A person who undergoes the Kalpavãsa Vrat is honoured with the title of Kalpavãsi.                    A unique feature of the Indian Bathing Festivals - Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela, Magha Mela, Etc. is that of the Kalpavãsis, who present a scene of Vãnaprasthãshrama Dharma (retired forest life prescribed in the Vedas for couples). The Kalpavãsis spend the Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela living an austere and minimalistic life.Most of them stay in thatched huts, sleep on sandy river beds, listen to discourses, assimilate the essence of Dharma and give alms.

Some of them bathe in the holy river thrice daily and eat only once.These are general guidelines; however we understand the modern urban life is very demanding and has become highly mechanical, many of us may neither have the time nor the inclination to fulfil the extreme form of austerities performed by the Traditional Kalpavãsis (some of them take a vow at every single Kumbh (Kumbh) Mela, which roughly falls once every three years).

The idea is to get away from the everyday mundane existence and observe and absorb the true meaning of life by the learning from the religious gurus, interacting with other Kalpavãsis, experiencing the cultures, traditions and heritage from every part of India at one single place and maintaining a single minded devotion to the understanding of the Absolute-Truth.