Mahakumbh is going to start from Monday in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. This fair, a symbol of Indian culture, spirituality and faith, is organized every 12 years. Mahakumbh is a celebration of the mythological traditions and spiritual heritage of India. Every 12 years, Maha Kumbh is organized in Prayagraj on the banks of Sangam, where Ganga, Yamuna and invisible Saraswati meet. The Maha Kumbh event will start from January 13, 2025, and continue till February 26.
Mahakumbh will be the largest gathering of humanity in the world, which will be organized in an area of 4,000 hectares. Along with crores of devotees, lakhs of sages and saints also come to Kumbh for which special preparations are made. This time more than 40 crore devotees are expected to come to Mahakumbh. Devotees coming not only from all over the country but also from all over the world will take a dip in the Sangam. Different colors of Babas are being seen in the Kumbh Mela. Some are impressing with their unique feats in the field and some are in the news because of their unique resolutions and vows.
50 lakh people took a dip a day before Paush Purnima
It is believed that taking bath in the Kumbh Mela frees one from sins. There was a war between the gods and demons for 12 years to get the nectar that came out of the churning of the ocean. Kumbh Mela is organized at the places where drops of nectar fell from the Kalash during this war. Due to the war going on for 12 years, Kumbh comes once in every 12 years. The bath of Maha Kumbh is known as the royal bath.
A day before Paush Purnima, the first bath of Maha Kumbh, a large number of devotees took a dip in the Sangam. On Sunday, before the first bath of Paush Purnima, about 50 lakh devotees took a dip of faith in the Sangam. A large number of saints as well as men, women, elderly and children took a dip in the Sangam. Earlier on Saturday also, 33 lakh devotees had taken bath in Sangam.
Auspicious time for first royal bath
The first royal bath of Mahakumbh will take place today on the auspicious occasion of full moon. According to the Hindu calendar, the Purnima Tithi will begin on January 13 i.e. today at 5:03 AM and the Tithi will end on January 14 at 3:56 AM.
There will be six royal baths in Prayagraj Kumbh Mela. The first royal bath of Mahakumbh Mela will take place on 13th January i.e. today. The second Shahi Snan will be on Makar Sankranti on 14 January 2025, the third Shahi Snan will be on 29 January 2025 on Mauni Amavasya, the fourth Shahi Snan will be on Basant Panchami on 2 February 2025, the fifth Shahi Snan will be on Magh Purnima on 12 February 2025 and the last Shahi Snan will be on It will happen on Mahashivratri on 26 February 2025.
Special arrangements for Kalpavas in Kumbh
The Maha Kumbh will begin on Monday with the Paush Purnima Snan, which marks the beginning of the month-long ‘Kalpvas’ at the Sangam in Prayagraj. On one hand, while lakhs of devotees will take a dip in the holy Sangam, on the other hand a large number of people will also follow the ancient tradition of Kalpvas on the banks of Sangam. A senior official said, ‘During Kalpvas, devotees stay at the Sangam for a month with dedication and discipline. They take a holy dip in the Ganga thrice, perform japa, meditate, worship and participate in sermons. It is estimated that during Mahakumbh 2025, about 10 lakh devotees will perform Kalpvas.
Officials said that Mahakumbh is not only the biggest event of Sanatan faith, but it is also the carrier of many Sanatan traditions, one of which is observing Kalpvas at Sangam. According to ancient beliefs, Kalpavas starts from Paush Purnima and continues for a month till Magh Purnima. Officials said that this year Kalpvas will start from January 13 to February 12 at the Sangam, during which the devotees will strictly follow the prescribed rituals.
Prayagraj Fair Authority has made all necessary arrangements including setting up about 1.6 lakh tents for the Kalpvasis on the banks of Ganga from Jhunsi to Phaphamau. These tents also have electricity and water connections along with toilets. The official said that about 650 km long checkered plate temporary roads and 30 pontoon bridges have been built to provide easy access to the tents.
