Kumbh Mela

Manifestation Of Faith.

Held in high esteem, Kumbh Mela is an important Hindu Pilgrimage. Attracting an overwhelming number of devotees from across the country, Kumbh Mela is held four times every twelve years, once at each of these four places—Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. The Maha Kumbh Mela(Great Kumbh Mela) is a sacred event hosted once in twelve years at Prayag(Allahabad), and draws around 60 million devotees. Maha Kumbh Mela is undoubtedly the largest gathering in the world. On the day of Kumbha Mela devotees take a ritual bath on the banks of the rivers in each town. Devotional songs are also sung by the devotees, holy men, and women, and the poor are offered food. It is believed that a bath in any of these four sacred rivers  purifies the life and frees the devotee of his/her sins.

There is an interesting legend associated with Kumbh Mela.  Kumbh Mela has been celebrated in India since the Vedic times ( thousands of years ago). During that period the gods and demons decided to work together to churn out amrit(the nector of immortality) from the Ksheera Sagar(primordial ocean of milk). Both the gods and demons had mutually agreed to equally share the amrita afterwards. After a lot of hard work, the demons cheated on the gods and ran away with the urn of nector. The gods ran after the demons and fought with them for 12 years for the urn of amrita. According to sages of that era, during the battle, drops of amrita fell on four places on earth—Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. Thus Kumbh Mela is celebrated at these four places.

Kumbh Mela begins every twelve years on the auspicious day of Makar Sankranti and continues for the next 40 days. According to astrology, this is the day when the sun and moon enter Capricorn and Jupiter enters Aries. It is believed that on this day the passage from Earth to heaven is open.

The upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela will be in Allahabad from January 27 to February 25, 2013. Allahabad city in Uttar Pradesh attracts hordes of tourists every year.

Some major attractions of this city are:

Sangam: A holy place where the confluence of three sacred rivers-Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati takes place.

Allahabad Museum: This museum was established in 1931. It houses Rajasthani miniatures, paintings of Nicholas Roerich, terracotta figurines, ancient sculptures, and much more.

Swaraj Bhavan: Formerly known as Anand Bhawan, it is the ancestral home of the Nehru-Gandhi family and today it is one of the best museums in India.

Allahabad Fort: This fort was built by Mughal emperor Akbar in AD 1583. Standing tall on the Yamuna bank, this fort is a fine example of the architectural magnificence of Mughal era.

Patalpuri Temple: Dedicated to Lord Rama, this underground temple is located inside the Allahabad Fort.

The auspicious bathing dates of this mega fair are:

14th January 2013 (Makar Sankranti)
27th January 2013 (Paush Purnima)
6th February 2013 (Ekadashi Snan)
10th February 2013 (Mauni Amavasya Snan)
15th February 2013 (Basant Panchami Snan)
17th February 2013 (Rath Saptami Snan)
18th February 2013 (Bhisma Ashtami Snan)
25th February 2013 (Maghi Purnima Snan).