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Kumbh mela is here again after 12 long years in the holy city of Haridwar (India) in foothills of Himalayas.

If you want to be a part of the world’s largest confluence of faith and devotion, experience the spiritual fervour, take a holy dip in the Ganges, and purify your mind, body and soul then get prepared to immerse yourself in the sacred congregation of millions of devotees who will be attending the Kumbh mela to seek the divine blessings and eternal peace.

Kunbh mela snaan parv -2010 is being organised from 14th Jan 2010 till 28th Apr 2010. Be a part of world’s greatest confluence of faith and devotion.

Make sure you don’t miss this spectacular spiritual opportunity.

Also read the origin and importance of Kumbh mela at:

Kumbh Mela- Greatest Congregation Of Humanity

Reason : Birthday of Lord Ganesha (or  Gajaanan, Ganapati, Vinayak)
Date: Ganesh Chaturthi in 2009 is on Sunday, the 23rd of Aug.

The much awaited ten-day long festival of Ganesh Chaturthi starts in a few days.

Day-one is marked by the sthapana of the Ganesh idol. The preparations for this begin in advance. The place where the idol is to be kept (puja premises) is cleaned and redecorated. The idol is carried from the market with their faces covered with a saffron cloth amidst chanting and sound of cymbals. By the evening, idol is seated in a majestic splendor in puja premises.

Lord Ganesha

The ceremony begins by placing the idol, usually made of terracotta, in the puja premises. The puja begins at the time designated according to calculations based on the Hindu calendar. The priest performs a ritual by which the idol is said to be imbued with life.

Next follows the traditional puja. The worshippers perform pranayama, bow and prostrate before the Ganesh idol and sip holy water. This follows singing of Ganapati aarti and atharvashirdha with the accompaniment of cymbals, bells and rhythmic clapping. The last rite for the day is offering of ‘modak‘ or prasad to the deity with flowers after which the prasad is distributed to the devotees.

Modak is prepared mostly by women at houses. One of the modaks contains salt inside it. It is believed that Lord Ganesh bestows special blessings on the person who gets the salty modak.

At the end of this ten day celebration, the idols of Lord Ganesh will be taken out of the pooja-mandap and immersed in water. This is known as visarjan. A procession is taken out from pooja mandap till the water point which is generally sea or lake available in the area.

It is worth watching the enthusiasm of people singing and dancing all the way during the procession. It’s somewhat akin to a carnival but with a strong religious flavor and of course no liquor is consumed.

“The Kumbh mela could only take place in India. At what gathering of one religion would you find such a variety of teaching, such an acceptance that there are many ways to God?” – Mark Tully, Author.

Kumbh mela is said to be the largest congregation of humanity to assemble for a religious occasion. And it is not difficult to see why?

Kumbh mela takes place when the planet Jupiter enters the sign of Aqurius and Sun enters Aries.

An estimated 70 million people congregated at Allahabad during the 2001 MahaKumbh.

The sadhus of the 13 prominent akharas (sects) have the right to bathe first in the Sangam on the days of Shahi Snan.

Every 12 years, crores of devotees congregate on the banks of the Sangam – the confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati – in Allahabad, to participate in the festival. In fact, taking a dip in Sangam during the Kumbh is considered so auspicious among Hindus that it is believed to wash away the sins of countless births.

The origin of Kumbh mela can be traced to a story mentioned in Vishnu Puran (an ancient Hindu religous scripture). According to the story, the devas (angels) and asuras (devils)joined hands to churn the Ksheer Sagar (ocean of milk), with the objective of obtaining amrit (the nectar of immortality). However, when the kumbh (pot) containing the amrit appeared, a fight for the pot ensued. During this tussle, a few drops of amrit fell at four locations on earth. These places – Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik – became the locations for the Kumbh mela.

While the Kumbh mela is held at each of the four locations after every three years, the main mela – Maha Kumbh – is held at Allahabad every 12 years.

The major attraction at the Kumbh are the naked naga sadhus who come out in resplendent processions on the days of the shahi snan (royal bath), considered to be especially auspicious for bathing.

The Kumbh mela is an unparalleled spectacle, of people who are drawn to it by unquestioned devotion. Perhaps, that is why it is also referred to as world’s largest act of faith.