History of Kumbha Mela : Types, Significance and Venue (Kumbha Mela is from 13th January 2025 to 26th February 2025)

Kumbha Mela has its own religious importance which is held every 12 years. No doubt it is the largest gathering of faith in which people from the whole world participate and bathe in the sacred or Holy river. But have you ever thought that what is the meaning of Kumbha, why is it celebrated, who started Kumbha Mela, what is the story of Kumbha Mela, etc. ? Let us study through this Article. The coming

According to Hindu Scriptures, Kumbha Mela is an important and religious festival which is celebrated four times over the course of 12 years. The location of the festival keeps rotating between four pilgrimage sites situated on the banks of the Holy rivers. These places are – Haridwar on the Ganga in the Uttarakhand, Ujjain on the Shipra River in Madhya Pradesh, Nashik on the Godavari River in Maharashtra and Prayagraj at the confluence of three Rivers – Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati in Uttar Pradesh.

It is correctly said that Kumbha Mela is the world’s largest religious and cultural human gathering. Crores of pilgrims over a course of 48 days bathe in the Holy rivers. Devotees, mainly Sadhus, Sadhvis, Ascetics, pilgrims, etc. from across the world take part in this Mela.

History of Kumbha Mela

Kumbha Mela is made up of two words – Kumbha and Mela. The name Kumbha is derived from the immortal pot of nectar which the Devatas and the demons fought over as described in ancient Vedic Scriptures known as the Puranas. Mela, as we all are familiar, is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘gathering’ or ‘to meet’.

The history of Kumbha Mela is related to the days when the Devatas and the demons conjointly produced nectar of immortality as depicted by the legends. The Devatas and the demons agreed to complete the task together and decided to share the nectar of immortality in half. They then assembled on the shore of the Ksheersagar that lies in the celestial region of the cosmos.

The churning of the milk ocean produced a deadly poison which Lord Shiva drank without being affected. After crossing through many hurdles years later, Deity Dhanwantari appeared with the nectar of immortality in His hands.

The Devatas forcibly siezed the pot with its safety entrusted onto the four Gods – Brahaspati, Surya, Shani, and Chandra. Thereafter, the demons chased the Devatas for many days. During this time the drops of Kumbha dropped at 4 places – Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nashik. These four places are since then believed to have acquired mystical powers.

The fight for the Kumbha i.e. the sacred pot, between the Devatas and demons continued for 12 Divine days, which is considered to be as long as 12 years for humans. That is why the Kumbha Mela is celebrated once in 12 years and people gather on the abovementioned sacred places or Holy sites. It is said that during this period, the rivers turned into Amrit and so, several pilgrims from across the world visit the Kumbha Mela to bathe in the essence of purity and immortality.

Types of Kumbha Melas

Maha Kumbha Mela : It is held only in Prayagraj. It comes every 144 years or after 12 Purna (Complete) Kumbha Melas.

Purna Kumbha Mela : It comes every 12 years. Mainly held at 4 Kumbha Mela Places in India – Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain. It rotates every 12 years at these 4 places.

Ardha Kumbha Mela : It means Half Kumbha Mela, which is held every 6 years in India only at two places – Haridwar and Prayagraj.

Kumbha Mela : Held at four different places and is organised by the State Governments. Millions of people participate with spiritual enthusiasm.

Magha Kumbha Mela : It is also known as Mini Kumbha Mela which is held annually and only at Prayagraj. It is organised in the month of Magha according to the Hindu Calendar.

The venue for Kumbha Mela is decided according to the position that the Sun, Moon and Jupiter hold in that period in different Zodiac signs.

Since then, Kumbha Mela is celebrated with all the ritual beliefs and people from different aspects gather to celebrate the event.

(Courtesy : Article by Ms Shikha Goyal for jagranjosh.com; May 26, 2020. Ms Goyal is a journalist and a content writer with 9+ years of experience. She was an editor in the publishing industry. At jagranjosh.com, she creates digital content on General Knowledge.)

Kumbha Mela is the largest religious gathering in the world, also known as ‘World’s largest congregation of religious pilgrims’ !