Kumbha Mela

India the land of incredible beliefs is also the land of one of the world's greatest religious celebration. The Kumbha Mela, most solemn and yet festive religious observance that occurs every twelve years when the sun and moon enter Capricorn and Jupiter enters Aries. The Hindus believe that when this happen the souls are able to enter the celestial world easily.

The Kumbha Mela is described in the ancient Vedic literarture. It is the festival where one bathes in the holy rivers of the Ganges, the Allahabad, the Yamuna and the mystical Saraswati river that exist only in the spiritual plane invisible to human eye. The confluence of the three rivers at Allahabad is the center of holiness. The three rivers according to sages is where the drops of the nectar of immortality remained when the demigods tried to hide the pot of the nectar from the demons. The demigods and the demons were the ones who produced the nectar but the demigods became fearful when they realized that the demons might drink part of the nectar hence they tried to hide it away from them and in the process spilled a few drops to the three earthly rivers.


For thousands of centuries the Hindus bathe in the three rivers to purify themselves, ask for healing and to thank and praise the gods. The festival is observed by the sadhus or holy men, the nagas, and the faithful. It is attended by millions of people from India and perhaps a hundred foreigners from around the world. The Kumbha Mela is a celebration that goes for about 41 days and besides prayers and bathing at the holy rivers, dioramas about ancient Indian epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana are on display for the pilgrims to look at, Indian drama and classical dance for people to watch, while some listen to gurus discussing spiritual things.

This is one of the world's major festivals that sparked my interest ever since I was in college. I really find this event weird back then but as I matured and continually learn and keep on learning the beauty of different cultures, the Kumbha Mela eventually became one of the most revered religious observance that I greatly respect.

Photo Credit: Kumbha Mela Images
Photographer: Tina
Photo Link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31157611@N02/