Three months after a Kumbh Mela was organised at the little-known town of Tribeni in West Bengal’s Hooghly district, a number of pilgrims line up on the ghats for an early morning dip in the river. About 400 to 500 visit every day, as they have done over the years.
Harihar Ghosh, a shopkeeper, who is arranging his wares as he opens shop, says the crowds grow at Tribeni on every ‘holy’ day, and adds that he expects pilgrims during the forthcoming Manasa Puja (for the snake goddess). “Usually there are people from Odisha and Jharkhand as well, but I cannot spot them today,” says Mr. Ghosh. A municipal worker sitting at a crematorium amid the burning pyres on the ghats is quick to point out a photo-friendly spot to click the expanse of the Hooghly river.
In February, during Magh Sankranti, the shopkeeper, the municipal worker, and residents were witness to the second Kumbh Mela at this location, the first one held here in 2022. The local administration says crowds of about three lakh gathered in the Bansberia municipality that has a population of one lakh (as per the 2011 Census). The people of the town and those making a living on the ghats are getting used to this sudden yearly spurt in tourism.
