Kumbh Mela 2021 : All about to know the world biggest cultural fest 

Kumbh Mela 2021 dates: India may be a vast land of the many different cultures, traditions, rituals, and festivals. One such important festival is that the auspicious Kumbh Mela pilgrimage that happens once every 12 years, and whose exact time and place depend upon astrological predictions of planetary movements and non secular considerations. This year, the Maha Kumbh Mela will begin January 14 and continue till April 27 in Haridwar.

In December 2017, UNESCO had included the event in its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. But why do Indians celebrate, what’s identified as, the most important religious gathering within the world?

The legend of Kumbh

‘Kumbh’ essentially means pot or pitcher, and ‘mela’ means a good . Kumbh Mela, therefore, means the celebration of the pot, specifically concerning the pot of nectar as per Hindu mythology. The legend goes like this: once gods or devas were stripped of all their powers. so as to regain their strength, they agreed with the demons or the asuras to churn the primordial ocean of milk for ‘amrit‘, the nectar of immortality. The deal was to share the nectar equally. Unfortunately, the devas and therefore the asuras couldn’t come to a consensus and fought with one another for 12 years! During this point , the celestial bird Garuda flew away with the kumbh that held the nectar. it’s believed that its drops fell on four prime places where Kumbh celebrations happen today on a rotational basis — Prayag (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh; Haridwar, Uttarakhand; Nashik, Maharashtra; and Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.

Essentially a Hindu festival, Kumbh Mela takes place on the banks of the Godavari river in Nashik, the Shipra river in Ujjain, the Ganges in Haridwar, and therefore the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and therefore the mythical Saraswati river in Prayag. The confluence is mentioned because the ‘Sangam‘.

How the dates are decided

As mentioned earlier, astrological predictions and non secular considerations play a task choose the mela dates. So, while technically, it’s to be held in each of the aforementioned locations once every 12 years, sometimes, the mela can happen only a year apart at the sites. It should even be known that in between, round the sixth year, the Ardh Kumbh Mela (also referred to as the half mela) is held. additionally thereto , in Allahabad, per annum the Maagh Mela is widely known within the month of Maagh (mid-January to February, as per the Hindu calendar) at the Sangam. This Maagh Mela is additionally mentioned because the Ardh Kumbh Mela and Kumbh Mela when it happens within the sixth and twelfth years, respectively.

Kumbh Mela in Haridwar

Kumbh Mela in Haridwar is being held after 11 years — not the standard 12 — due to specific auspicious dates. In fact, this is often the primary time in 80 years that such a phenomenon went on .

Kumbh Mela rituals

Taking a holy dip/bath is that the most vital of all rituals. The Hindu community believes that immersing themselves within the sacred waters — on the auspicious day of the new phase of the moon — will absolve them of their sins, and end the cycle of birth and death. As such, pilgrims start lining up from as early as 3 am to wash on the day.

The important bathing dates for Kumbh Mela 2021:

* January 14, 2021: Makar Sankranti
* February 11, 2021: Mauni Amavasya
* February 16, 2021: Basant Panchami
* February 27, 2021: Maghi Poornima
* March 11, 2021: Maha Shivratri (first shahi snan — royal bath)
* April 12, 2021: Somwati Amavasya (second shahi snan)
* April 14, 2021: Baisakhi (third shahi snan)
* April 27, 2021: Chaitra Purnima (fourth shahi snan)

How to reach

If you’re looking to participate within the pilgrimage, you’ll either fly to Haridwar — the Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun is the closest airport — or take a train, since the Haridwar railroad station is well connected with all major cities and towns of the country. Additionally, you’ll also reach the town by road, especially if you’re journeying from any of the northern states like Delhi, UP, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, etc.

Stay

Some 800 hotels and 350 ashrams in Haridwar are prepared to accommodate approximately 1.25 lakh pilgrims on any given day during the Kumbh. While the tourism department was expecting around 10 crore pilgrims, restrictions imposed to make sure social distancing has curtailed the figure.

Additionally, a 156-sq km ‘mela area’ has also been demarcated in three districts of Haridwar, Dehradun and Pauri Garhwal, for people related to hospitality, tourism and civil supply, and adjoining areas of western UP, to urge business during this point .

The COVID-19 impact

This year, the pandemic has imposed restrictions on the congregation. per annum , tourists visit the holy sites in large numbers, but this year, they’ll need to exercise tons of caution.

Multiple news reports suggest that each one the 107 bathing ghats (steps resulting in the river) are going to be divided into colour-coded zones: red, green and yellow, consistent with vulnerability. Additionally, the GIS mapping of the whole area has been done, and if there’s a crowd at any particular site above the permissible limit, the room are going to be alerted, and therefore the information are going to be relayed to security teams. the gang capacity of every ghat has also been assessed.

Pilgrims keen on taking a holy dip on any of the four shahi snan dates will need to make a web booking beforehand , and obtain an e-pass for entry. Additionally, pilgrims may only be allowed to spend a couple of minutes within the water in designated areas.

this article was taken reference from indianexpress