Income tax slabs India 2013

Income Range	General (non-senior citizens) Category	Women (Below 60 years of age) (This category is abolished from this year and is thus is same as that of  General Category	Senior Citizens (Men and Women above 60 years of age), but below 80 years	Very Senior Citizens (Men and Women above 80 years of age)
Upto Rs. 2,00,000	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Rs. 2,00,001 to Rs. 2,50,000	10%	10%	Nil	Nil
Rs. 2,50,001 to Rs. 5,00,000	10%	10%	10%	Nil
Rs. 5,00,001 to Rs. 10,00,000	20%	20%	20%	20%
Above Rs. 10,00,000	30%	30%	30%	30%

Karat vs Carat

Karat
1.It is a unit of measurement of purity of  gold
2.24 Karat gold is pure gold

 Carat
1.It is common unit for measurement of precious stones like gemstones and pearls
2.One carat =200 milligrams. There is nothing like maximum carat as it is measurement of weight.

Supreme Court(India) Rejected Novartis’ Patent Plea for Cancer Drug Glivec

The Supreme Court of India on 1 April 2013 rejected the plea of Novartis, the Swiss drug maker, to patent the updated version of cancer drug called Glivec. A bench of justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Prakash Desai dismissed the patent plea to Novartis on the basis that there was no inventiveness or novelty in the new version of the drug. 

In its ruling, the Supreme Court of India declared that because the application for patent on beta-crystalline salt did not meet any inventiveness or novelty standard, therefore the company’s plea for patent was dismissed. 

The judgement implied that patents in India would only be granted to companies that were involved in genuine inventions. Litigative patenting would be dismissed. 

Glivec is used for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia along with certain other kinds of cancers. The cost of this drug is around 2600 US dollar per month. The generic of Glivec is equivalent to 175 US dollar in India. 

Background 

Novartis had filed a patent application for the new version of this drug in 2006. Comptroller General of Patent and Design denied the patent on the grounds that only certain changes were made to its existing drugs under sections 3(d) and 3(b) of the Indian Patent Law. 

Novartis then challenged this rejection of patent application for Glivec. Subsequently, the patent application was also rejected by Intellectual Property Appellate Board. In 2009, Novartis took its fight to the Supreme Court of India. 

Section 3 (d) and 3 (b) of Indian Patent Law explained

• Section 3 (d) of Indian Patent Law restricts the patents for already-known drugs unless and until there is superiority in invention in terms of efficacy. 
• Section 3 (b) of Indian Patent Law restricts patents for those products which are against the public interest, and also do not show advanced value over the products which already exist. 

Evergreening of Patent Rights- An Issue

Evergreening of the patent rights refers to the strategy adopted by certain innovators for having renewed their patent rights on the products by incorporating only minor changes. These minor changes may include adding new formulations or mixtures. Evergreening is done by the innovators when the patent is on the verge of expiry.  

A victory in this patent fight would have given monopoly of Glivec to Novartis for 20 years.

Plastic money

The Union Government and RBI on 12 March 2013 decided to introduce one billion pieces of 10 Rupees bank notes made of plastic on a field trial basis in five cities.

The field trail is supposed to be conducted in five cities of Kochi, Mysore, Jaipur, Bhubhaneswar and Shimla with varied geographical locations and climatic conditions.

As per the RBI, the primary objective of introduction of polymer notes is to increase its life, it could also help in combating counterfeiting. 

Various agencies such as the RBI, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Home Affairs, Security and Intelligence Agencies of the Centre and States, Central Bureau of Investigation are already working in tandem to thwart the illegal activities related to Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN). 

The work of these agencies is periodically reviewed by a nodal group set up for this purpose.

Virus Worm Trojan horse

What Is a Virus?

A computer virus attaches itself to a program or file enabling it to spread from one computer to another, leaving infections as it travels. Like a human virus, a computer virus can range in severity: some may cause only mildly annoying effects while others can damage your hardware, softwares or files. Almost all viruses are attached to an executable file, which means the virus may exist on your computer but it actually cannot infect your computer unless you run or open the malicious program. It is important to note that a virus cannot be spread without a human action, (such as running an infected program) to keep it going. Because a virus is spread by human action people will unknowingly continue the spread of a computer virus by sharing infecting files or sending emails with viruses as attachments in the email.

What Is a Worm?

A worm is similar to a virus by design and is considered to be a sub-class of a virus. Worms spread from computer to computer, but unlike a virus, it has the capability to travel without any human action. A worm takes advantage of file or information transport features on your system, which is what allows it to travel unaided.

The biggest danger with a worm is its capability to replicate itself on your system, so rather than your computer sending out a single worm, it could send out hundreds or thousands of copies of itself, creating a huge devastating effect. One example would be for a worm to send a copy of itself to everyone listed in your e-mail address book. Then, the worm replicates and sends itself out to everyone listed in each of the receiver's address book, and the manifest continues on down the line. 

Due to the copying nature of a worm and its capability to travel across networks the end result in most cases is that the worm consumes too much system memory (or network bandwidth), causing Web servers, network servers and individual computers to stop responding. In recent worm attacks such as the much-talked-about Blaster Worm, the worm has been designed to tunnel into your system and allow malicious users to control your computer remotely.

What Is a Trojan horse?

A Trojan Horse is full of as much trickery as the mythological Trojan Horse it was named after. The Trojan Horse, at first glance will appear to be useful software but will actually do damage once installed or run on your computer.  Those on the receiving end of a Trojan Horse are usually tricked into opening them because they appear to be receiving legitimate software or files from a legitimate source.  When a Trojan is activated on your computer, the results can vary. Some Trojans are designed to be more annoying than malicious (like changing your desktop, adding silly active desktop icons) or they can cause serious damage by deleting files and destroying information on your system. Trojans are also known to create a backdoor on your computer that gives malicious users access to your system, possibly allowing confidential or personal information to be compromised. Unlike viruses and worms, Trojans do not reproduce by infecting other files nor do they self-replicate.

