Kumbh Mela is one of the largest and most sacred religious events of Sanatan Dharma, which takes place once every 12 years. This is not just a religious event but it is an age-old tradition related to astronomical events, in which the position of the planets has special importance and it is organized on this basis. Mahakumbh, which ran from 13 January to 26 February in Prayagraj, has come after 144 years.
Kumbh is organized on the basis of the position of Sun, Moon and Jupiter (Jupiter) planets and the place is also decided on this basis. Kumbh Mela is organized in four places – Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain. There are four categories of this event- Kumbh, Ardha Kumbh, Purna Kumbh and Maha Kumbh.
Aquarius It is organized by rotation once in 12 years at four places, Haridwar, Nashik, Ujjain and Prayagraj.
Ardha Kumbh It is organized only in Prayagraj and Haridwar. Ardh Kumbh is organized once every 6 years at both these places.
full aquarius It is organized only in Prayagraj once every 12 years.
Mahakumbh It is a rare event which comes after 12 Purna Kumbh i.e. after 144 years. That is why this event is called Mahakumbh. It is held only in Prayagraj, where the sacred confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati (mythological) occurs.
During the Maha Kumbh, pilgrims get the opportunity to purify themselves spiritually by taking a ritual bath at the Triveni Sangam. This time in Prayagraj Mahakumbh, 6 major dates have been fixed for the holy bath in Sangam –
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Paush Purnima: 13 January
Makar Sankranti: 14 January
Mauni Amavasya: 29 January
Vasant Panchami: 3rd February
Maghi Purnima: 12 February
Mahashivratri: 26 February
It is believed that by performing bathing ritual in the Triveni Sangam of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati (mythological) on these dates, the soul gets purified and sins are atone for. To protect Sanatan Dharma, Adi Shankaracharya started the Akhara tradition in the 8th century. There are a total of 13 Akharas, which come to Mahakumbh and set up their camps. On the important dates of Snan, these Akharas take out grand processions with elephants, horses and camels. The saints, ascetics and Naga Sadhus associated with them come to the Sangam banks wearing 17 adornments and take bath, which is also known as Amrit, Rajsi or Shahi Snan. Common people take a dip in the Sangam only after taking bath in the Akharas. Amrit or Shahi Snan is the main attraction of this religious and spiritual event.
Importance of Amrit or Shahi Snan
Amrit, Rajsi or Shahi Snan – These names have special significance and cultural background behind them. It is believed that Naga Sadhus are given the opportunity to take bath first because of their religious devotion. They come riding on elephants, horses and chariots to take bath with royal pomp and show. Due to this grandeur, it has been named Amrit Snan (royal or royal bath). According to another belief, in the medieval period, kings and emperors used to go out for bathing in a grand procession along with sages and saints. This tradition started Amrit Snan (nectar bath). Apart from this, it is also believed that Mahakumbh is organized keeping in mind the specific position of planets like Sun and Jupiter. Some special dates occur depending on the movement of the planets. It is believed that bathing in holy rivers on these special dates leads to spiritual purification, atonement for sins, virtue and salvation. That is why the bath taken on these dates is called Amrit Snan.
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Cultural importance of Mahakumbh
Mahakumbh is very important not only from religious but also from cultural point of view. This includes bathing in nectar, visiting the temple, charity and other religious rituals. The Naga Sadhus, Aghori and Sannyasis participating in Maha Kumbh reflect the depth and diversity of Sanatan Dharma and tradition. This event of Mahakumbh is a symbol of faith, social unity and cultural heritage of Sanatan Dharma.
What is the history of Kumbh, where did it start?
The Kumbh Mela originates from the mythological stories of Sanatan Dharma, especially the story of Samudra Manthan. According to this, when Indra and the gods became weak due to the curse of sage Durvasa, the demons attacked the celestial world and defeated them. After being defeated by the demons, all the gods went to Lord Vishnu and narrated the whole story to him. Then Lord Vishnu asked the gods along with the demons to churn the milky ocean and extract nectar. Following the instructions of Lord Vishnu, all the gods made a pact with the demons and started trying to extract nectar from the milky ocean.
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When the nectar pot came out from the churning of the ocean, at the behest of the gods, Indra’s son Jayant disappeared with it. On the instructions of Guru Shankaracharya, the demons chased Jayant and after much effort caught him. Then there was a war between the gods and demons for 12 days to get possession of the nectar pot. It is said that during this war, some drops of nectar fell at four places on earth. These four places are Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. That is why Kumbh Mela is organized at these four places. It is also believed that 12 days of Devlok are equal to 12 years of Earth. Therefore, Kumbh is organized at these four places once every 12 years.
How is the date and place of Kumbh organized decided?
Where and when the Kumbh Mela will be organized depends on the planets and zodiac signs. Sun, Moon and Jupiter (Jupiter) planets have special significance in the Kumbh Mela. Kumbh Mela is organized only when Sun and Jupiter move from one zodiac sign to another and the place and date are decided on this basis. When Guru (Jupiter) enters the Taurus sign and the Sun enters the Capricorn sign, then the Kumbh Mela is organized at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati (mythological) in Prayagraj. When the Sun enters Aries and Jupiter enters Aquarius, the Kumbh Mela is organized on the banks of river Ganga in Haridwar. When Sun and Jupiter enter Leo, the Kumbh Mela is organized on the banks of the Godavari River in Nashik. When Jupiter enters Leo and Sun enters Aries, the Kumbh Mela is organized on the banks of Kshipra River in Ujjain. It is called Simhastha Aquarius because of Jupiter’s entry into Leo.
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