The festival is marked by a ritual dip in the waters, but it is also a celebration of community commerce with numerous fairs, education, religious discourses by saints, mass gatherings of monks, and entertainment. The seekers believe that bathing in these rivers is a means to prāyaścitta (atonement, penance, restorative action) for past mistakes, and that it cleanses them of their sins. The first Kumbh Mela event was organised in 1870, under British supervision. The festival is traditionally credited to the 8th-century Hindu philosopher and saint Adi Shankara, as a part of his efforts to start major Hindu gatherings for philosophical discussions and debates along with Hindu monasteries across the Indian subcontinent. However, there is no historical literary evidence of these mass pilgrimages called "Kumbha Mela" prior to the 19th century. There is ample evidence in historical manuscripts and inscriptions of an annual Magha Mela in Hinduism - with periodic larger gatherings after 6 or 12 years - where pilgrims gathered in massive numbers and where one of the rituals included a sacred dip in a river or holy tank. According to Kama MacLean, the socio-political developments during the colonial era and a reaction to Orientalism led to the rebranding and remobilisation of the ancient Magha Mela as the modern era Kumbh Mela, particularly after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Many Hindus believe that the Kumbh Mela originated in times immemorial and is attested in the Hindu Puranas about Samudra Manthana (lit. churning of the ocean) found in the Puranas. Historians, in contrast, reject these claims as none of the ancient or medieval era texts that mention the Samudra Manthana legend ever link it to a "mela" or festival. According to Giorgio Bonazzoli, a scholar of Sanskrit Puranas, these are anachronistic explanations, an adaptation of early legends to a later practice by a "small circle of adherents" who have sought the roots of a highly popular pilgrimage and festival. The fairs held at four sites are broadly recognised as the Kumbh Melas: Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik-Trimbak and Ujjain. The Kumbh Mela is structured into camps, facilitating access to Sadhus for Hindu worshippers. The darshan experience is integral to the Kumbh Mela, and worshippers approach it with great reverence, ensuring they do not inadvertently offend the religious sanctity of the moment. Interactions with Sadhus are highly respectful, with devotees often leaving offerings at their feet as tokens of devotion and gratitude