In the Bhagavad Gita it is mentioned that - When a person is devoted to something with complete faith, I (God) unify his faith in that. Then, when his faith is completely unified, he gains the object of his devotion.
Kumbh is the largest gathering of religion, faith, devotion, in which the whole of the world takes part and takes a dip in the sacred river to get emancipation. But have you ever thought that what is the significance of Kumbh, why it is important, what is the story behind Kumbh Mela?
Let us take you to this divine experience -
Uttarakhand has always been considered the land of God for ages. This land is considered the land of seekers and devotion. It is the land of Shiva (Kedarnath & Haridwar), the land of Vishnu (Badrinath, Har-ki-Pauri), and also the origin place of Ganga, Yamuna & Saraswati.
The origin of the Kumbh is perhaps as old as the Hindu religion and later in the 8th century, it was revived by Adi-Guru Shankracharya. Kumbh Mela is formed with 2 words Kumbh & Mela. Kumbh means pitcher, also connected with the Astrological term Aquarius (which also means Kumbh), and Mela means fair or gathering. According to the mythology, Devtas (Gods) & Asuras(Demons) churning the sea (Samudra-Manthan) for the acquisition of 14 precious ratnas (items).
Few things owned by Demons and few by Devs, but when Amrita Kumbh appears, both Devs and Demons start fighting for owning the pitcher, to become immortal. So to hide this pitcher from Demons, four Dev (Brahaspati, Surya, Chandra and Shania) ran with Amrita Kalasha. Demons started chasing them and this chase lasted for 12 days and nights. During this chase, Devs hide this pitcher at four different locations Haridwar, Prayag, Ujjain, Nasik. To commemorate this holy event, Kumbh is celebrated at these places, every twelve years.
Another theory says by legends is - when Amrita Kalasha appears, Jayanta( the son of Indra) ran with the amarata Kalash for 12 days, a few drops of nectar fell from the pitcher at four different location - Haridwar, Prayag, Ujjain and Nasik. Those 12 days are equal to 12 years for humans, and that’s why Kumbh is celebrated every 12 years at these locations.
According to mythological beliefs, taking a holy dip in the sacred river Ganga emancipates you from all worldly sins. It is also believed that at the time of Kumbh, the water of Ganga is charged with positive healing effects and enhanced electromagnetic radiations of the Sun, Moon and Jupiter.
On Kumbh Mela Snan Day, the first bath is led by the Naga Sadhus and Akhara's Saints, which is known as Shahi Snan of Kumbh. Firstly the Saints and the Naga Saints take the royal bath and after that common people get permission to take a bath in the holy river. This Snan process starts around 2-3 Am.
Every year, the dates for Kumbh Mela are calculated according to the combination of the Sun, Jupiter, and the Moon's zodiac positions. The Shahi Snan is usually held on full-moon or no-moon days. The astrological dates of Kumbh at Haridwar fall when Venus and Jupiter correspond with Aquarius and Sun and Moon are on the Aries and Sagittarius.
Kumbh Mela is held in four cities (Haridwar, Prayag, Nasik, Ujjain) every three years in the rotation, thus each place getting its turn only after 12 years.
The last Kumbh Mela festival in Haridwar was held in 2010, so mathematically the next Kumbh should be in 2022, but it would be celebrated in 2021. The reason is that after more than 100 years the Kumbh will be held earlier. It is happening because of auspicious dates and astrological positions.
Haridwar is an ancient Hindu pilgrimage site in India, which is also known as the “Doorway of Abodes”. This is the place where Ganga enters the planes leaving the mountains & valleys behind. This is the place of both Vishnu & Shiva that’s why its religious significance is more important for Hindus. Some of the popular places in Haridwar where you can visit are - Har-ki-Pauri, Chandi Devi Temple, Mansa Devi Temple, Maya Devi Temple, Daksh Temple (a place where Devi Sati sacrifices her life in Yagya Kund), Sati Kund, Shiva Statue (108 ft.), Shanti Kunj, etc.
Kankhal is a small town in Haridwar which is just a few km from the main Haridwar and has connections with Shiva & Sati. Also, Kankhal is considered the territory of Daksha (Father of Sati) in ancient times. For the last couple of decades, many rulers rule over this region that’s why you’ll see the Kankhal is also home to numerous Havelis estates, wall paintings, old architecture houses etc.
Other than this, there are many things to experience where you can invest your time on your Haridwar Trip like - Har-ki-Pauri Ganga Arti, Rajaji National Park Safari, also can try tasty local cuisine, healing & spiritual activities in Haridwar.
Some other popular temples are -
You can visit Haridwar either by road, train or by air. From my experience, roads and railways are the best way.
By Road - You can come by Bus, Cab and also by your own car. Haridwar is 220 km from Delhi and approx 500 km from Lucknow city.
By Rail - Haridwar is well connected with most of the major cities by rail network. It is directly linked with cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Dehradun, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Patna, Gaya, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Puri and Kochi by a good number of express trains.
By Air - Dehradun’s Jolly Grant Airport is the nearest airport, which is approx 50 Km from the main Haridwar. There is good flight connectivity with nearby and other cities, like Chandigarh, Patna, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Udaipur, Amritsar, Raipur, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, etc. Once you reach Dehradun you can reach Haridwar by train or by bus.
Here are the guidelines for devotees & tourists which have to follow in Haridwar Maha Kumbh Mela 2021 -
Pictures Courtesy:- Fabrizia Caradonna(@fabriziacaradonna) Via Instagram | Vignesh Krishnamoorthy(@vigneshkmrthy) Via Instagram | Khushboo(@k__created) Via Instagram
Are you thinking to be a part of this immense spiritual gathering in Haridwar Mahakumbh 2021? If your answer is yes, then this Kumbh Mela 2021 Package is for you. It is a 3night/4days package in which we will include accommodation and meal options for you.
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