Kumbh Mela: 2019 in Prayagraj

The Kumbh Mela (the celebration and festival of the sacred pitcher) is anchored in Hindu mythology. It is the biggest open social occasion and collective act of beliefs & faith, anywhere in the world.

The Mela draws a huge number of devotees from all over a country through the span of 48 days to bath at the sacred intersection of the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the mysterious Sarasvati. Basically, this get together incorporates Ascetics, Saints, Sadhus, Sadhvis, Kalpvasis, and Pilgrims from varying backgrounds.

In Hinduism, Kumbh Mela is a religious journey that is commended multiple times over a course of 12 years. The geological area of Kumbh Mela spans over four locations in India and the Mela site continues rotating between one of the four pilgrimages on four sacred rivers as listed below:

•    Haridwar on the Ganges in Uttarakhand
•    Ujjain on the Shipra in Madhya Pradesh
•    Nashik on the Godavari in Maharashtra
•    Prayagraj at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the legendary Sarasvati in Uttar Pradesh

 

Bathing dates in Prayagraj Kumbh:

Taking a bath (Snan) in the sacred waters on all days of Prayagraj Kumbh beginning from Makar Sankranti (first day of the period of Magh, when the Sun enters Capricorn) is viewed as blessed, yet there are some auspicious showering dates.

There are magnificent processions of saints and their pupils, and members of various Akharas partake in the custom of Shahi Snan also known as ‘Rajyogi Snan’ at the start of Kumbh. Shahi Snan is the highlight of Kumbh Mela and the most important part of the festival.

It is basically after the Shahi Snan is finished, that individual people are allowed to take the holy bath, in the belief that the people will get the added benefit  of the essence of sacred deeds and considerations of the saints by taking the plunge after them.

The Mega Kumbh Mela, which began on January 15, will proceed till March 4, is relied upon to produce an income of Rs 1.2 lakh crore for Uttar Pradesh.

An estimated 12 crore peoples/devotees are expected to attend Kumbh Mela and 33 lakh have already taken a dip in sacred water.

More than 16 lakh devotees took a holy dip  here at the Sangam, Prayagraj the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna rivers and the mystical Saraswati, on the promising  occasion of Makar Sankranti denoting the beginning of the Kumbh Mela.

Sadhus of 13 akharas (seven Shaiva, three Vaishnava, two Udasina, and one Sikh) who have customarily taken an interest in the Kumbh Mela,  were the first to take the holy bath known as ‘Shahi Snan’ on the essential day of the 55-day long Kumbh Mela.

Lakhs of devotees are at the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj for the second ‘Shahi Snan’ or auspicious dip on ‘Mauni Amavasya’ which is 4th Feb 2019, the most significant of all the sacred bathing days at the Kumbh.

Special arrangements at Kumbh Mela for the devotees:

The coordinators have set up a dedicated tent city on the fields of Yamuna and Ganga to accommodate the devotees.

The tents are outfitted with every advanced facility like five-star inns. Facilities like food courts, restaurants and entertainment centers have been extraordinarily organized the pilgrims.

Senior Manager of UP State Tourism Development Corporation, DP Singh stated, more than 2,000 tents of the varying range have been set up for this reason.

These tents have been planned to remember the number of tourists and visitors of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

In addition, 51 Maharaja and Swiss Cottages have likewise been set up at the Sangam Tent settlement.

Now no one will get separated at “Kumbh Mela” anymore:

As per today’s report, around 3 Crore devotees are expected at Kumbh Mela due to Mauni Amavasya.  Today is the second auspicious day for the royal dip at Kumbh. Also, it is trusted that on this day, sage Rishabh Dev ended his long vow of silence and bathed in the heavenly waters, which makes this day more significant.

The security arrangements have been made in the wake of a large number of people coming to Kumbh Mela. Additional Director General of Police S.N. Saabat said, “We have increased the number of security forces compared to Makar Sankranti. The practice of dealing with the emergency situation has also been done. Along with this, there has been reconciliation between the railway monitoring system and fair monitoring system.”

With the tight security arrangements in and around the Kumbhnagar, maximum safety is provided to all the visitors.