidanand said, ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’- the world is one family and stated, “All of India is with them.”
The religious leader has further declared that “The relation between India, China and Tibet continues to flourish and we continue to peacefully co-exist,” adding that the aarti was dedicated to that cause as well.
A massive earthquake hit Tingri County in Shigatse City in the traditional Tibetan province of U-Tsang on January 7. While the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) stated that the earthquake measured 6.8 on the Richter scale, according to data from the US Geological Survey, the earthquake measured 7.1 on the Richter scale.
According to Chinese state-run media, the January 7 earthquake in Tibet has taken the lives of 126 people with 338 cases of injuries.
As Tibetans reel from last week’s earthquake, twin aftershocks measuring 4.9 and 5 on the Richter scale struck minutes apart, jolting Tingri yesterday evening, the China Earthquake Networks Center said. The epicentre was just 9km away from last week’s quake. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Maha Kumbh Mela is a Hindu religious festival celebrated once every 12 years. The festival celebrates a mythological event where drops of the nectar of immortality (Amrit) fell at four locations in India. These four locations (Haridwar, Prayagraj/Allahabad, Nashik, and Ujjain) take turns hosting the festival.