About Kumbh Mela

Etymologically 'Kumbha'  means 'pot' and 'Mela' means 'fair' that together form the Kumbh Mela.  It is a mass Hindu pilgrimage which is celebrated when the Jupiter enters Aquarius and the Sun enters Aries. This is the oldest and the largest religious gathering in the world that attracts millions of pilgrims from across the globe. Kumbh Mela is held in every twelve years, once at each of these four places—Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik.

Origin of the Kumbh is very old which dates back to the creation of the universe. According to Hindu mythology and legends when all Gods and Goddesses became weak because of the curse then Brahma (the creator of the Universe) advised them to churn the Milky Ocean for Amrita (the nectar of immortality) which will immortalise them and help regain their lost power and glory. Brahma also suggested that in this course they need to take help from demons (Asuras). Thus in quest of immortality a temporary agreement was made between the Gods and demons on basis of sharing equal proportion of the obtained nectar.

The Samudramanthan (churning of ocean) began with the  Mandara Mountain as the churning rod and Vasuki the king of serpents as the rope. They churned the ocean for a 1,000 year, then appeared Dhanwantari, the divine healer with the Kumbh (Pitcher) containing nectar in his palms. To prevent the Amrita Kalasha (Pot of Nectar) being forcibly taken into possession by Asuras, the four gods Shani,  Brahaspati, Chandra and Surya took it into their custody and ensured its equal distribution between god and demon.

When Asuras forcibly tried to take it into their possession the four gods ran away with the Amrita Kalasha to hide it from the Asuras. As a result a fierce battle was fought between god and demons for the possession of Amrita pot. This battle was fought for twelve days and twelve nights which is equivalent to twelve human years.  It is said that during this battle god hid this Amrita Kalasha at fours places i.e. Nashik, Ujjain, Prayag and Haridwar. In order to commemorate this holy event of the Amrita Kalasha being put at four different places, Kumbh Mela is celebrated at four designated holy places of India.

The festival is religiously most important for the Hindus. At every Kumbh occasion millions of Hindus take part in the celebrations. According to the Hindu mythology it is believed that taking a dip in the holy river removes all past sins and evils from an individual's life. Due to this religious belief it is attended by millions of people from various parts of the world. There is a popular belief that bathing during Kumbh cleanses one's sins and prepares one for Moksha. Another belief associated with it is that during this period zodiacal positioning  of Sun, Moon and Jupiter casts positive healing effects to the holy rivers of these four places. 

The Indian mythological Scriptures Brahma Purana and Vishnu Purana state that bathing during Kumbh is equal to millions of Ashvamedha rituals. But the first written evidence of the Kumbha Mela can be found in the accounts of Chinese traveller, Huan Tsang or Xuanzang (602 - 664 A.D.) who visited India in 629 -645 CE, during the reign of King Harshavardhana. According to his record during the Hindu month of Magha  people gathered on the banks of the Ganges at Allahabad to celebrate this mass pilgrimage for 75 days.

He also said that Kings along with scholars, ministers and courts-men used to gather on the Ganga banks to become a part of this celestial celebration. During this period King would distribute his enormous wealth to the poor and needy. During the mela religious theology is discussed, debated and discoursed by saints and hermits. Later on in the eight century the Adi Guru Shankarachraya, a prominent Indian saint popularized the Kumbha Mela among the common people.