Kumbh Mela

Kumbh Mela

▪ Hindu festival
also called  Kumbha Mela 

      in Hinduism, religious festival that is celebrated four times every 12 years, the site of the observance rotating between four pilgrimage places on four sacred rivers: at Hardwar on the Ganges River, at Ujjain on the Shipra, at Nasik on the Godavari, and at Prayag (Allahabad) at the confluence of the Ganges, Jamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati. Each site's celebration is based on particular zodiacal positions of the Sun, the Moon, and Jupiter, the holiest time occurring at the exact moment these zodiacal conditions are fulfilled. Bathing at this moment is believed to generate the greatest religious merit, but the Kumbh time is regarded as being so holy that other bathing days are designated weeks or even months before and after this climactic time.

      Tradition ascribes the Kumbh Mela's origin to the 8th-century philosopher Shankara (Śaṅkara), who sought to strengthen Hindu religion by instituting regular gatherings of learned ascetics for discussion and debate. The festival's most important historical figures have been the naga akhadas, militant ascetic orders whose members formerly made their living as mercenary soldiers and traders. These akhadas still monopolize the holiest spots at each Kumbh's most propitious moment, and although the government now enforces an established bathing order, history records bloody disputes between groups vying for precedence.

      Aside from the akhadas, attendees at the Kumbh Mela come from all sections of Hindu religious life, ranging from sadhus (holy men), who remain naked year-round or practice the most severe physical discipline, to hermits, who leave their isolation only for these pilgrimages, and even to silk-clad teachers using the latest technology. The religious organizations represented range from social-welfare societies to political lobbyists. Vast crowds of disciples, friends, and spectators join the individual ascetics and organizations, making the Kumbh Mela the world's largest religious gathering. Attendance at the festival sometimes reaches an estimated 10 million.

      The charter myth of the Kumbh Mela—attributed to the Puranas (collections of myth and legend) but not found in any of them—recounts how the gods and demons fought over the pot (kumbha) of amrita, the elixir of immortality produced by their joint churning of the milky ocean. During the struggle, drops of the elixir fell on the Mela's four earthly sites, and the rivers are believed to turn back into that primordial nectar at the climactic moment of each Mela, giving pilgrims the chance to bathe in the essence of purity, auspiciousness, and immortality. The name Kumbh comes from this mythic pot of elixir but is also the name for Aquarius, the sign of the zodiac in which Jupiter resides during the Hardwar Mela.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Kumbh Mela — 2001 Kumbh Mela at Allahabad Official name Kumbh Mela, Maha Kumbha Mela Observed by Hindus Typ …   Wikipedia

  • Kumbh Mela — 2001 Kumbh Mela (Hindi, m., कुंभ मेला, kumbh melā, von Kumbh (Krug) und Mela (Fest)) gilt als das größte religiöse Fest des Hinduismus und der Welt. Es ist die größte und die einzige von Mond aus sichtbare Menschenmenge auf dem Planeten Erde. Die …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kumbh Mela — Kumbhamelâ Religions Védisme Brahmanisme Hindouisme Ajîvika Jaïnisme …   Wikipédia en Français

  • kumbh mela — ˈku̇mməˌlä noun Usage: usually capitalized K&M Etymology: Hindi kumbh melā festival in the sign of the zodiac Aquarius, from Sanskrit kumbha pot, Aquarius + melā assembly more at hump, militate : a Hindu festival occurring once every 12 years in… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Kumbh Mela — [kʊm meɪlα:] noun a Hindu festival, held once every twelve years, at which pilgrims bathe in the Ganges and Jumna Rivers. Origin Sanskrit, lit. pitcher festival , from kumbh pitcher + melā assembly …   English new terms dictionary

  • 1954 Kumbh Mela stampede — was a stampede that occurred in 1954 at Kumbha Mela on 3 February 1954 in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh state in India. More than 800 people died and over 100 were injured. The stampede was caused by failure of crowd control measures because of… …   Wikipedia

  • Maha Kumbh Mela — ▪ 2002       Millions of pilgrims, many of whom had traveled for days to participate in the Maha Kumbh Mela “Great Pitcher Festival” walked to the various camps set up on the sandy plains along the Ganges River.       About 110 million people,… …   Universalium

  • Mela — For other uses, see Mela (disambiguation). An article related to Hinduism …   Wikipedia

  • Kumbha Mela — Naga Babas bei der Rückkehr von der rituellen Waschung, Kumbh Mela 2001, Allahabad Triveni Sangham (Zusammenfluss von Yamuna und Ganges in Allahabad), Ziel der Pr …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Rajim Kumbh — (Devanagari: राजिम कुम्भ or कुंभ)is a Hindu pilgrimage, very large gathering of people and religious gurus every year at Rajim.HistoryRajim is Vaishnav Pilgrim Center from ancient times. It is also a known Shaiv dharma center. In old time it used …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”