Wildland Adventures is offering Spiritual Life of India which, over 10 days, will guide guests the centuries-old worlds and traditions that help define today's spiritual universe of India.
The trip will culminate at the Kumbh Mela (The Festival of the Urn), a 45-day spiritual gathering in Allahabad, which the Hindus consider to be India's religious capital.
A massive pilgrimage of faith and the most euphoric religious event in India, the Kumbh Mela observes the largest congregation of men, women and children on the planet.
It is especially known for the presence of an extraordinary array of sages, yogis, mendicants and religious ascetics (sadhus and mahants) enticed from remote hideaways in forests, mountains and caves.
During the festival, more than 10 million zealous devotees gather together to wash away their sins for the purification of body, mind and soul.
The city vibrates in hectic religious fervor amidst the intermittent chanting of mantras, the heart-rending dance of the Aghori (people smeared with cremation ashes) and the holy ghats (steps to the river) lit up with fiery diyas (oil lamps).
The Hindu people hold this festival in the highest regard because the Kumbh Mela, representing a cycled phased over 12 years is considered to be the most auspicious time to take a dip in the sacred river and attain a step forward toward salvation.
In the week leading up to this immersion, Wildland Adventures' guests take in :