RTI

The Right to information Act 2005, which came fully into effect on 12th October, 2005 is one of the most significant legislations enacted by the Parliament of India. The Act enables establishment of an unprecedented regime of right to information for the citizens of the country. It overrides the ‘Official Secrets Act’ and similar laws and rules. It aims to ensure maximum openness and transparency in the machinery and functioning of government at all level, Central State and Local.

Right to information should be treated as a basic human right. From an educated man living in the city to an illiterate villager, everybody has the right to know how the government he or she voted to power is performing. Where is the money that he or she gives as tax going? What happened to the Panchayats promise of building that primary school or the road? Was the lowest tender accepted for building that six lane bridge? We all have these questions and now Right to Information Act has made it possible for us to know the answers to these questions.

The lack of access to information on Government policies, programmes, schemes,benefits and deliveries makes corrupt practices thrive. When corruption siphons off amounts from employment guarantee, unemployment or disability benefit, misdirects public funds for service delivery or delays pension and social security payments, it is usually the poor who suffer the most. Freedom of information can be a potent tool to prevent and fight corruption.

It should be remembered that Public bodies hold information not for themselves, but as custodians of the public good and everyone has a right to access this information, subject only to clearly well defined rules established by law. In a government of responsibility like ours , where all the agents of the public must be responsible for their conduct, there can be but few secrets. The people of this country have a right to know every public act by their public functionaries. They are entitled to know the particulars of every public transaction in all its bearing. The Indian democracy is going through a new phase. It is difficult to hypothesize about a real democracy without good governance, transparency and responsibility. Right to information has made all these possible. It has brought the common citizen into a new democratic role where he can directly question the administration.

 The Right to Information Act 2005 has provided us the right to get information from the government. Through this we can now expose corruption and also bring to light those duties that are not being performed by the officials. We can ask information about projects and plans. We can inspect files and check for any misappropriations. The government spends a huge amount of money for development work. We can ask for information about the work being done in our area. We can find out the amount of money that is being spent and where. Information relating to tenders, agreements, payments and estimates of engineering work etc. can be obtained with the help of the Right to information Act. Besides these, information can be sought on the following-

1. We can demand samples of materials used for the construction of roads, drains and buildings etc.

2. We can demand an inspection of any social development work, work in progress or information related to any completed work.

3. We can demand an inspection of government documents, maps for the construction, registers and records.

4. We can demand information related to the progress made on any complaint filed by you in the recent past.

Experiences suggest that in the states where the Right to Information Act has been implemented, it has become an important tool of social development and governance. Awareness among the people about the use of RTI has had a great effect on the working culture of the government. It has made the officials more responsible towards the dispensation of their duties.

When there was no right to Information , citizens were forced to grapple in the dark while the bureaucrats kept all the information hidden. The role of right to information is quite effective in informing crores of grassroots people whose development is marred due to corruption. Even today the greatest challenge of India is bad governance. We elect our representatives and submit our rights to them in the hope that after going to Parliament or to the State Assembly they will come up with laws and plans and work for the welfare of the people. But the truth is really frightening. The House runs merely for 10 to 20 days in a year and even this time is spent in useless quarrels, discussions and other formalities. The possibility of asking questions that concern people is limited. Somehow even if some questions are asked, satisfactory answers are hardly provided. Then, even if some answers are provided, little or no action is taken. Our representatives have failed completely on the floor of the House. Today , it is not the people’s representatives who raise important questions but common people, RTI activists and social organizations are raising these questions. And what is even better is that not only have they received satisfactory answers but proper action has also been taken on the issues raised by them. After acquiring the RTI, people have become more powerful than their representatives. If an MP or MLA wants to raise a question on the floor of the House, it is not necessary that his request would be accepted and even if his question is accepted, it is not necessary that it will be discussed. Even if it is taken up for discussion there is no guarantee that he will get all the answers. Once an issue has been raised, no matter how unsatisfactorily, the member has to wait for the next session to take it up again as there are limits on the number of questions that an MP or MLA can raise. The Right to Information has provided freedom from all these constraints. Further, out representatives can ask questions only when the House is in session whereas citizens can ask any number of questions any time from any government office. The representatives have very few opportunities of responding to the partial information they receive, while the citizens have more than enough time to go through the information properly and raise appropriate question. Representatives can be denied information due to different reasons, whereas the common people cannot be denied information, as not providing information under the RTI Act in the stipulated period of 30 days , is punishable offence. The queries of citizens cannot be postponed.

All these show that in a new democracy people need not be dependent on their representatives. They can take the initiative on their own. In fact this process has already started and it s results are quite encouraging in states like Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,Andhra Pradesh.

The right to Information will encourage journalists and society at large to question the state of affairs. It can be powerful weapon to check the unmitigated corrupt practices and can also promote accountability. The scribes will no longer have to depend on conjecture, rumour, leaks and sources other than knowledgeable ones. The legislation on RTI can act like an antidote to vested interests which try to conceal or misinterpret information or which try to manipulate the media directly or indirectly to plant misinformation. Through the RTI Act transparency in public, professional, social and personal sphere can be achieved.

