kumbh-mela-uttar-pradesh

www.kumbhamela.net

www.kumbh2010haridwar.gov.in

> SAVE GANGA <

Kumbh Mela (Devanagari: कुम्भ मेला) is a mass Hindu pilgrimage. It occurs after every twelve years and rotates among four locations: Prayag (Allahabad) at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna and mythical Saraswati river, Haridwar along the Ganga river, Ujjain along the Kshipra river and Nashik along the Godavari river. The Ardh Kumbh Mela is celebrated every six years at Haridwar and Prayag, while the Purna (complete) Kumbh takes place at four places Prayag (Allahabad),Haridwar,Ujjain,and Nashik after every twelve years. Over 45 days beginning in January 2007, more than 17 million Hindu pilgrims took part in the Ardh Kumbh Mela at Prayag, and on January 15, the most auspicious day of the festival of Makar Sankranti, more than 5 million participated. The Maha Kumbh Mela (‚Great‘ Kumbh Mela) which comes after 12 ‚Purna Kumbh Melas‘ which is after every 144 years is also held at Allahabad. The 2001, Maha Kumbh Mela was attended by around 60 million people, making it the largest gathering anywhere in the world. Read More > HERE <

The observance of Kumbh Mela dates back many centuries in Ancient India, to the Vedic period, where the river festivals first started getting organised.

 

* The Dalai Lama at the Kumbh Mela *

In Hindu mythology, its origin is found the one of the popular creation myths and the Hindu theories on evolution, the Samudra manthan episode (Churning of the ocean of milk), which finds mention in the Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Purana, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.

The pilgrimage occurs four times every twelve years, once at each of the four locations. Each twelve-year cycle includes the Maha (great) Kumbha Mela at Prayag, attended by millions of people, making it the largest pilgrimage gathering around the world.