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2013 Mahakumbh Mela
Maha Kumbh is the largest human gathering in history for the
single cause, This auspicious time & space is attended by millions of
people on a single day. Since the beginning of time Kumbh has been a center of
hindu culture & faith. the participants from all the walks of life attend
this cosmic zone. Irrespective of all worldly barriers of caste, creed, region,
the Kumbh Mela has wielded a mesmeric influence over the minds and the
imagination of the ordinary Indian.
The devout believe that simply by bathing in the Ganges zone
is freed from their past sins (karma), and thus one becomes eligible for
liberation from the cycle of birth and death. 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. Millions of holy men and women (saints , monks, and
sadhus) attend this spectacle of faith.
Kumbh's history originates from the beginning of
the Creation. All devtas were under the influence of a curse that made them
weak and coward, Brahma, (the creator God) advised them to churn the ocean for
Amrit (Nectar), intake of which will make them immortal, devtas sough the help
of demons for the purpose. gods and demons made a temporary agreement to work
together in obtaining amrita (the nectar of immortality) from the Milky Ocean,
and to share this equally.The Mandara Mountain was used as a churning rod, and
Vasuki, the king of serpents, became the rope for churning. With the demigods
at Vasuki's tail and the demons at his head, they churned the ocean for a 1,000
years. Eventually, Dhanwantari, the divine healer, appeared with the
"Kumbh" containing nectar in his palms, when the Kumbha (pot)
containing the amrita appeared, the demons ran away with the pot and were
chased by the gods. By their joint churning Amrit was one of the resultants,
found in the last. A battle ensured.For twelve days and twelve nights (equivalent
to twelve human years) the gods and demons fought in the sky for the possession
of this pot of amrita. It is said that during the battle, drops of amrita fell
on to four places : Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. Kumbha mela is observed
at these four locations where the nectar fell.
Maha Kumbh is held after every twelve years,
which is once in life time event, if somehow you have missed Maha Kumbh, then
other option of similar significance is Ardh Kumbh which held after every 6 years.
Kumbh is held at four places.
·
Prayag (near the city of Allahabad, in
the state of Uttar Pradesh) at the confluence of three rivers Ganga (Ganges),
Yamuna and Saraswati.
·
Haridwar (in the state of Uttarakhand)
where the river Ganga enters the plains from Himalayas.
·
Ujjain (in Madhya Pradesh), on the banks
of Ksipra river, and
·
Nasik (in Maharashtra) on the banks of
Godavari river.
Kumbha Mela is "the world's most massive act
of faith' – the largest congregation of devotees at one place. It
is believed that by bathing in the Ganges during Kumbh, one is freed from one's
past sins (karma), and thus becomes eligible for liberation from the cycle
of birth and death.
According to
astrological calculations, the Kumbha Mela is held every twelve years and
begins on Makar Sankranti, the day when the sun and moon enter Capricorn
and Jupiter enters Aries. The astrological
configuration on Makar Sankranti is called " Kumbhasnanayoga" and is
considered to be especially auspicious, as it is said that the passage from
Earth to the higher planets is open at that time, thus allowing the soul to
easily attain the celestial world.
