Indian Festivals: Kumbhamela

The Kumbha-Mela

Kumbha Melas are celebrated once in twelve years. Prayag (Allahabad), Haridwar, Nasik, and Ujjain are the major centres of Kumbha Mela. The Ardh-Kumbha is celebrated every six years. Religious discourses, non-stop recitations of the Vedas, epics and the Puranas are held in the camps, specially set up for the Kumbha Mela.

The Allahabad Kumbamela is considered the largest human agglomeration the world over. It is held at Prayag Thriveni Sangamam, the meeting place of the three rivers - Ganges, Yamuna and the subterranean Saraswati. About two million pilgrims from all over the country take a holy dip at the Thriveni (conflux of the three rivers). 

At other places over a million people partake in the festival, holy ablutions and dips in the holy rivers of Krishna and Godavari. 

According to legends, Kumbhamela is in remembrance of the churning out of 'Amrut' from 'Palaazhi'. The story is like this: once the gods and demons fought for a long time, but neither could post a win. They came to know of a pot (Kumbha) of nectar lying at the bed of the ocean that could make the drinker immortal. For getting the nectar, they put the Mandhara Mountain as a churning rod and the great serpent Vasuki as the churning string. 

They eventually found the pot of nectar but the battle among the gods and the demons continued and during the struggle, a few drops of the nectar fell at Prayag, Hardwar, Nasik and Ujjain. The war ultimately resulted in victory for the gods and since then Kumbha Mela is held in these places every twelve years.