IMPORTANCE OF KUMBH MELA
Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith in which Hindus gather to bathe in a sacred river. It is the world's largest religious gathering. It is held every third year at one of the four places by rotation: Haridwar, Allahabad (Prayag), Nasik and Ujjain. Thus the Kumbh Mela is held at each of these four places every twelth year. Ardh ("Half") Kumbh Mela is held at only two places, Haridwar and Allahabad, every sixth year. The rivers at these four places are: the Ganges at Haridwar, the confluence (Sangam) of the Ganges and the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati at Allahabad, the Godawari at Nasik, and the Shipra at Ujjain.
Kumbh means a pitcher and Mela means fair in Hindi. The pilgrimage is held for about one and a half months at each of these four places where it is believed in Hinduism that drops of nectar fell from the Kumbh carried by gods after the sea was churned. The festival is belived as the "world’s largest congregation of religious pilgrims". There is no scientific method of ascertaining the number of pilgrims, and the estimates of the number of pilgrims bathing on the most auspicious day may vary; approximately 100 million people attended the last maha kumbh mela 2013 at allahabad.
Mauni Amavasya traditionally attracted the largest crowds at the kumbh mela, held from 14 january 2013 to 10 March 2013 in Allahabad.10 February 2013 was the biggest bathing day with 13 Akharas taken bath to sangam, and probably the largest human gathering on a single day. Over 45 million devotees and aesthetics took holy dip on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya.
