Kumbh Mela
[[Image:Mahakumbh.jpg|thumb|The largest religious gathering on Earth. [
1][
2] [
3]Around 70 million people (followers of
Hinduism) from around the world participated in Kumbh Mela at one of the Hindu Holy city
Prayag (
India).]]
Kumbh Mela (the Urn Festival) is a
Hindu pilgrimage that occurs four times every twelve years and rotates between four locations:
Prayag,
Haridwar,
Ujjain and
Nashik. Each twelve-year cycle includes one
Maha Kumbh Mela (
Great Kumbh Mela) at Prayag, which is attended by millions of people, making it the largest gathering anywhere in the world.
The precise dates of the
Kumbh Mela are astrologically determined, based upon the positions of the
Sun, the
Moon and
Jupiter. At
Prayag, the
Maha Kumbh Mela is held in the month of
Magha (January/February in the
Gregorian calendar). The highest spiritual merit is attached to bathing on the new moon day, when Jupiter is in
Taurus and both the Sun and Moon are in
Capricorn. At
Haridwar, the Kumbh Mela is held in the months of
Phalgun and
Chaitra (February/March/April), when the Sun passes to
Aries, the Moon is in
Sagittarius and Jupiter is in
Aquarius. In
Ujjain, the festival is held in the month of
Vaishakha (May), when other planets are in
Libra, the Sun and Moon are in
Aries and Jupiter is in
Leo. At
Nashik, the Kumbh Mela takes place in the month of
Shravana (July), when the Sun and Moon are in
Cancer and Jupiter is in
Scorpio.
It is also said that the elixir of life is filled in a Kumbh (Pot) in Swarg (heaven) so with certain combination of Sun - Moon - Jupiter combination, the elixir falls from heaven to earth, and kumbh mela is held on that locations.
The observance of Kumbh Mela is based upon the following legend: Thousands of years ago, in the
Vedic period, gods and demons made a temporary agreement to work together churning
amrita (the nectar of immortality) from the
Ksheera Sagara (primordial ocean of milk), and to share the nectar equally. However, when the
Kumbh (urn) containing the amrita appeared, the demons ran away with it 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 possession of this pot of amrita. It is said that during the battle, drops of amrita fell at four places:
Prayag,
Haridwar,
Ujjain and
Nashik. Thus, the Kumbh Mela is observed at these four locations where the nectar fell.
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The Triveni Sangam, or the intersection of Yamuna River and Ganges River, where devotees perform rituals. |
Kumbh Mela is attended by millions of people on a single day. The major event of this festival is a ritual bath at the banks of the rivers in each town. Other activities include religious discussions, devotional singing, mass feeding of holy men and women and the poor, and religious assemblies where doctrines are debated and standardized. Kumbh Mela (especially the Maha Kumbh Mela) is the most sacred of all the Hindu pilgrimages. Thousands of holy men and women (monks, saints and
sadhus) attend, and the auspiciousness of the festival is in part attributable to this.
When the Kumbh Mela was held in
Nashik,
India, from
July 27 to
September 7 2003, 39 pilgrims (28 women and 11 men) were trampled to death and 57 were injured (keeping in mind that the number of devotees attending the fair was around 70 million). Devotees had gathered on the banks of the
Godavari river for the
maha snaan or holy bath. Over 30,000 pilgrims were being held back by barricades in a narrow street leading to the
Ramkund, a holy spot, so the
sadhus could take the first ceremonial bath. Reportedly, a sadhu threw some silver coins into the crowd and the subsequent scramble led to the stampede (possibly considering the coin from a sadhu as an object of reverence, as a sadhu is considered, although not necessarily in this particular case, a highly respected and enlightened human being).
Every six years there is an Ardh or half Mela at Allahabad (2007). The actual dates are dependent on stellar constellations and will be announced nearer to the time.
*
Mela Festival A comprehensive guide to Mela Festivals, What's On, News, Features and Forum.
*
Kumbha Mela*
A Description of the Maha Kumbha Mela Experience, by Stephen Knapp
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Kumbh Mela pictured from space*
Gods, Gurus and the Ganges: 70 Million gather for India's monumental Maha Kumbh Mela, by Karl GroblThe next Kumbh mela will be held in Allahabad in Feb2007