How to Seek Information

After the implementation of the Right to Information Act , it is mandatory to appoint a Public Information Officer and an Assistant PIO in every public department. The names of these officials are to made public through newspapers. They also have to be displayed on the notice boards of the public departments. Even if you do not get the names of the Public Information Officers, you can file your application in the name of the Public Information Officer to the concerned department and seek the information required. For seeking information an application has to be submitted . There is no specific format or form for the application. You can submit a hand written application written on a plain sheet of paper. There are some departments, which have released forms, which are available free of cost. You can fill up the application form and seek the required information. If you want to deposit a handwritten or typed or printed application no officer can refuse to accept your application. All information sought has to be provided within a month. If the applicant does not receive any information within a month or is not satisfied with the information provided, he can first appeal to the department’s First Appellate Authority and then to the State Information Commission. If the appeal is accepted then information will be provided. It is sufficient to provide only questions for seeking information. It is not necessary to mention in the application as to, why you want the information. Even the officials are not supposed to ask why we are seeking the information. Similarly, you do not require any identity for seeking information. It makes no difference if you are a leader of a political party or an ordinary citizen. If you file your application as per the provisions then the officials are bound to provide the information sought by you. The complete address of the applicant is compulsory though. If some official is reluctant to provide information then he may also be penalized for not providing information within the stipulated period.

The right to freedom of information is crucial not only in determining policy but also in checking the Government in its implementation policy. Freedom of information is a necessary part of our democratic polity. All power in a democracy belongs to the people who are the masters and the government is their servant. If the people are to perform their sovereign role and instruct their government, they must have access to all information, ideas and points of view. Thus democracy must extend beyond the ballot box and be deepened through social citizenship and citizen governance. I have no doubt that India will certainly flourish in terms of accountability when millions of people use the right of information.

MAKAR SAKRANTI AND KITES, SAVE BIRDS CAMPAIGN

Kite sellers vow not to sell glass manjas

With the rise in number of accidents due to manja (kite thread), kite sellers in Jaipur ,Bikaner and jodhpur have decided not to sell manjas made of glass pieces this Makar Sakranti. Hence, kite fliers shouldn't be surprised if they don't find glass manjas in every kite shop.

 "Since last two years, we have been advising people, especially the parents of little children, not to buy glass-coated manja for their children." a shopkeeper told media. He said that in recent times there has been growing concern over the use of glass manja, which at times pose grave threat to those riding two-wheelers and cycles. Even the birds flying in the sky get injured by the manja.

According to official estimate about 2,00,000 birds affect by glass manjas. 50 percent of them die and the rest loose their wings,eyes and could not fly for the rest of their life.

We should not do things for our pleasure which might cause danger to our friends (birds) which makes for our ecosystem and nature.

SAVE BIRDS!!.....LETs PLEDGE

KUMBH 2013 (1 PERCENT OF WORLD'S Humans will witness an estimate 7crore)

Kumbh Introduction

Kumbh Darshan

The Kumbh Festival at Tirthraj Prayag began on the full moon night (Purnima) of the month of Paush. The Kumbh Festival is held at Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik every four years, but the Kumbh at Prayag has a special significance. The Kumbh Festival is marked by the fact that it is held at the banks of holy rivers every 12 years. In Prayag it is held on the banks of the rivers Ganga-Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, in Haridwar at Ganga and in Nasik at the banks of Godavari. A great fair is held on these occasions on the banks of these rivers with a huge congregation of devoted pilgrims.

Main Bathing Dates in Allahabad this year

No.	Festival name	Date	Crowd estimated	Remarks
1	Makar Sankranti	14.1.2013	11m	Royal Bath
2	Paush Purnima	27.1.2013	5.5m
3	Mouni Amavasya	10.2.2013	30.5m	Royal Bath
4	Basant Panchami	15.2.2013	19.3m	Royal Bath
5	Magi Poornima	25.2.2013	16.5m	Royal Bath
6	Mahashivratri	10.3.2013	5.5m	Royal Bath

The Prayag Kumbh

This Kumbh is considered to be the most significant of all as it marks the direction of wisdom or light. This is the place where the sun, symbolizing wisdom, rises.Creation of the universe is supposed to have originated here and it is supposed to be the center of the earth. Prajapati Brahma, the God of Creation, is said to have created the Universe after conducting the Ashwamedh Yagna at the Dashashwamedh Ghat here. The Dashashwamedh Ghat and the Brahmeshwar Temple still exist here as if as symbols of that holy yagna, and that is another reason for the special significance of the Prayag Kumbh. In fact Prayag and Kumbh are synonymous to each other.

The Meaning of Kumbh

The literal meaning of Kumbh is a pitcher, but its elemental meaning is something else. Even as a symbol of pitcher, Kumbh is synonymous with holy activities as in daily life a pitcher (or kalash) is an integral part of all sacred activities in Hindu culture, and this pitcher is a symbol of Kumbh. Holy scriptures say that in a pitcher, its mouth (opening) symbolizes the presence of Vishnu, its neck that of Rudra, the base of Brahama, all goddesses in the center and the entire oceans in the interior, thus encompassing all the four Vedas. This itself establishes the significance of the Kumbh as symbolized by the pitcher.

Different Forms of Kumbh

We shall not dwell upon the literary meaning of the word Kumbh, but we would like to mention the synonyms and origins. The Kumbh is a pitcher. Kumbh is the human body, it is the abdomen, and the sea, earth, sun and Vishnu are synonyms of Kumbh. The pitcher, sea, river, ponds and the well are symbols of Kumbh as the water from these places is covered from all sides. The sky has the cover of the wind, the sun covers the entire universe with its light, and the human body is covered with cells and tissues. That is why it is Kumbh. Desire, that is longing, is also Kumbh. God Vishnu is also Kumbh as He pervades the entire creation, and the creation pervades in him.

