Everything that happened at the Kumbh in Ujjain until now. And it’s beautiful.
The Kumbh Mela is one of the biggest Hindu festivals in India. The Mela takes place periodically at four different places throughout the country, every three years. The places that usually hold the Mela are Haridwar, Allahabad, Nashik and Ujjain. The Mela takes place in each of these places once every twelve years, which means a Mela takes place every three years in the country. Each of the Melas are absolutely mind blowing affairs of religious, social, cultural and economical importance.
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They are a cesspool of the strangest yet the most fantastic sights one could ever see. It is the largest religious gathering and also one of the biggest peaceful ones. Every year, lakhs of devotees make their way to the holy water of the mentioned cities to cleanse themselves of their sins. But the most striking feature of the Melas is the ash-covered, wild and cannabis-loving saadhus or hermits that emerge out of their caves in the mountains to take a dip in the holy waters.
And this year’s Mela at Ujjain has been no different. Here is a look at the unimaginably large event, in a few pictures.
Though it is difficult to estimate the number of people who flock to this event every time, but the Melas have been known to easily host more than 100 million people over a two month period.
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A startling number of ascetics made their way out of their reclusive existence to join in the celebrations of one of the biggest festivals in the world. Though this has not been without incident as reports of a fight between the otherwise placid hermits and local police broke out a few days ago. Though no one was seriously injured, it is still surprising given the otherwise peaceful history of the Kumbh.
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The asceticsΒ are not the only ones who have traveled great distances to cleanse themselves of their sins. Devotees are an avid part of the Shahi Snan, as it is known. The river front turns into a community gathering of stupendous measures, with thousands of people praying and bathing here in evening time. All kinds of pujaΒ ceremonies are carried out, as this is considered an extremely sacred and holy location.
(Image Credits: www.thequint.com)
(Image Credits: www.thequint.com)
At night, the river bank transforms into a charged atmosphere of worship and prayer. The temple of the bank holds some of the most elaborateΒ poojaΒ ceremonies that are attended by just as many people. After the raucous celebrations of the day, the nights are much more controlled and spiritual in nature.
(Image Credits: www.simhasthujjain.in)
People gather on the banks to witness the majestic ceremonies. Meant to appease the gods, they are grand an draw in nature, the kind that you won’t easily find anywhere else! Devotees can go forward and conduct their ownΒ poojasΒ if they wish to, by paying a suitable sum to the temples.
(Image Credits: www.simhasthujjain.in)
The Kumbh Mela in Ujjain goes on until May 22, so you still have some time to head down to MP and witness one of the biggest cultural gatherings on the planet. Its not an experience that most get to relive again and again but its definitely worth it. Some say, the Kumbh changes something in you. That losing yourself in such eager throngs has a therapeutic quality in itself.
What can we say, except that you gotta go find out!
