Kumbh
Mela 2019
KumbhMela inscribed on the UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural
Heritage of Humanity, is a mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith in which Hindus
gather to bathe in a sacred or holy river. Traditionally, four fairs are widely
recognized as the Kumbh Melas: the Haridwar Kumbh Mela, the Allahabad Kumbh
Mela, the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha, and Ujjain Simhastha. These four
fairs are held periodically at one of the following places by rotation:
Haridwar, Allahabad (Prayaga), Nashik district (Nashik and Trimbak), and
Ujjain. The main festival site is located on the banks of a river: the Ganges
(Ganga) at Haridwar; the confluence (Sangam) of the Ganges and the Yamuna and
the invisible Sarasvati at Allahabad; the Godavari at Nashik; and the Shipra at
Ujjain. Bathing in these rivers is thought to cleanse a person of all sins.
At
any given place, the Kumbh Mela is held once in 12 years. There is a difference
of around 3 years between the Kumbh Melas at Haridwar and Nashik; the fairs at
Nashik and Ujjain are celebrated in the same year or one year apart. The exact
date is determined, as per Vikram Samvat calendar and the principles of
Jyotisha, according to a combination of zodiac positions of the Jupiter, the
Sun and the Moon. At Nashik and Ujjain, the Mela may be held while a planet is
in Leo (Simha in Hindu astrology); in this case, it is also known as Simhastha.
At Haridwar and Allahabad, an Ardha ("Half") Kumbh Mela is held every
sixth year; a Maha ("Great") Kumbh Mela occurs after 144 years.
The
priests at other places have also claimed their local fairs to be Kumbh Melas.
For example, the Mahamaham festival at Kumbakonam, held once in 12 years, is also
portrayed as a Kumbh Mela.
The
exact age of the festival is uncertain. According to medieval Hindu mythology,
Lord Vishnu dropped drops of Amrita (the drink of immortality) at four places,
while transporting it in a kumbha . These four places are identified as the
present-day sites of the Kumbh Mela. The name "Kumbh Mela" literally
means "kumbha fair". It is known as "Kumbh" in Hindi (due
to schwa deletion); in Sanskrit and some other Indian languages, it is more
often known by its original name "Kumbha".
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