India is a vast land of numerous different traditions, cultures, rituals, and festivals. One such vital festival is the auspicious Kumbh Mela pilgrimage that happens once every 12 years. Kumbh Mela in India is as enthralling as it is religious. This old northern Indian festivity is a connection of mystical wisdom. The Kumbh Mela attracts a huge number of people from India and even across the globe. Here you will come to know KumbhMela 2022: Everything you need to know.
Kumbh Mela 2022
Kumbh Mela is regarded as the biggest spiritual gathering globally and held every 12 years at four diverse destinations. The date of the gathering and the destination vary on star signs and the positions of the planets according to the discretion of astrologers. This year the MahaKumbhMela was started on January 14 and continues till April 27. The Kumbh Mela is taking place in Haridwar, this time with the fair to be organized on the River Ganges banks.
Every 12 years, the destination of the Kumbh Mela rotates among four locations. These are Haridwar in Uttarakhand, Prayag in Uttar Pradesh, Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, and Nashik in Maharashtra. Also, all the Kumbh Mela celebrations are organized alongside sacred rivers so that visitors can dip into the water and seek satisfaction or penance for their iniquities.
Holy Kumbh Mela Haridwar provides devotees from the country and foreign a special occasion to experience India’s spiritual, cultural, and social diversity. The visitors to PraygrajKumbh have been experienced the purity and holiness of the sacred Ganges for centuries. Throughout the divine and magnificent HaridwarKumbh, the devotees from all over the globe will be experiencing the same bliss when taking a holy dip in the clean Ganga. In December 2017, UNSECO comprised the event in its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Significance And Mythology Of Kumbh Mela
Samudra Manthan has been introduced in many old Indian manuscripts like Mahabharata, SrimadBhagvat, VishuPuran, and Ramayana. These scriptures describe how after the Gods lost their power, the idea of churning the KsheerSagar to receive Amrit happened to them. They accomplished soon that the action could not be obtained without the aid of their enemies, the Asuras. A temporary preparation was created for sharing the Amrit between the two.
After accomplishing the task, a fight happened between the two groups over the possession of the Kumbh comprising the heavenly nectar. They fought for twelve days and nights, which is equivalent to twelve human years.
When the battle was on, the vehicle of Lord Vishu’s, the Garuda, flew off with the Kumbh. Some drops of Amrit dropped over at four destinations on land throughout this battle, namely Prayag, Ujjain, Haridwar, and Nashik. To celebrate this divine and mythological event, the Kumbh Mela is taking place four times every twelve years at these four destinations. Kumbh Mela is taking place at four locations at an interim of 12 years in India. There are 3 kinds of Kumbh such as ArdhKumbhMela, PurnaKumbhMela and KumbhMela.
Customs Performed At TheKumbh Mela 2022
The major ceremony is the ritual bath. Hindus understand that immersing themselves in the holy waters on the most favorable day of the new moon will release them and their forefather of sin, ending the rebirth cycle. Pilgrims begin quilting up to bathe from about 3 am on this day.
While the sun comes up, the various groups of sadhus move to processions towards the river to bathe in a set order. The Nagas normally start when each group seeks to exceed the others with more dignity and ostentation. The movement is mysterious, and everyone is engaged in it. After bathing, the visitors wear fresh outfits and move to worship by the river bank. They then walk across, hearing speeches from the many sadhus.
How to Reach To Kumbh Mela 2022
Suppose you are seeking to join the Kumbh Mela. In that case, you can either travel to Haridwar via flight, the Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun caters as the closest airport, or get a train, as the Haridwar Railway Station is well joined with all primary cities and towns of the country. Along with this, you can also arrive in the city by road, particularly if you are traveling from any of the northern states such as Punjab, UP, Himachal, Haryana, etc.
How To Attend Kumbh Mela 2022
The Kumbh Mela is an impressive and daunting event from a tourist view. The huge number of people there can be off-putting. But, devoted organizations are created, particularly for visitors. Exclusive visitor camps are set up, offering leisure tents with connected bathrooms, guides, and help for excursions. Perfect safety is also in place.
If you want to view the greatest display of sadhus, guarantee you’re there for a ShahiSnan (Royal Bath), which occurs on specific favorable days. There are a few of these days throughout each Kumbh Mela. The dates are declared in advance. Another main event is the arrival of the numerous factions of sadhus, in procession with much fanfare, at the KumbhMela’s start.
COVID-19 Impact On KumbhMela 2022
Kumbh at Haridwar is being organized in a planned manner, and all the measures are being taken for COVID-19 related safety. Pilgrims attending the KumbhSnan are requested to follow the COVID-19 guidelines issued by the government. This time, the Kumbh Mela will be different from all the KumbhMelas that happened before.
- Devotees from other states will have to furnish details of their home state, district, and Tehsil and have to submit a Corona test report.
- Devotees will be permitted to enter religious destinations only after wearing masks
- If anybody has found COVID-19 symptoms throughout the thermal screening, they will be instantly isolated and reported to the Mela administrations and control room.
- Dharamsala and Ashram will be sanitized from time to time.
Unfortunately, it is unlikely that outside visitors will attend the Kumbh Mela because of the Indian government’s current prohibition on tourist visas. It is unlikely when this ban will be raised.
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