Haridwar: Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious congregation, will begin on January 14, an ancient city and important Hindu pilgrimage site in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand.
The mela, which happens every 12 years, is celebrated mainly at four places Allahabad (Prayag) where the rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Sarasvati confluence, Haridwar, where the River Ganga exits the Himalayan foothills, Nashik on the banks of the Godavari river and Ujjain of the Shipra river.
Although Kumbh Mela happens every 12 years, this time it is being hosted after 11 years because of a change in planetary position. The festival will last until April 27.
During the festival, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims take a dip in the River Ganga, Godavari and Shipra along their ghats. The social event traces its roots to Adi Shankara, the 8th-century philosopher and his attempts to unify Hinduism thoughts.
The mela is listed in the UNESCO’s ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’ events.
This year, there will be as many as four Shahi Snan in Kumbh Mela: the first on March 11, the second on April 12, third on April 14 and the fourth on the last day.
The festival also allows nine holy Ganga Snan (bath), when devotees take dip in the Ganga river in Haridwar — January 14, February 11, 16, and 27, March 11, April 12, 14, 21, and 27.
Despite the Covid scare, as many as 3 million to 5 million people are expected to attend the mela, especially in Haridwar. To ease out the journey of the devotees, the Indian Railways has decided to resume 18 trains in Haridwar from January 10.
The 2021 mela would be different in terms of facilities. The crowd management will be tackled differently because of the pandemic. The guidelines stipulate that the pilgrims will first have to register on a website and select a specific ghat (bathing place) and get an e-pass. The pass allows them 15 minutes to bathe.
Kumbh Mela literally means assembly of pitcher, jar, pot” in Sanskrit. A Hindu legend describes the creation of a “pot of amrita (nectar of immortality)” after the forces of good and evil churn the ocean of creation. The gods and demons fight over this pot, the “kumbh,” of nectar in order to gain immortality. The pot is spilled at four places, where the four Kumbha Melas are now held.
Source: viralbake.com
Now what about social distancing and large congregations? Will the government remain a mute spectator? Double standards.