KumbhMela: What You Need to Know?
India is known for its strong religious beliefs, cultural diversity, festivals and fairs. Among the lot of cities devoted just for such religious purposes, one such city is Allahabad, also known as Prayag. It is one of the oldest cities that preserve a rich historical background with several historical monuments from different periods of Indian history. The most important event that takes place in the city is the KUMBH MELA.
KumbhMela is known to be the largest religious gathering with millions of devotees coming together from all around the world with a desire of washing away all their sins in the holy water and attaining rejuvenation. This gathering takes place in every 12 years on the banks of the €Sangam', confluence of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati.
To trace the history of KumbhMela, Demons and Gods fought over a pitcher (Kumbh) of Nectar of immortality for twelve days and the nectar spilled over the earth at four different places namely Allahabad, Nashik, Haridwar and Ujjain and the Kumbhmela takes place in these places alternatively.
The festival attracts people from all cultures and ethnicities to witness something magical and historical. Hundreds and thousands of sadhus are scattered in the mela with their saffron robes and bodies smeared with ash, camping and representing their different orders. KumbhMela is a coming together of our varied cultures. While some devotees come to fight the struggle between the existence of good and evil in them, others just come to witness the mass of humanity and such strong attachment to religion. It is strongly believed that one should go and take a dip in the blessed water once in life.
While the main event of the gathering is to take a dip in the sacred water, there are other activities like mass feeding, religious and spiritual discussions and singing devotional songs in large groups. One of the main attractions are the Sadhus covered in ash, coming in processions to take a dip in the holy water, accompanied by elephants, drummers, bands and camels. Even though the crowd is innumerous, the place is still the cleanest and most orderly scene. It is an overwhelming feeling to visit a place and be a witness to an event that keeps gaining popularity and audience each time it takes place.
For accommodation, it is suggested to stay in the tents provided by the government, available for all, from luxury to dormitory. It is safe and reliable. It is considered really convenient as the Mela is actually quite a distance from the city of Allahabad.
Allahabad has a domestic airport called Bamrauli Air force base. Allahabad flights connect Allahabad to Delhi, Mumbai and Kanpur. Other operational airports nearby are Lucknow, Varanasi and Kanpur.
KumbhMela is known to be the largest religious gathering with millions of devotees coming together from all around the world with a desire of washing away all their sins in the holy water and attaining rejuvenation. This gathering takes place in every 12 years on the banks of the €Sangam', confluence of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati.
To trace the history of KumbhMela, Demons and Gods fought over a pitcher (Kumbh) of Nectar of immortality for twelve days and the nectar spilled over the earth at four different places namely Allahabad, Nashik, Haridwar and Ujjain and the Kumbhmela takes place in these places alternatively.
The festival attracts people from all cultures and ethnicities to witness something magical and historical. Hundreds and thousands of sadhus are scattered in the mela with their saffron robes and bodies smeared with ash, camping and representing their different orders. KumbhMela is a coming together of our varied cultures. While some devotees come to fight the struggle between the existence of good and evil in them, others just come to witness the mass of humanity and such strong attachment to religion. It is strongly believed that one should go and take a dip in the blessed water once in life.
While the main event of the gathering is to take a dip in the sacred water, there are other activities like mass feeding, religious and spiritual discussions and singing devotional songs in large groups. One of the main attractions are the Sadhus covered in ash, coming in processions to take a dip in the holy water, accompanied by elephants, drummers, bands and camels. Even though the crowd is innumerous, the place is still the cleanest and most orderly scene. It is an overwhelming feeling to visit a place and be a witness to an event that keeps gaining popularity and audience each time it takes place.
For accommodation, it is suggested to stay in the tents provided by the government, available for all, from luxury to dormitory. It is safe and reliable. It is considered really convenient as the Mela is actually quite a distance from the city of Allahabad.
Allahabad has a domestic airport called Bamrauli Air force base. Allahabad flights connect Allahabad to Delhi, Mumbai and Kanpur. Other operational airports nearby are Lucknow, Varanasi and Kanpur.
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