Ration and cylinders will be provided to Kalpavasis at cheap rates. Officials said special ghats have been built for the holy dip in the Ganga, along with security measures like deployment of water police and barricades along the river. Bonfires have been arranged to protect the devotees from the cold and hospitals have been built in the fair area to address health concerns.
The impact of the yagyas performed in Kumbh is much greater.
Ahead of the first major bath to be held on the occasion of Paush Purnima on Monday, saints and people associated with spirituality said that this time the Maha Kumbh will give more strength to the country, devotees and pilgrims as compared to the previous events. The saints said that any yagya performed during Kumbh in Prayagraj will have a much greater impact than any yagya performed on other occasions at any other place.
Principal Secretary of Urban Development Department, Amrit Abhijat said, ‘People have started coming for Mahakumbh 2025. All arrangements have been made for Mahakumbh 2025. About 40 organizations are studying how Mahakumbh 2025 will be managed. They want to see what kind of arrangements the state government is making for Mahakumbh 2025.
The government on Sunday said the Tourism Ministry is all set to make this year’s Maha Kumbh a ‘landmark event’ not only for spiritual gatherings but also for global tourism. The Ministry is taking several initiatives to celebrate this important occasion, aimed at promoting domestic and international tourism.
Very strict security arrangements
Strict security arrangements have been made during Mahakumbh. Security personnel are deployed at every nook and corner. Prayagraj DIG Vaibhav Krishna gave this information. 102 fronts have been formed for checking and frisking of vehicles and persons coming and going in all the 7 road routes connecting Prayagraj and the 8 districts falling on them, where 1026 policemen have been deployed. These include 71 inspectors, 234 sub-inspectors, 645 constables and head constables and 76 women constables.
Apart from this, 113 Home Guard and PRD personnel and 3 section PAC have also been deployed. Besides, these routes are being continuously monitored 24 hours by 5 Vajra vehicles, 10 drones and 4 anti-sabotage teams (AS Check Team). DGP Headquarters has attached 23 IPS officers of the year 2022 and 2023 batch for the Mahakumbh Mela.
Uttar Pradesh DGP Prashant Kumar said that an impenetrable security cordon has been created in the districts adjacent to Prayagraj district under Operation Chakravyuh. Under this operation, police and other security agencies will together ensure the safety of the devotees.
Many singers will perform in Kumbh
Kailash Kher, Shankar Mahadevan, Kavita Krishnamurthy and many other singers will perform in Prayagraj during Mahakumbh. The Ministry of Culture has set up ‘Kalagram’, a vibrant cultural space in the Kumbh Mela area to celebrate the confluence of India’s art, culture and heritage. In a statement on Sunday, the Culture Ministry shared the names of some of the most famous singers who are going to perform in Prayagraj. These include the names of Shankar Mahadevan, Mohit Chauhan, Kailash Kher, Hans Raj Hans, Hariharan, Kavita Krishnamurthy and Maithili Thakur.
Historical importance of Maha Kumbh Mela
According to belief, the Maha Kumbh Mela is considered to be related to the churning of the ocean. According to the story, once Indra and other gods became weak due to the curse of sage Durvasa. Taking advantage of this, the demons attacked the gods and the gods were defeated in this war. Then all the gods together went to Lord Vishnu for help and told him the whole story. Lord Vishnu along with the demons advised him to churn the ocean and extract nectar from there.
When the pot of nectar emerged from the churning of the ocean, Lord Indra’s son Jayanta flew into the sky carrying it. Seeing all this, the demons also ran after Jayant to take the nectar pot and after a lot of efforts, the demons got the pot of nectar in their hands. After this, there was a war between the gods and demons for 12 days to establish their control over the Amrit Kalash. During Samudra Manthan, some drops of Amrit Kalash fell in Haridwar, Ujjain, Prayagraj and Nashik, hence Maha Kumbh Mela is organized at these four places.
-
-
-
-
