Kumbha (Kumbha
means pot) Mela is a sacred Hindu pilgrimage that takes place at the following four
locations of India
- Prayag (near the city of Allahabad, in the state of Uttar Pradesh) at
the confluence of three rivers Ganga (Ganges), Yamuna and Saraswati
- Haridwar (in the state of Uttar Pradesh) where the river Ganga enters
the plains from Himalayas
- Ujjain (in Madhya Pradesh), on the banks of Ksipra river, and
- Nasik (in Maharashtra) on the banks of Godavari river.
The pilgrimage occurs four times every twelve years, once at each of
the four locations. Each twelve-year cycle includes the Maha (great) Kumbha Mela at
Prayag, attended by millions of people, making it the largest pilgrimage gathering around
the world.
The observance of Kumbha Mela is based upon the following story :
thousands of years ago, perhaps in the Vedic period, gods and demons made a temporary
agreement to work together in obtaining amrita (the nectar of immortality) from
the Milky Ocean, and to share this equally. However, when the Kumbha (pot) containing the
amrita appeared, the demons ran away with the pot and were chased by the gods. For twelve
days and twelve nights (equivalent to twelve human years) the gods and demons fought in
the sky for the possession of this pot of amrita. It is said that during the battle, drops
of amrita fell on to four places : Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. Thus, Kumbha mela
is observed at these four locations where the nectar fell.
Kumbha Mela is attended by millions of people on a single day. A
ritual bath at a predetermined time and place is the major event of this festival. Other
activities include religious discussions, devotional singing, mass feeding of holy
men/women and the poor, and religious assemblies where doctrines are debated and
standardized. Kumbha Mela (especially the Maha Kumbha Mela) is the most sacred of all the
Hindu pilgrimages. Thousands of holy men/women (monks, saints, sadhus) grace the occasion
by their presence. The suspiciousness of Kumbha Mela is in part attributed to the
gathering of thousands of holy men/women at one place on earth
According to astrologers, the 'Kumbh Fair' takes place when the
planet Jupiter enters Aquarius and the Sun enters Aries.
[Adopted from Bansi Pandit : The Hindu Mind]
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