Elemental Meaning of Kumbh

Kumbh is the confluence of all our cultures. It is the symbol of spiritual awakening. It is the eternal flow of humanity. It is the surge of rivers, forests and the ancient wisdom of the sages. It is the flow of life itself. It is the symbol of the confluence of nature and humanity. Kumbh is the source of all energy. Kumbh makes humankind realize this world and the other, sins and blessings, wisdom and ignorance, darkness and light. Holy rivers are the symbols of the lyrical flow of humanity. Rivers are indicators of the flow of water of life in the human body itself. In the human body that is an embodiment of home, nothing is possible without the five elements. The elements – fire, wind, water, earth and sky – symbolize the human body. The great sage-poet Sant Kabir has explained this sublime thought in his typical manner.

The Himalaya is the abode of the soul of the gods. The Holy Ganga embarks upon its journey from there, encompassing the forests, the mountain sages and the culture of the villages. The Yamuna is a co-traveler as it puts an end to all sins, and it is known variously as Tripathga, Shivpuri and other names. This is the Ganga that liberated the children of the Suryavanshi king Sagar. Its holy water is considered nectar itself.

Kumbh Darshan

As has been stated before that Kumbh is an occasion but with the passage of time it took the shape of a Festival. Such a festival which leaves an impression on whole world, such a festival where one thinks about religion and culture. Such a festival whose culture is “Vishnupadi” Ganga itself. Earlier, shape of this festival was small but now from 12th century the festival has developed very large. The shape of the festival depends on the direction of Ganga, wherever it takes turn, whichever space is left by it, makes it obvious to be covered by the festival.

The festival of Kumbh or Ardh Kumbh is not a festival of market or fair instead it is the festival of knowledge, asceticism and devotion. Religious atmosphere is seen everywhere in this festival. Whichever camp you visit, in between smoke of Yagya (religious sacrifice), voice of ved mantras is heard, elucidation, dances based on mythological epics, prayers, preaches of saints and sages, a different society is seen. Traditional procession of Akharas, shining swords of naga sages in Shahi Snan (royal bath) between elephants, horses, musical instruments, horse race attracts lakhs of devotees to visit Kumbh.

It is a festival of leaders of different religions of society. Seeing the growing population in festival small markets have taken the shape of a large market, Government and Administration has also involved itself for the convenience of festival. This festival is the festival of honor and dignity of Prayag. It is the festival of utmost devotion of lakhs of sacred performers. To run food providing areas by holy sacred donators for providing food to poor, helpless and saints. Ganga is the mother of all in this festival. All are her sons. It is the festival of the spirit . Such a huge size of public does not assemble at one place continued for a month in any part of the world. The land of Prayag, the decider of sins and holy acts, has the honor to conduct this festival.

This festival too is celebrated in the town made of tents not that of houses of bricks and stone, it is held on the cold sand of Sangam. It is held under open sky covered with fog. It is a tough test of human devotion. People come to this festival with the spirit of earning holy acts. Sins end automatically. This is the festival of self thinking and givingdonations including cow-donation, gold-donation, secret donation etc .

This is the festival of wishes. People from every religion and caste are present in the festival in one or another form, saints and sacred performers from every caste are present in the festival. A small place takes the shape of mini India. Different types of language, tradition-culture’ dress, food, way of living, can be seen at various places in this festival and the most important specialty is that crores of people reach here without any invitation.

Astrological Aspect

It is explained in the story of Sea Churning that the stars are directly related to the Kumbh festival. Jayant took 12 days to carry the nectar kalash to the heaven. One day of gods was equal to one year of the human. It is why that in the sequence of stars state at 12th year Kumbh is held at festival places. Meaning of the fair is this festival. It is clear with the mythological study that Kumbh festival and Ganga are specially related. Ganga does flow in Prayag but Godavari of Nasik is also called Ganga. It is known by the name of Gomti Ganga. Shipra is recognized by north branch Ganga of Kashi. From that place, Shipra becomes east branch, where it was once assembled with Ganga. The phellus named Gangeshwar is worshipped there by Ganga.

In continuation to Astrological calculation event of Kumbh (a festival occurring every 12 years) takes place in 4 ways.

In the event of entrance of Jupiter in Aquarius (Zodiac sign) and entrance of Sun in Aries (Zodiac sign) Kumbh festival is held at Haridwar.

In the event of entrance of Jupiter in Aries circle and entrance of Sun and Moon in Capricorn Kumbh Festival is held at Prayag on the lunar conjunction day (अमावस्या).

in the event of entrance of Sun in Capricorn and entrance of Jupiter in Taurus Kumbh Festival is held at Prayag.

In the event of entrance of Jupiter in Leo Kumbh Festival is held at Nasik on the bank of river Godavari and in the event of entry of Jupiter in Leo and entry of Sun in Aries Kumbh Festival is held at Ujjain.

Astrological options, as that of Prayag, are also available for Nasik and Ujjain.

When Jupiter, Sun and Moon enters in Cancer on lunar conjunction (Amavasya - last day of the dark half of a month) then also Kumbh Festival is held on the bank of river Godavari.

When Jupiter enters in Libra and Sun & Moon remain together on Kartik Amavasya (8th month of Hindu year) then also Moksha Dayak (Free from all bonds) Kumbh Festival is held at Ujjain.

