Maha Kumbh is not merely a Pilgrimage but the confluence of all our varied cultures. It is the symbol of spiritua awakening and the eternal flow of humanity. It is the surge of rivers, forests and the ancient wisdom of the sages. It is the flow of life, symbolising the confluence of nature and humanity. Maha Kumbh is the source of divine awakening and energy.
The Maha Kumbha in Maha Kumbha Mela literally means “pitcher, jar, pot” in Sanskrit. Vedic text refers it as holding nectar of immortality. The Maha Kumbh mela is “widely regarded as the world’s largest religious gathering”.
Maha Kumbh Mela or Maha Kumbha Mela is a major pilgrimage and festival in Hinduism. It is celebrated in a cycle of approximately 12 years, to celebrate every revolution Brihaspati (Jupiter) completes, at four river-bank pilgrimage sites: Prayagraj (Ganges-Yamuna-Sarasvati rivers confluence), Haridwar (Ganges), Nashik (Godavari), and Ujjain (Shipra). The festival is marked by a ritual dip in the waters, but it is also a celebration of community commerce with numerous fairs, education, religious discourses by saints, mass gatherings of monks, and entertainment. The seekers believe that bathing in these rivers is a means to prāyaścitta (atonement, penance, restorative action) for past mistakes, and that it cleanses them of their past sins.
The Maha Kumbh Mela at Prayag is very different as compared to Maha Kumbh at other places due to many reasons. Firstly, the tradition of long-term Kalpvas is practised only in Prayag. Secondly, the Triveni Sangam is considered as the centre of the earth in few scriptures. Thirdly, Lord Brahma performed the Yajna here for creating the universe. Fourthly, Prayagraj is called the shrine of pilgrimages, but the most important reason is that the significance of performing rituals and tapas at Prayagraj is of highest among all pilgrimages and provides one with the highest virtue.
