"Kumbh Mela" - The Religious Hindu Pilgrimage

"Kumbh Mela" - The Religious Hindu Pilgrimage

          "Kumbh Mela" or "Kumbha Mela" is a mass Hindi Pilgrimage in which a large number of Hinduism followers gather to bathe in the holy river, in faith that taking a bath in the holy river during the Kumbh Mela will cleanse all their sins and get them a step closer to salvation. The festival is one of the largest peaceful gatherings in the world, and it is considered as "World's largest congregation of religious pilgrims". 

Haridwar Kumbh Mela

          Traditionally, four fairs at four sites are widely recognized as Kumbh Melas.

1)The Haridwar Kumbh Mela, at Haridwar on the river Ganga.
2)The Allahabad Kumbh Mela, at Prayag(Modern Allahabad) on the confluence of The Ganga, The Yamuna, and The mythical Saraswati. 
3)The Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhasta, at Nashik on the river Godavari.
4)The Ujjain Simhasta, at Ujjain on river Shipra.

          At a particular place, Kumbh Mela is held only once in twelve years. On rotation, Kumbh Mela is celebrated four times at four different places in twelve years. 
In addition to the Kumbh Mela, An "Ardh(Half) Kumbh Mela" is also held between two Purna(Full) Kumbh Melas at Prayag and Haridwar. Also, at Allahabad(Prayag) a Maha Kumbh Mela is held once in 144 years.

The Ritual

          Kumbh Mela is one of the most sacred of all the pilgrimages.

          

          The major event of the festival is ritual bathing at the banks of the holy rivers at whichever place the Kumbh Mela occurs. Also, one of the major events is Peshwai Procession, which marks the arrival of the members of the sect of Sadhus(Holy Men) at Kumbh Mela. The Sadhus are seen in saffron sheets with Vibhuti Ashes dabbed on their skin as per ancient traditions. Some, called Naga(Naked) Sanyasis, may not wear any clothes even in severe winters, This is considered as a sign of separation from the material world. 

          Other activities include religious discussions and religious assemblies where doctrines(beliefs) are debated and standardized, devotional singing and mass feeding of Holy men and women and the poor.

          Darshan

          Darshan or respectful visual exchange between sadhus and pilgrims is an important part of Kumbh Mela. People who participate in Kumbh Mela, commonly form two major groups the Sadhus(Holy men) and the pilgrims. The Sadhus articulate the transitory aspect of life through their continual yogic practices. Sadhus travel to Kumbh Mela to make themselves available to the Hindu people who visit the Kumbh Mela. They give instructions and advice to the Hindu pilgrims for their spiritual lives. The Kumbh Mela is arranged in camps so as to give the Hindu worshipers access to the Sadhus.

Mythical Origin

          According to Hindu mythology, The origin of Kumbh Mela can be found in the legend of Samudra Manthan(Churning of the sea). In the Fight between the Devas(Deities) and the Asuras(Demons), when the Asuras where winning, In order to stop the fight, Lord Shiva adviced them for Samudra Manthan from which the Amrit(Drink of Immortality) was produced. The Devas and Asuras began to fight for Amrit. Meanwhile, to save Amrit from them, the Divine carrier "Dhanvantri" got away with the Amrit Kumbh(pot). It is said that while carrying the Amrit Kumbh, the Amrit spilled at four places, Haridwar, Prayag, Nashik, and Ujjain. Since then Kumbh Mela is celebrated at these four places.

Dates

          The exact dates of the Kumbh Mela are determined, as per the Vikram Samvat calendar using the principles of Jyotisha(Astrology), According to combinations of zodiac positions of the Sun, the Jupiter, and the Moon. The Kumbh Mela at Nashik and Ujjain are held when the planet is in Leo(Simha in Hindu Astrology), in case called Simhasta.

          Kumbh Mela at Prayag occurs after three years of the Haridwar Kumbh Mela, following the Nashik Kumbh Mela after three years of Prayag Kumbh Mela. The Nashik and Ujjain Kumbh Mela occurs in the same year or has a year gap. These occurrences rotate every twelve years.

          People attend this festival of peace and power and feel the divinity of the holy rivers and the festival. They get to learn about the spiritual life and feel the divine power of the Kumbh Mela. There are several myths that during Kumbh Mela the city faces huge traffic and there are chaotic situations in Kumbh Mela, but the fact is everything is well arranged with proper camps and volunteers and good traffic controls.

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