Prayagraj Kumbh Mela 2019: Interesting facts you should know

Kumbh Mela is a mass gathering of Hindu devotees who congregate to bathe in a sacred river. According to tradition, there are four fairs which are accepted as the Kumbh Melas- the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela, Haridwar Kumbh Mela, the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha, and Ujjain Simhastha.

The key festival site is on the banks of a river: It is the Ganga at Haridwar; the meeting of the Ganga and Yamuna and Saraswati at Prayagraj; the Godavari at Nashik: and Shipra at Ujjain. Devotees believe that by bathing in these rivers they cleanse themselves of all their sins.

1.The Kumbh Mela takes place every three years, and each year happens at any one of these four locations- Ganga at Haridwar; the meeting of the Ganga and Yamuna and Saraswati at Prayagraj; the Godavari at Nashik: and Shipra at Ujjain.

2.The meaning of Kumbh is ‘nectar’. The tale of the Kumbh Mela dates back to the time when the gods resided on earth. They had been weakened by the curse of sage Durvasa, and the demons were causing mayhem on earth.

3.On Lord Brahma’s advice, they started churning out the nectar of immortality with the aid of the asuras. However, when the ausras realized that the gods would not be sharing the nectar with the, they chased them for a period of 12 days. It was during this time period that portions of the nectar fell at the four locations where the Kumbh takes place.

4.The Kumbh Mela is over 2000 years old and proof of this is found in the writings of the Chinese traveler Xuanzang, who had come to India during the reign of King Harshavardhana.

5.The Kumbh Mela takes place on the dates when the nectar is said to have fallen in the river. Each year, the dates are calculated depending upon a combination of Jupiter, the Sun and the Moon’s zodiac positions.

First Published: Jan 16, 2019 09:58 IST