For these French nationals, Kalpvas in Kumbh is a never-let-go practice
For these two women, the Kumbh is more than a religious gathering—it’s a practice that ties them to a spiritual journey they never want to end.
Among the thousands of pilgrims arriving at the banks of Sangam for Mahakumbh 2025, two French women, Marina Das and Maria Chanderth, stand out for their unwavering connection to the Kumbh. Over the past two decades, the sands of Sangam have become their spiritual haven.
For these two women, the Kumbh is more than a religious gathering—it’s a practice that ties them to a spiritual journey they never want to end.
Marina Das, a painter from Corsica, France, first visited Kumbh over two decades ago in 2001 after meeting her guru, Swami Bajrang Das, on the banks of the Narmada in Indore. “That encounter changed my life,” she shares. Since then, she has never missed a Kumbh, faithfully spending her days as a Kalpvasi at the camp of Mahant Sitaram Das in Sector 18.
For Marina, the Sangam represents a return to her spiritual roots. “I was born a Christian but could never connect with God. Here, as I step onto the sands of Sangam, I experience the peace and divine connection I had been seeking my entire life,” she says.
Her commitment to the Kumbh has influenced her family as well. Two of her three children have accompanied her to Sangam, with her eldest daughter, a teacher, recently returning to France after experiencing the mela with her. “Being part of MahaKumbh Mela is an out of the world experience. It happens once in 12 years and I can hardly miss on it as the experience of Akharas marching towards Sangam for the snan early in the morning is beyond words to narrate. Sitting before my guru in the hut, disconnected with the outer world gives me a connect with God,” she said. Maria Chanderth, the daughter of Marina’s friend, joined this journey of spiritual discovery after hearing Marina’s experiences. A Paris resident and garment exporter, Maria feels that her visits to the Kumbh have filled a void she felt growing up in the West. “Christianity in Europe has lost its warmth and the sense of community it once held,” Maria says. “Here, I found saints who live simply, focused on God and divinity, which helped me reconnect with my inner self.”
