Luxury Accommodation At The Kumbh Mela

We are mostly familiar with the tented city with basic infrastructure that springs up in Allahabad each Kumbha Mela.

But some entrepreneurs have done well by providing more luxurious accommodation and services,Here are 3 examples:

 The Lakshmi Kutir Cottages, marketed by Cox and Kings is one such example.Entrepreneur Dhruv Singh’s aunt Lakshmi Singh, who stays in a Haridwar ashram, was keen for someone to offer a nice place where devotees of various saints can come and stay comfortably. Dhruv Singh, who runs wildlife cottages in MP and Rajasthan, was game and set up 50 luxury tents, six of which are air-conditioned with wooden floorings. Lakshmi Kutir charges Rs 6,000-Rs 28,500 per night and is situated just outside the main Mela area on a small hillock from where guests can have a panoramic view of the Mela. An in-residence Ayurveda doctor offers herbal treatments and massages. The guests include a 40-member group from Harvard University, which comprises of their alumni, students and professors who have come to study the lessons offered by the Kumbh Mela.

On the other side of the holy rivers in Jhunsi and Arail areas of Allahabad,the crowds are thinner, providing some peace and quiet for meditation and relaxation.It also provides some anonymity to celebrities. Ragini Singh Chandel’s Kumbh Cottages has 90 Swiss Cottages here.They are available for anything between Rs 6,000 per night to Rs12,000 per night, according to the category chosen. The fire and water-proof tents come with attached toilets with European fittings and a geyser. The rooms have spring mattresses and the premises are wi-fi enabled. Kumbh Cottages offers an eclectic menu for its guests coming from across the globe. A specially set up vegetarian restaurant dishes out Continental and Italian dishes including pasta, macaroni, mint potato, coriander soup, noodles, cabbage sauté,spaghetti etc. The television crews from the National Geographic and the Australian ABC are camped out here.

For the  foreigners who prefer greater privacy and want a close look at an Indian household,Bed and Breakfast outfits have sprung up in bungalows and houses located further off from the main mela area.This course of action is chosen by entrepreneurial minded people who want to maintain large houses well and like to meet new people .Hosts like Ivan Lamech, who runs Kanchan Villa, a B&B homestay at Lukerganj in Allahabad, are  a little choosy in selecting guests and staying with them and interacting with their guests proves intellectually stimulating.