Prayagraj Kumbh Mela 2021
In Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), Haridwar (Uttarakhand), Nashik (Maharashtra), and Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), the Kumbh Mela is held on a cycle basis every three years. Purana Kumbha or Mahakumbh is held every 12 years at Prayagraj itself. According to the calendar, the next Mahakumbh will take place in Prayagraj in 2025.
While Kumbh is organized on the banks of the river Ganges in Haridwar, the fair is organized at the confluence of rivers at Prayagraj – the confluence of the three sacred rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati.
The 55-day event is expected to set a record for more than 150 million footballs in the city. Even before the demise of Ardhakumbh, excitement erupts throughout the city of Prayagraj and the entire environment is charged for immersion in the holy water at the confluence of the devotees.
According to Hindu scriptures, taking a holy pinch at the confluence of Kumbh at the time of Kumbh, which is endowed with power, promotes spiritual growth, health, and emotional strength and leads you on the path of Moksha.
Why Allahabad Kumbh Mela is different?
Although drops of Amrit from Kumbha fell at four places – Prayag, Haridwar, Nashik, and Ujjain, Prayagraj Kumbh Mela is the highest of all the pilgrimages and one gives the greatest virtue. The city was known as Prayag for its spiritual significance. this is mentioned in Vedas. Priyagraj Kumbh is considered to be the holiest of all Kumbh, which is why Lord Brahma took part in a Yajna ritual in Prayag, the creator of the universe, and thus this place is of great importance to Hindus.
According to the Puranas, Yayati, one of the ancestors of the Pandavas, left Prayag and conquered the territory of Sapta Sindhu. His five sons – Yadu, Druyahu, Puru, Anu, and Turavasha later became the main tribe of the Rig Veda.
Prayag is specially mentioned in the Rig Veda as a sacred place. Visa was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas (great states) of Uttarapat (one of the continents of Hindu history on Monday, the northern part of Jambudweep). Today, the term Uttarapat is used to describe the geographical regions of North, West, East, Northeast, and Central India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. The visa was considered a branch of the Kuru dynasty. At the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati, Allahabad is spread mainly along the Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh.
During the Ramayana, Prayag was built at the confluence of three rivers with some sage huts. It is said that Lord Rama spent some time here in the ashram of Rishi Bhardwaj.
The second reason is that for a long time the tradition of Kalpavas has been practiced only in Prayag and thus the number of devotees in the city during Kumbh Mela is recorded.
According to the Matas Purana, Maharishi Markandeya told King Yudhisthira that Prayag is protected by all the gods. One who stays in Prayag for a month and does penance, follows the universe, and does penance for both gods and ancestors, fulfills all desires.