In mythologies––Naaradiya Purana (Mythology) 2/66/44 Shiva Purana (Mythology) 1/12/22/-23 Astrological analysis is available in Barah Purana (Mythology) 1/71/47/48 & Brahma Purana (Mythology) regarding events of Kumbh (a festival occurring every 12 years) and Ardh Kumbh (a festival occurring in between every 12 years i.e. 6 years). Kumbh Festival starts from Haridwar in the interval of every 3 years. It is said that after Haridwar Kumbh Festival is celebrated at Prayag, Nasik and Ujjain. Kumbh festival at Prayag is celebrated after 3 years of Kumbh Festival at Haridwar and there is a difference of 3 years between the Kumbh Festivals at Prayag and Nasik but the Kumbh Festival at Nasik and Ujjain is celebrated in the same year. Sometimes Kumbh Festival at Nasik is celebrated before Ujjain.

Mythological Aspect

One of the most popular and amazing mythological stories found in ancient Indian texts is Amrita Manthan, meaning churning of the ocean for nectar, the celestial water of immortality.

As the story goes, once the gods and demons agreed to churn the great ocean and share the treasures or the 'ratnas' that will emerge from it. There were long arguments how this can be accomplished and how the booty will be distributed. The most precious treasure was amrita, the nectar. Both the gods and the demons laid claims to it. One who drinks will become immortal and therefore, all-powerful and indestructible. Gods could never accept this.

The legend goes thus- the gods and the demons fight for a pot of nectar (Amrit Kumbh): the nectar of immortality. Lord Vishnu, disguising himself as an enchantress (Mohini), seized the nectar from the demons. While fleeing from the evil ones, Lord Vishnu passed the nectar on to his winged mount, Garuda. The demons finally caught up with Garuda and in the ensuing struggle, a few drops of the precious nectar fell on Allahabad, Nasik, Haridwar and Ujjain. Since then, the Kumbh Mela has been held in all these places, alternatively, every 12 years.

Finally, the churning began with a mountain peak, used as the churning rod and the great serpent volunteering to become the rope to be used for turning it. There was a dispute over which side - the head or the tail - of the serpent would be held by who, the gods or demons. Finally the churning began.

Among other things - the celestial horse, the elephant, the divine cow etc. - was the deadliest of poisons called 'Halaahal'. Its appearance could kill all life. Shiva, the supreme god, offered to swallow it to save the creation.

Each thing or animal - even the four Vedas - as it emerged was presented to different gods. Their eyes were on the pot of nectar. As soon as it came out of the water, the demons tricked the gods to partake of it. But the demon Rahu who took it first was instantly beheaded. In spite of it the head remained alive. According to a belief, whenever Rahu swallows the sun there is solar eclipse.

During the chase for the pot of nectar between gods and demons, it was kept on the ground a number of times. Those spots became holy and later venue for holding the Kumbh mela (fair). These holy places are Allahabad (Prayag) in Uttar Pradesh, Haridwar (Uttrakhand), Ujjain (MP) and Nasik (Maharashtra).

Kumbh Parva Chakra

Kumbh Parva is the largest gathering of people for a religious purpose in the world. Millions of people gather on different places for this auspicious occasion. Kumbha is a Sanskrit word for Pitcher, sometimes referred to as the Kalasha, it is also a zodiac sign in Indian astrology for Aquarius, the sign under which the festival is celebrated, while Mela means 'a gathering' or 'a meet', or simply a fair. Kumbh Parva in Hinduism is celebrated four times every 12 years, the site of the observance rotating between four pilgrimage places on four sacred rivers: at Haridwar 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 (popularly known as Yamuna), and the mythical River Sarasvati.

Kumbh Parva in Allahabad

According to astrologers, the 'Kumbh Fair' takes place when the planet Jupiter enters Aquarius and the Sun enters Aries. Kumbh (Kumbha means pot) Mela (means fair) is a sacred Hindu pilgrimage. In 2013 from 14th January the Purna Kumbh Mela will be held on Allahabad which occurs after every 12th years. The Prayag (Allahabad) Kumbh Mela is the largest and holiest of all melas and is believed to be the most auspicious.

Kumbh Parva in Haridwar

Haridwar (Hardwar) is located on the foothills of Shivaliks of Himalayan Range. In acient scriptures Haridwar was also known as Tapovan, Mayapuri, Gangadwar and Mokshadwar. It is one of the most sacred seven cities of India. Haridwar have enormous religious significance and a key pilgrimage town for the Hindus.The procedure through which the dates of the mela are calculated requires the position of the sun, moon and Jupiter and how this fall in line with the Zodiac each Mela falls in. Aries is the Zodiac sign that Haridwar is associated with. The last Kumbh Mela was celebrated in Haridwar from Makar Sankranti i.e. 14 January 2010 to Shakh Purnima Snan, 28 April 2010. The next Kumbh Mela  will be held in Haridwar in the year 2022 .

Kumbh Parva in Nashik

Trimbakeshwar is a holy town that houses one of the twelve Jyotirlingas in India. It also is the origin of the river Godavari and is situated 38 kms away from Nasik. The Sinhasta Kumbh Mela is held once in 12 years in Nashik and Trimbakeshwar. According to historical records, Nasik is one of four places where the elixir of immortality, the 'amrit', fell to earth from a pitcher as gods and demons were engaged in the tussle to gain the ownership of the jar full of 'amrit'. The Kumbh Mela rotates among the four holy sites every three years.

The Kumbh Mela is marked by millions of devotees' plunge into the river Godavari that is believed would cleanse their souls leading to salvation. A ritual bath at a predetermined time and place is the major event of the festival. The annual festival of Shivratri is also celebrated with great pomp and show inviting thousands of pilgrims.

Kumbh Parva in Ujjain

'Ujjain' means the 'city of victory' (earlier known as Ujjayini) and is located on the western boundary of Madhya Pradesh. Ujjain is 55 km from Indore. It is situated on the banks of Shipra River. Ujjain is one of the holiest cities in India. According to the Mahabharata's Aranya-parva, Ujjain is one of the seven sacred moksa-puris or sapta-puris. The others are Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Kashi (Varanasi), Kanchipuram, and Dwarka. It is said that Shiva killed the demon Tripurasur at Ujjain.

