Techie-turned-purohit: Carrying forward a 7-generation legacy at Mahakumbh
Paliwal started his sojourn as a ‘Purohit’ at the tender age of 14, learning the nitty-gritty of his family’s traditional business from his grandfather during the 2001 Mahakumbh
Balancing tradition and technology, 34-year-old IT consultant and businessman, Pandit Ashutosh Paliwal, is ready to step into the spiritual spotlight once again. With experience managing his family’s ‘Jajmaan Sewa’ in two Mahakumbhs and two Kumbh Melas, he returns to Mahakumbh 2025 to lead the sacred rituals at their ‘Paliwal Kalpwas Ashram’ in Sector 11.
Paliwal started his sojourn as a ‘Purohit’ at the tender age of 14, learning the nitty-gritty of his family’s traditional business from his grandfather, the late Pandit Gokarn Nath Paliwal, during the 2001 Mahakumbh.
“Being the eldest of the three brothers in the family, I donned the mantle of the family business and learned all traits of ‘Jajmani,’ right from memorising the Ramayan, Durga Saptasati, and relevant portions of all four Vedas, besides the Mahabharata. I also learned how to arrange the stay of pilgrims coming to our camp. I have grown up doing it for the past 24 years, and now my 12-year-old son, Harshit Paliwal, who is studying in Class 7, is also gearing up to step into the traditional hierarchy of the family after me,” he shared.
A graduate from Kanpur University, Ashutosh also has expertise in IT hardware maintenance.
“I am the seventh generation in the family tradition, as I know details about six previous generations of my family. Every year during Magh Mela, besides the Mahakumbh and Kumbh, I shift my work to the banks of Sangam, where we set up a camp for pilgrims coming for the holy dip through us,” he added.
According to the tech-savvy Purohit, after learning the traditional requisites in the 2001 Mahakumbh under the tutelage of his grandfather, he has successfully discharged his duties in the Kumbh Mela of 2006, Mahakumbh of 2013, and Kumbh of 2019.
“This Mahakumbh, we have nearly a thousand devotees coming from different parts of UP as well as other parts of the country to practice Kalpwas at our Paliwal Kalpwas Ashram in Sector 11,” he informed.
Caption: Pandit Ashutosh Paliwal at his Kalpwas Ashram in the mela area.