Kumbh+Mela

= The Kumbh Mela Pilgrimage = Pilgrims at the 2001 Kumbh Mela at Allahabad

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"It is wonderful, the power of a faith like that, that can make multitudes upon multitudes of the old and weak and the young and frail enter without hesitation or complaint upon such incredible journeys and endure the resultant miseries without repining. It is done in love, or it is done in fear; I do not know which it is. No matter what the impulse is, the act born of it is beyond imagination marvelous to our kind of people" - Mark Twain, 1895 ======

Introduction
E very three years the largest religious pilgrimage takes place in India. This Hindi (Hinduism) pilgrimage is not only the largest pilgrimage, but it is also the largest gathering in the world. The Kumbha Mela draws Hindus from every Caste ranging from Sudha to members of the highest caste to one four cities lining the Ganges River, the holiest river in India. The Kumbha Mela rotates throughout these four cities every four years: Allahabad, Ujjaink, Nashik, and Haridwar. Allahabad, a city at that is the crossing point for three holy rivers (Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati), is the most popular pilgrimage site during the Kumbha Mela. In 2001, nearly 60 million pilgrimages took part in the ritual bathing in the Ganges over the forty-one days the celebration took place. This year, the Kumbha Mela held in Haridwar attracted nearly 40 million pilgrims from January until its culmination in mid-May. According to officials, on April 14th alone 10 million people bathed in the Ganges River. Compare this to the Islamic Hajj, which has nearly 2.5 million annual pilgrims. Pilgrims travel from all parts of the country as well as all around the world to bathe in the waters of the holiest rivers of the India.
 * Allahabad is the largest and most important celebration of the Kumbh Mela. The Maha Kumbh Mela, or the Great Pitcher Festival occurs every 12 years, always at Allahabad.
 * The Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati are sacred rivers in Allahabad and are centers of worship during the Kumbha Mela.
 * The Ganges and Yamuna, the most holy rivers in India, are both physical rivers that originate in the Himalayan Mountains but the Saraswati is a mystical river that has no physical form and exists only on the ethereal or spiritual plane which is not visable to the human eye.

Origins of the Kumbh Mela
T he origins of the observance of Kumbh Mela are found in Vedic Literature creation story, Samudra Manthan. Thousands of years ago, gods and demons made an agreement to work together churning the amrit, or nectar of life or immortality, from an ocean of milk (Ksheera Sagara). Their agreement stated that the gods and demons would share the nectar equally; however, when the urn containing the nectar finally appeared, the demons grabbed the nectar and ran away. The gods chased after the demons for 12 days and nights (equivalent to 12 human years) in the sky and fought for the possession of the urn of nectar. According to legend, drops of the nectar fell out of the urn onto earth at four places: Pryag (Allalahbad), Haridwar, Nashik, and Ujjain. Thus is why Hindus journey to the four river cities every 4 years in search of a drop of immortality and a short cut to Nirvana. It is recorded that the first Kumbh Mela celebration took place around 500 B.C to 200 B.c.

Timing of the Kumbh Mela
T  he exact dates of the festival are determined by astrology- when the Moon, the Sun, and Jupiter are in alignment. At Allahabad is held in the month of Magha (January/February) and the highest spiritual merit is attributed to the main bathing day on new moon day, Amavasya, when Jupiter is Aquarius and the Sun and Moon are Capricorn. At Haridwar the Kumbh Mela is held in the months of Phalgun and Chaitra (February/March/April) when the Sun passes to Aries, the Moon is in Sagittarius, and Jupiter is in Aquarius. At Ujjain, Kumbha Mela is held in the month of Vaishakha (May), when the planets are in Libra, while the Sun and Moon are in Aries and Jupiter is in Leo. Lastly, at Nashik, the Kumbh Mela takes place in the month of Shravana (July), when the sun and moon are in Cancer and Jupiter is in Scorpio. This alignment is special because it is said that the passage from Earth to higher planets is open, thus allowing the soul to easily reach the celestial world.

Rituals
T he pilgrims trek to the rivers cities to bathe in the holy waters of the Ganges, Shipra, Godavari, Yamuna, and Saraswati Rivers. The pilgrims believe that a small drop of the elixir (milk) of immortality that the gods and demons were fighting over fell into the river and will have effects on their earthly and celestial health. The pilgrims believe that a dip in the holy waters will relieve them from the suffering of the circle of life and death, Moksha. The waters of the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati at Allahabad act as the medium for washing away the sins of the pilgrims just as the sins of Christians are washed away in the holy waters of baptism. This single act of faith is believed to cleanse the sins of a thousand lifetimes and secure release; the water of the rivers is no longer water, but is the nectar of immortality- for the soul. Every bath in the holy waters washes away ten generations' worth of sin, purifying lineages of individuals caught between their caste and Nirvana.

T he holiest ascetics, the Sadhu, made an appearance at Kumbha Mela. On the day of the first bathing day, the Sadhu, who are covered in dust, enter the holy waters in order to purify their bodies and souls as well as purify the water for others to bathe in. Although Kumbh Mela pilgrims are allowed to bathe in the waters at any point during the 41 day pilgrimage, there are main or important bathing days, which attract millions of pilgrims to the water on that day. Besides the custom of bathing, there is a mass feeding of the poor men and women (Sadhu or untouchable caste), devotional song and praise, as well as religious discussion are apart of the Kumbha Mela tradition. O n dawn of the first day, pilgrims awoke to chanting and joyous procession marking the beginning. o At the head of the procession were the Nagas, the naked holy men, with their bodies covered in ashes. o Next came the Vaisnava vairagis, the wandering mendicants who devote their lives to Vishnu. o After each of these had bathed, the mass of pilgrims began their procession into the river. o Some bathers will make offerings of flowers, sweets, and colored dyes to the water. Others will sing verdic hymns. o While bathing, each pilgrim chants “Om”, which is thought to be the most sacred combination of sounds. - Each night, campfires can be seen along the banks of the river and gatherings of pilgrims listening to gurus lecturing on spiritually and philosophy. - Dawn is considered to be the most sacred time of the day. Each day is begun with a dawn procession and bathing in the river and then pilgrims return to their camps to meditate. - There are also many displays and dioramas illustrating scenes from ancient Indian epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. - Some pilgrims come for only the days of the large sacred bathes while others set up camp for the full 41 days. - In 2010, the Indian government spent over 8 million dollars in preparation for the Kumbha Mela, providing clean drinking water, transportation and first-aid. - During the Kumbha Mela, an entire city springs up along the river, complete with hospitals, markets and tourist camps. Afterwards, most of the of River sites are covered with water because of flood season.

Connection to Faith
A ccording to a Hindu guru: "[The West] is missing the inner from being discovered...why don't you adventure yourself". A main part of the Kumbh Mela as well as the Hindu faith is reaching enlightenment (Nirvana) and finding God in your inner conscience. Thousands of tents are set up in confined sects or communities and are centered around the presence Hindu spiritual leaders such as gurus, swami, sadhu, and babas. Pilgrims are able to cast their sorrows and ask their questions of faith to the spiritual leaders and teachers; the leaders set up camp and provide discourse to their devotees. Socializing with Holy Men as well as bathing in the river allows the pilgrim's soul to be cleansed and renew its karma. The reaching of the state of conscientious with God, or Nirvana, begins with the cleansing of the soul and purity of the mind- both occur on the Kumbh Mela. The main message of the Hindu dogma is Love, which can be seen through the sharing of free food in the tent sects as well as the warm and loving pilgrims who give everything they own to others, since everything is given to them by God and does not belong to them.

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