Rituals of Kumbh

Kumbh Mela, is the largest human gathering which is attended by millions of people on earth irrespective of all worldly barriers of caste, creed, region. The Kumbh Mela has wielded a mesmeric influence over the minds and the imagination of the ordinary Indian.

Devotees believe simply by bathing in the Ganga will free them from their past sins (karma), and thus one becomes eligible for liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Other activities include religious discussions, devotional singing, mass feeding of holy men and women .

Kumbh Mela is the most sacred of all the Hindu pilgrimages. Millions of holy men and women (saints , monks, and sadhus) attend this spectacle of faith.

This holy event with such tremendous faith has gained international fame. Famous ancient traveler. Hiuen Tsang of China, was the first to mention Kumbha Mela in his diary. His diary mentions the celbration of 75 days of hindu month of Magha (January-February), which witnessed half a million devotee including sadhus, common man, rich & famous & kings.

Irrespective of all worldly barriers of caste, creed, region, the Kumbh Mela has wielded a mesmeric influence over the minds and the imagination of the ordinary Indian. Kumbh is the largest human gathering in history for the single cause, This auspicious time & space is attended by millions of people on a single day. Since the beginning of time Kumbh has been a center of hindu culture & faith. The participants from all the walks of life attend this cosmic zone.

Tirth Purohit / Prayagwal

Thirthraj is famous in history of Prayag has also relationship with citizens of Prayag. Prayagwal is a Brahmin of high society which includes citizens of both Saryupari & Kanyakubj. The descendents of tirth purohit of Prayag who were chosen by Lord Ram as tirth purohit of his raghukul after his victory over Lanka in Treta yug are still living in Kavirapur, Battupur of District. Ayodhya.

Of his generation customs tirth purohit of Mishrakul are still living here who are the teachers of Kshtriyas. Tirth teacher Prayagwal and the Panda casts are the synonyms of same caste. In post historic time when Prayagraj was covered by dense forest except the huts of Rishi Munis (Hermits) there was no other place for pilgrim travelers. Since that time the huts of these holy priest have been the main staying place for these travelers. The holy offerings received by these travelers have been the source of living for them.

According to customs all rights for offerings of religious work is given to only prayagwal not to any other caste. Tirth purohit have received respect in the time of Maharaja Harsh. They have been respected through offerings in the Triveni area.

Famous Chinese traveler Hen Tsang has written that following the footsteps of his ancestors Maharaja Harsh has given away the total wealth accumulated in 5 years within few days. First he offered his precious gems by making a status of Lord Buddha then he gave away rest money to the holy priest who were living there and remaining to the priest who came from outside.

After the ruin of emperor harsh during the period of King of Parihars and Rajputs of Kannauj the priest were respected in the same way through offerings King Trilochan Pal was living Pratishthapur of Prayag in 1027 BC. He gave a village as an offering to a priest living in Pratishthapur (Jhansi) .After Parihars the priest were respected by Gaharwar Rajputs. 

In District Jatariya Key Nabil has written

"Prayaagwal organizes Mela. Without local priests the Mela cannot be organized. Only Prayagwal organizes Kalpwasi, no other group does it.

According to a story when Emperor Akbar laid the foundation of the Fort of Prayag its Southern walls started falling due to the waves of Yamuna river. At that time he was asked to sacrifice a Brahman. The Brahman who showed his desire to be sacrificed asked as a vardan that his family should get the rights for receiving offerings in the Triveni area, no one else should get it. Emperor Akbar accepted this. At the time of Emperor Akbar there were two divisions of Paragyawal's. Pikshayi and Pardeshi. The person who was to be sacrificed was of Pardeshi. After this sacrifice Pardeshi's became the main prophets. But as time passed the Pikshayi's started to dominate and there was an understanding between both the groups. Still today on the Southern wall of the fort their is a sign of man and elephant, who were sacrificed. From the Prayagwals an incharge named Chaudhari was elected to organize the mela.

Emperor Akbar had given 250 bigha of land free to Tirth purorhit of Prayag Chandrabhan Kishanram, who was the son of Jayaram, for setting up the Prayag mela. The pronouncement in this regard is still kept at Panch Bhaiya Prayagwal. In this document, Prayagwal is addressed as ‘Jujha rada ran’, meaning the wearer of the sacred thread or janeyu. The land was tax-free and the mela was being inhabited there. After the sacrifice of a Brahmin at this spot, Emperor Akbar tried to donate a human statue made of gold, as also a replica of an elephant in gold. However, the then priests refused to accept the donations because of religious reasons. Upon this, the king was unhappy and, in a fanatic decision, issued a royal decree expelling these residents of Prayag. These men were deported to the other side of the Yamuna.

Thereafter these priests settled down in the region of the Maharaja of Riva. The Baghel Rajput Riva Naresh gifted them 12 villages for sustenance.

The thok (ancestral stock) of the tirth purohit sacrificed by King Akbar, and the 12 thok of priests living in 13 villages, make for 13 thok in all. The entire Prayagwal community is divided in these 13 thoks.

After some time, king Man Singh came to Prayag after conquering Bengal. He amended the royal decree and brought back the tirth purohits to Prayag and inhabited them there. The earlier royal decree for giving away free land for the mela was accepted by the later kings Jahangir and Shahjahan. During the time of king Aurangzeb in 1666 AD, the Maratha ruler Shivaji fled from Agra to Prayaag and stayed in the house of a tirth purohit at Daraganj. The tirth purohit of Prayag were considered warriors and they took part in religious warfare from time to time. The Sikh Guru Ram Singh and Gobind Singh had also acknowledged the greatness of these tirth purohit, and had given donations to them.

