Kumbh Mela is a Hindu festival where millions gather to bathe in rivers on auspicious days to purify their souls. It is a month of music, dance, prayer and ceremonies. Four riverside sites correspond to the four Kumbh Melas that take place every three years. The exact dates vary depending on astrological auspicious days. The festival attracts millions of people, including holy men and devotees, who occupy a gigantic city of tents for weeks of meditations, ritual bathing, and wisdom exchanges. It is a blend of mythology, culture, and deep spiritual beliefs.
During the Hindu festival, Kumbh Mela, millions of people gather to bathe in the waters of certain rivers on auspicious days to purify their souls. Depending on the year of the 12-year cycle, sages, yogis and devotees gather in temporary cities for a month of music, dance, prayer and ceremonies. Based on the ancient deeds of gods who consecrated four riverside sites with the honey of immortality, Kumbh Mela is the Hindu equivalent of a holy pilgrimage.
According to the story, there was a vessel, the kumbh, filled with the elixir or nectar of immortality. Yet the gods argued over who should carry the vessel, and in the process, four drops fell in four different places. These became known as Prayag, Hardiwar, Ujjain and Nasik and correspond to the four Kumbh Mela which take place every three years. On astrologically auspicious days, determined by the paths of the planets, nectar is said to return to these rivers so that bathing in them brings peace and purification.
Prayag occurs at the point where the Ganges and Yamuna rivers meet the legendary river Saraswati. Haridwar takes people to the Ganges where it flows from the Himalayan mountains into the broad valley. Ujjain is located at the Ksipra River, while the Godavari River is the site of the Kumbh Mela called Nasik. The exact dates of each pilgrimage vary from year to year, depending on when the Sun enters Aries and Jupiter enters Aquarius.
The Kumbh Mela in 2001 attracted as many as 20 million people in one day. This is perhaps the largest convergence of people in the history of the Earth. Both holy men, including ascetics, sages, sadhus, yogis, and the staunch believer, devotee, meet for weeks of meditations, ritual bathing, and wisdom exchanges. They occupy a gigantic city of tents, divided into markets, ashrams or temples for meditation and living quarters.
Some days are more sacred for bathing than others, according to the stars, and non-Hindus are asked to respectfully stay out of the water on these days. Otherwise, the banks are crowded with crowds of tourists and Hindus alike, who pray, play music on drums, burn incense, recite prayers and recite mantras. It is an extraordinary ceremony that blends mythology, culture and deep spiritual beliefs.
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