Kumbh Mela Festivals - कुंभ मेले समारोह
|
Kumbh Mela is a mega event that is organized four times in every twelve years in India. The festivity has truly come into the limelight and acquired fame not just in India, but made its presence felt even abroad. The celebration of Kumbh Mela takes places at four different places, namely Prayag (Allahabad), Ujjain, Haridwar and Nasik. Maha Kumbh mela, also known as the great Kumbh mela, is held only once in twelve years in Allahabad.
Millions of devotees come from all across the country to witness this distinguished festivity. The credit for initiating the Kumbha Mela festivity can be attributed to the King Harshvardhana of Ujjain, who took it as an opportunity to make donations to help the poor and needy and to strengthen the faith of people of all religions in the divine power.
The festival is visited by the most amazing saints from all across India. The Naga Sadhus are one such, who never any cloth and are smeared in ash. They have long matted hairs and are not at all affected by the extremes of heat and cold. Then there are the Urdhwavahurs, who believe in putting the body through severe austerities. There are the Parivajakas, who have taken a vow of silence and go about tinkling little bells to get people out of their way. The Shirshasins stand all 24 hours and meditate for hours standing on their heads. Spending the entire month of Kumbh on the banks of Ganga, meditating, performing rituals and bathing thrice a day, are the Kalpvasis.
It is believed that bathing during Kumbh cures the bather of all sins and evils and grants the bather, salvation. It is also believed that at the time of Kumbh Yoga, the water of Sangam (confluence of rivers at Allahabad) is charged with positive healing effects and that water at the time of Kumbh is charged positively by enhanced electromagnetic radiation of the Sun, Moon and the Jupiter, the flux of which also varies in accordance to positions and the phases of the moon, and also by the + and - signs of the sun spots. As per Puranas (Hindu Scripts) properties of river water at Allahabad has been referred to as Amrit or elexir.
Millions of devotees come from all across the country to witness this distinguished festivity. The credit for initiating the Kumbha Mela festivity can be attributed to the King Harshvardhana of Ujjain, who took it as an opportunity to make donations to help the poor and needy and to strengthen the faith of people of all religions in the divine power.
The Religious Importance
The festival is religiously most important for the Hindus. At every Kumbh occasion, millions of Hindus take part in the celebrations. During 2001 Kumbh at Allahabad, more than 35 million devoteed gathered at the site. Saints, priests, and yogis from all corners of India, gather to participate in Kumbh. Of all the places, Allahabad is the most sacred place and is the site for the Maha Kumbh Mela (The Grand Kumbh Fair).The festival is visited by the most amazing saints from all across India. The Naga Sadhus are one such, who never any cloth and are smeared in ash. They have long matted hairs and are not at all affected by the extremes of heat and cold. Then there are the Urdhwavahurs, who believe in putting the body through severe austerities. There are the Parivajakas, who have taken a vow of silence and go about tinkling little bells to get people out of their way. The Shirshasins stand all 24 hours and meditate for hours standing on their heads. Spending the entire month of Kumbh on the banks of Ganga, meditating, performing rituals and bathing thrice a day, are the Kalpvasis.
It is believed that bathing during Kumbh cures the bather of all sins and evils and grants the bather, salvation. It is also believed that at the time of Kumbh Yoga, the water of Sangam (confluence of rivers at Allahabad) is charged with positive healing effects and that water at the time of Kumbh is charged positively by enhanced electromagnetic radiation of the Sun, Moon and the Jupiter, the flux of which also varies in accordance to positions and the phases of the moon, and also by the + and - signs of the sun spots. As per Puranas (Hindu Scripts) properties of river water at Allahabad has been referred to as Amrit or elexir.
The Occasion
The Maha Kumbh mela takes place every 12 year at Allahabad, next due in 2013. The festival lasts for more than 1 month. During this period, the city witness arrival and departure of more than 30 million pilgrims. The most auspicious day for the holy dip is the day of the revered saint Amavasya, when the banks of the Sangam are flooded with devotees to as far as the eyes can behold. Other sacred days marked by celebrations are Makar Sankranti, Magi Poornima, Paush Poornima, Basant Panchmi, and Maha Shivratri. (Hindus consider the period when the sun enters the zodiac known as Makar or Capricorn as most auspicious and beneficial, and rejoice and pray on the day of Makar Sankranti.