The place in Prayagwal where Shivaji had stayed belonged to the family of Mathuranath or Ranagnath Panchbhaiya. Shivaji went to Kashi after leaving Sambhaji with the purohit. After due passage of time, Sambhaji took this host tirth purohit to Maharashtra and made him a minister in the government of Sambhaji. He was later given the title of “Kavi Kallu”. During the time of Aurangzeb also, the dignity of Prayagwals remained intact in Prayag.

Nawab Safdarganj, Ali Kuli Khan, Nawab Shujauddaula and Wajid Ali Shah of Avadh had also issued various pardons to the Prayagwal people. The deeds issued by Nawab Shujauddaula and Ali Kuli Khan are still intact with Pandit Imliyadeen Karmaha. These Prayagwals have preserved the donation scrolls, tamrapatras, stone tablets, patta, deeds, pronouncements, stone replicas etc. issued by kings and maharajas of India such as Rajputs of Rajasthan, Kashmir, Mysore, Baroda, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Kutch, Malabar, Travancore, Cochin, Nepal, Tripura, Mayurganj, Avadh etc. These are invaluable historical treasures that need to be studied and researched.

Mr Skinner, an English traveler, has written this about the Prayagwal and the mela in 1826 AD:

“This was a religious fair that congregated at the confluence of two rivers. I did not find anything being sold there. Only bathing, prayers and meditation were the main activities there. Several rectangular wooden planks, about 8-9 feet in size and standing on tall pillars, were kept on the river bank. There were large umbrellas on them and people rested under them. The purohits and pandas appeared to be typical and exclusive teachers of the pilgrims and had their seats in the middle. They did not budge from their places and with beads in their hands, they prayed for the fulfillment of the celestial desires of the pilgrims. It was a very interesting sight.”

Mr Neville has written in “Ex darshan in India 1833” that “The pilgrims coming to the Magh mela are given shelter and space by the Prayagwals and they fulfill their religious duties also. There is detailed description of this in the Matsya Puran and Prayag Mahatmya.”

The master plan of the mutiny that took place in Prayag in 1857 was prepared in the midst of Prayagwals. The Rani of Jhansi had come to Prayag and had stayed with the tirth purohit of Prayag. The Prayagwals had collaborated with the Faqir Maualvi Liaquat Ali of Mahagaon to rebel against the British. The huge mound brass bell at the church near Kotwali was broken down by some Prayagwal of Kydganj, and he was hanged for this. The houses of Prayagwals of Daraganj and Kydganj were ransacked and they were punished also.

There was immense contribution of the Prayagwals in the freedom struggle. Among them, Pandit Basantlal Sharma, Pandit Pashupati Nath Sharma, Pandit Kashi Prasad Awasthi, late Ranganath Sharma, late Chhavinath Sharma, late Mata Prasad Roy who was a friend and colleague of martyr Chandra Shekhar Azad.

Chunni Lal, tirth purohit of Late Pandit Motilal, late Pandit Jawaharlal, late Gadhiji, lives in Malaviya nagar, and has the writings and signature of members of the Nehru family. Writings of Dr katju and Dr Sapru etc. also are preserved with the family of Pandit Chunni Lal Bohra.

The ashes immersion prayers of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Pandit Nehru, Dr Rajendra Prasad, Dr Katju, Sarojini Naidu, Acharya Narendra Dev, Sucheta Kripalani was also performed by these priests.

There is a specific tirth purohit of all pilgrims to Prayag. The relationship of a pilgrim with a tirth purohit is that of a teacher and disciple. These tirth purohits are the religious teachers of the pilgrims and have the exclusive right to accept donations at the Triveni area.

Mr Neville writes in the District gazetteer:

“All religious rites of pilgrims coming to Prayag are conducted by the Prayagwals. First there is obeisance at Beni madhav, followed by the sankalp, the shaving of the hair, a holy dip, pind daan, shaiya daan, godan, bhumi dan and thus in the end, the Prayagwal gives his blessings to the pilgrims.”

All the daan and up-daan are conducted by the Prayagwals. The descriptions and family history of the pilgrims are in the scrolls carried by the tirth purohit. The accommodation and shelter for hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and kalpawasis coming to Prayag are arranged by the Prayagwals. The Prayagwal gets the land on lease from the administration, arranges for a hut or tent on this land, puts up the pilgrims in them and accepts whatever is given as donation, and manages his livelihood with that only.

The pilgrims are dedicated to the Prayagwals on the basis of region and the rituals. The Prayagwals also preserve the descriptions of their pilgrims. The pilgrims derive immense pleasure upon seeing the signatures of their ancestors in those thick, ancient scrolls preserved by the Prayagwals who immediately search out the family tree and family history as soon as the pilgrims approach them.

There are two kinds of Prayagwals – Pidhiya or permanent who are original residents of Prayag, and Pardeshi, who are descendants of relatives who came to Prayaag and settled there. The Prayagwals are given land on a token lease for sheltering the pilgrims, and they are given land for putting the planks and cots for conducting the religious rites near the Sangam, Ganga patti and Yamuna patti. The allotment of this land is done at the behest of Prayagwal Sabha and the members decide the order and the area of place to be allotted. There have been no complaints regarding the Prayagwals roaming around to conduct the rites at any place except the designated one. Some of these Prayagwals also have the licence to conduct the Benidaan.

Snan Parva

Snan Parva or bathing in the river Ganga is of great importance. It is believed that it washes away all the sins and the cycle of rebirth and death ends as the soul becomes one with God Almighty.

