Kumbh Mela (urn festival) is a Hindu pilgrimage, which occurs four times every twelve years. The Kumbh Mela rotates between four locations: Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. Each twelve-year cycle includes one Maha Kumbha Mela (Great Kumbha Mela) at Prayag, that is attended by millions of people, making it perhaps the largest pilgrimage gathering anywhere in the world.

Astrology and Kumbh Mela

The precise dates of the Kumbh Mela are astrologically determined, based upon the positions of the Sun, the Moon and Jupiter. At Prayag, the Maha Kumbha Mela is held in the month of Magha (January/February on the Gregorian calendar). The highest merit is then attached to bathing on the new moon day, when Jupiter is in Taurus and both the Sun and the Moon are in Capricorn. At Haridwar, the Kumbh Mela is held in the months of Phalgun and Chaitra (February/March/April on the Gregorian calendar), when the Sun passes to Aries, the Moon is in Sagittarius and Jupiter is in Aquarius. In Ujjain, the Kumbh Mela is held in the month of Vaishakha (May on the Gregorian calendar), when the planets are in Libra, the Sun and the Moon are in Aries and Jupiter is in Leo. At Nashik, the Kumbh Mela takes place in the month of Shravana (July on the Gregorian calendar), when the Sun and the Moon are in Cancer and Jupiter is in Scorpio.

The legend

The observance of Kumbh Mela is based upon the following legend: thousands of years ago, in the Vedic period, gods and demons made a temporary agreement to work together in amritha manthanam (churning amrita, the nectar of immortality) from the Ksheera Sagara (primordial ocean of milk), and to share this equally. However, when the Kumbha (urn) containing the amrita appeared, the demons ran away with it and were chased by the gods. For twelve days and twelve nights (equivalent to twelve human years) the gods and demons fought in the sky for the possession of this pot of amrita. It is said that during the battle, drops of amrita fell at four places: Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. Thus, the Kumbha Mela is observed at these four locations where the nectar fell.

The Rituals of Kumbh Mela

Kumbh Mela is attended by millions of people on a single day. The major event of this festival is a ritual bath at the banks of the rivers in each of these towns. Other activities include religious discussions, devotional singing, mass feeding of holy men and women and the poor, and religious assemblies where doctrines are debated and standardized. Kumbh Mela (especially the Maha Kumbha Mela) is the most sacred of all the Hindu pilgrimages. Thousands of holy men and women (monks, saints, sadhus) grace the occasion by their presence. The auspiciousness of Kumbh Mela is in part attributed to the gathering of thousands of holy men and women at one place.

Kumbh Mela 2003

When the Kumbh Mela was held in Nashik, India, from July 27 to September 7 2003, 39 pilgrims (28 women and 11 men) were trampled dead and 57 injured. Devotees had gathered on the banks of the Godavari river for the maha snaan or holy bath. Over 30,000 pilgrims were being held back by barricades in a narrow street leading to the Ramkund , a holy spot, so that the sadhus could take the ceremonial dip first. It was reported that a sadhu threw some silver coins into the crowd and the subsequent scramble led to the stampede.