Kumbha Mela and its significance

Kumbha Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith in which Hindus gather to bathe in a sacred river. It is considered to be the largest peaceful gathering in the world where around 100 million people visited during the Maha Kumbha Mela in 2013 in Allahabad. It is held every third year at one of the four places by rotation: Haridwar, Allahabad (Prayag), Nashik and Ujjain. Thus the Kumbha Mela is held at each of these four places every twelfth year. Ardha ("Half") Kumbha Mela is held at only two places, Haridwar and Allahabad, every sixth year.

The rivers at these four places are: the Ganges (Ganga) at Haridwar, the confluence (Sangam) of the Ganges and the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati at Allahabad, the Godavari at Nashik, and the Shipra at Ujjain. The pilgrimage is held for about one and a half months at each of these four places where it is believed in Hinduism that drops of nectar fell from the kumbha carried by gods after the sea was churned. Bathing in these rivers is thought to cleanse one of all sins.The festival is billed as the "world’s largest congregation of religious pilgrims".There is no precise method of ascertaining the number of pilgrims, and the estimates of the number of pilgrims bathing on the most auspicious day may vary; approximately 80 million people attended on 14 February 2013.

Kumbha Mela takes place every twelve years at one of four places: Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. The Mela in its different forms alternates between Prayag, Nashik, Ujjain and Haridwar every third year. Kumbha Mela: Held at all four places every three years.

Ardha Kumbha Mela: Held at Haridwar and Prayag every 6 years.

Purna Kumbha Mela: Held only at Prayag every 12 years.

Maha Kumbha Mela: Held only at Prayag every 144 years.

Kumbha Mela can be seen two lights: The myth ~ History and folklore. The implicit meaning of myth - What does the myth symbolize? Will share both with you, even though the later is less known but more pivotal to know, so will start from there. The implicit meaning of myth ~ What does the myth symbolize? The story, the myth, is elaborate, multi-layered, and replete with symbolism. However, in the middle of the rich clutter that the Kumbha saga is, there is one word that firmly dictates the narrative: Immortality. The whole celebration revolves around man’s fear of death and his desire to taste the nectar of deathlessness. What does man really want? What did the gods and demons want despite owning the grandeurs of life?

Let’s rather see what all ways man tries to satiate his want. We have already done a lot. Have our ways succeeded? If not, then an altogether new kind of exploration is needed in an altogether new dimension. What is that dimension? The Kumbha legend gives us a clue. The mythical ocean is the mind, the Bhavsagar. Its churning is needed. That’s simple to say, but what one initially gets upon churning is accumulated poison: Old tendencies, suppressed desires, the haunting residues of the past that one has been carrying forward in evolution.

Poison is stuff that is basically worthless and harmful, but is still preserved within due to ignorance and attachment. This churning of the mind is essentially self-observation through an honest and dispassionate seeing of one’s life, thoughts, fears, desires, actions. But most people do not proceed with self-observation for long. As soon as they counter the poison, they back off. To go beyond the poison, dedication and love towards truth — Shiva — is needed. One has to trust Shiva to surrender one’s poison to Him. This is faith. And then, upon such cleansing, what is left is deathlessness.

Deathlessness thus demands both: A burning determination to get rid of the indignations of cyclic hopes and despairs, and a great love for an unknowable, indescribable freedom. And deathlessness is timelessness. Immortality is to live deep, not necessarily long. Another Kumbha beckons us. Can we go beyond the ritualistic dip, and honestly observe life as it is, within and around us?

The myth ~ History and folklore: So, the demigods and the demons, vigorous and adventurous as they were, thought of adding to their bounties. And got together, uncharacteristically, for a joint exploration mission. Together they churned the great sea using the great mountain as the churner and the great python as the rope. One of the first things to show up was the great fuming poison. Shiva protected the three worlds by consuming the poison. And then emerged the nectar of immortality. The mission had succeeded.

The ambrosia had been churned out from the depths of the great ocean, and was now available to be gulped down some ambitious throats. Both parties looked lustfully at their biggest exploit: the pot — Kumbha — of nectar that would put an end to death, and make them invincible. But death is so overwhelming a threat that the prospect of deathlessness can make anyone do strange things. One individual, probably a devata, probably a Danav, particularly inspired to make it big in life, simply ran away with the pot. Obviously, others gave him a hot pursuit.

On the run, he had to pause at four places on planet Earth to catch his breath. Trembling as his hands were, thinking of his infuriated and powerful brethren, a bit of the nectar fell at these four places. The Kumbha is celebrated at the four places as a mark of immortality reaching mankind. Since millennia, devotees have been taking bath in Ganga, Shipra, Godavari — the Kumbha rivers — hoping to gain freedom from the clutch of death. The above content are excerpts from the following article which was recently published in DNA - a reputed Indian daily newspaper: “Kumbha: Churning of mind to escape cyclic hopes and despairs”

The Kumbha Mela is an extremely sacred and pious Hindu festival, celebrated in India. It is the revered Hindu festival that dignifies the Hindu religion, full of cultural and traditional values. Factually, the Hindu festivals served a perfect example of unity among diversity. The Kumbha Mela Allahabad 2019 is the perfect instance showing the collection of the Hindus pilgrimage, gathered for the sacred bath. For More info Go Through: www.thekumbhyatra.com.

Here are the five interesting facts about this mega event:1. Probably the first historical description of this great fair in Prayag was found in 643CE in the writings of Chinese Buddhist monk Hsuan Tsang who had been in India. He wrote about the gathering of pilgrims in Prayag during the month of Magh as an ‘age-long festival’.

2. The mythological significance of Kumbha can be traced from the story of the 'Samudra Manthan' done by the gods and demons to obtain the pot of nectar /Amrit for attaining immortality.

3. During the struggle to gain this pot full of Amrit, a fight ensued between gods and demons and drops of Amrit spilled near Prayag, Nashik-Trimbakeshwar, Haridwar, and Ujjain. The rivers situated in these areas are considered to be carrying the nectar that fell from the pot.

4. It is mainly the three traditional 'shahi snan' days which marks the whole event, first being the Makar Sankranti, Mauni Amavasya, and Vasant Panchami. Besides, there are other spiritually auspicious bathing days - Paush Purnima, Magh Purnima, and Maha Shivratri.

5. The fair is also known as Ardha Kumbha as it held after every six years. The Ardha Kumbha is organised only in Prayagraj and Haridwar, marking the midway stage between the celebrations of the Purna Kumbh Mela every 12 years. Om Namah Shivay