Millions to wash away their sins

Millions of Hindu pilgrims are expected to wash away their sins today as the Ardh Kumbh Mela begins at the city of Allahabad also known as Prayag.

Situated in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, the city is one of the four locations where the Kumbh Mela festival is celebrated. The story behind the festival is that thousands of years ago when gods and demons were fighting over the jar containing the immortal nectar, drops of nectar fell at four places: Prayag (Allahabad), Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. This is believed to have made the places holy.

Since then the festival has taken place four times every 12 years rotating between those four locations. The Maha Kumbh Mela (the great jar festival) occurs once during the 12-year cycle, whereas the Ardh Kumbh Mela (the half jar festival) occurs every 6 years. Hindus believe that by washing away their sins during the Maha or Ardh Kumbh Mela, they will break the reincarnation cycle.

This year’s Ardh Kumbh Mela runs from 3 January till 26 February and on the first day alone close to 10 million Hindus are expected to wash where the rivers Jamuna, Ganges and Saraswati meet, according to Hindustan Times.

The bathing dates for the 2007 Ardh Kumbh Mela are:

• 3 January - Paush Purnima
• 14 January - Makar Sankranti
• 19 January - Mouni Amavasya
• 23 January - Vasant Panchami
• 2 February - Magh Purnima
• 15-16 February - Mahashivratri

(source: www.kumbhamela.net)

Future dates for the Kumbh Mela are:

• 2010 in Haridwar.
• 2013 in Allahabad (Prayag).
• 2015 in Nasik
• 2016 in Ujjain

(source: www.kumbh.org)

Anyone going to the one in Nasik may also be interested in our View of a Local in Nasik, India interview.

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