Kumbh and Kalpavas
Another old tradition connected with the Kumbh is kalpavas. Kalpavas means staying on the riverbank during the period of the Mela and living simply, bathing a fixed number of times a day, eating only one meal a day, practising japa and meditation and performing acts of charity. This practice is especially famous at the Magh Mela of Prayagraj. In Nashik too, some devotees and sadhus take a vow to live on the banks of the Goda for the entire parvakal.