Below are listed the auspicious holy bathing dates at the Kumbh Mela. On the main bathing dates there will be a colorful, magnificent Procession of radiant saints on chariots and elephants at sunrise. As the saints pass by, they impart blessings of divine grace to all the people. Then the glorious saints took their dip (shahi snan) in the Holy River Ganges. This takes place according to tradition, each group proceeding to the river and then bathing in a particular sequence. After all these groups have bathed, then all other people will take their turn to march to the Ganga for their bath.

Tirthraj Prayag Introduction

The Tirathraj or Prayag Raj-rich in religious and national traditions-is picturesquely situated, since the very dawn of civilization,at the confluence of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna and invisible Saraswati. Culturally it has kept a lot of our best tradition,intellectually it has been a vigorous seat of light and learning spiritually it gives vision and wisdom that makes man to love. Lord Brahma, one of the three Gods of hindu trinity is believed to have performed ‘yajna’ to purify the atmosphere when he created the universe. Hence the name Prayag ,"the place of purification". During the British rule it became the seat of a Provincial Government, High court and a movements for social intellectual and Political upliftment of the country. Prayag has always been closely associated with India’s struggle for independence.The sacred soil of Prayag was occasionally filled with the blood of the martyrs.

Prayag has got the greater religious significance and is known as the king of pilgrimages,because of being situated at the confluence of three holy rivers Prayag has got six ghats.Two each on Ganga and Yamuna and two at the confluence of these rivers.At all these ghats innumerable pilgrimages are situated.In the west of Sangam at some distance "Dhirrttya Kuliya" and "madhu kuliya" are situated, ahead of them "Niranjan Tirtha" and in west of it is "Adutiya Tirtha". "Shrir Mochan" and "Parsu Ram Tirtha" are beneath the fort.The situation of sacred Saraswati river is said to be at that place as well.To take bath at this place is said to be of greater religious importance.Taking bath at Gaughat is as holy as giving cows in charity. At some distance ahead of these tirtha is "Kapil Tirtha" Which was established by "lord Kapila". Here is the temple of "Indeshwar Shiva" and near to it "Tarkeshwar Kund" and "Tarkeshwar Shiva"

At Daraganj is Dasashwamedh Ghat and at this place Lord Brahma had performed "Yajna". Nearly in west is Lakshmi Tirtha ahead to it in South is "Mahadevi Tirtha" enclose vicinity of it in south are situated "Urvashi Tirtha" and "Urvashi Kund". Across Triveni "Agnikar" is situated which is known as "Arail" The temple of "Someshwar Mahadev" is here and the place is famous as "Som Tirtha".

The Prayagraj is famous for Madho temples also.Twelve Madho temples are situated at different locations are given below:-

• Shareb Madho:- In the east of Triveni it is situated in the garden of "Chatanaga" which had been the place of "Vyas ji’. Shiv Puran was written here.
• Adveni Madho:- Near the kothi of Ram Charan Agarwal at Daraganj.In the temple The idol of lakshmi Narain ji is there.
• Manohar Madho:- In the temple of Darveshwar Nath,there is an idol of lord Vishnu ,which is called Manohar Madho
• Chara Madho:- Situated in Agnikor-Arail.
• Gada Madho:- Situated near Chheoki Railway station.
• Adam Madho:- Situated in village Deoria.
• Anant Madho:- Approx Two miles away from Khuldabad.
• Bindu Madho:- Situated in the vicinity of Draupdi Ghat.
• Ashi Madho:- Situated in the neighbourhood of Nagbasuki.
• Sankat Haran Madho:- Situated below Sandhya Vat.
• Vishnu or Adh Madho:- Situated in Arail.
• Vat Madho:- Situated near Akshyavat.

Significance of Tirthraj Prayag

The significance of Prayag is widely known in the terrestrial and celestial universe. By bathing in the holy waters of the Sangam one is ridden of all sins. The devotee is granted all his desires. This is the significance of an ordinary bath, and hence the importance of a bath during the Kumbh is manifold. It cannot be described and has to be experienced to be known.

Pilgrimage sites in Prayag

The Puranas mention the existence of three and a half crores of pilgrimage sites in Prayag. It incorporates one crore each in the heaven, earth and the Patal lok, and fifty lakhs in the atmosphere. It is said in the Swargkhand of Padma Purana that twenty crore and ten thousand pilgrimages are perennially present in Prayag. It is not easy for anyone to believe this number since this figure is about one-fifth of India’s population. But we should not forget that India is the land of pilgrimages. This is the birthplace of Holy cows like Nandini and Kamdhenu, and legend has it that innumerable soldiers had emerged out of the body of Nandini to defeat the army of king Vishwarath.

Magh Bathing Rituals

The Magh bathing ritual must start from Paush Shukla Ekadashi or Poornamasi or Amavasya. The best bathing time is when the stars are out, the medium time is when the stars set down, and the least important is when the sun has arisen. Anyone who stays put in Prayag throughout the month of Magh and performs Kalpavas, yagya, shaiyya, godan, Brahmin bhoj, Ganga puja, Beni Madhav puja, vrat and daan gets special importance and blessings.

Panchkosi Parikrama Procedure And Route In Prayag

Day one: A bath in the Triveni, Dev puja, sacred vows and puja of the Akshay Vat, followed by puja of Shultankeshwar across the Yamuna. This should be followed by a visit to the Sudha Ras tirth, Urvashi Kund and obeisance at the Adi Beni Madhav. Then, from the river bank side, pay obeisance to Hanauman tirth, Sita Kund, Ram tirth, Varun tirth and Chakra madhav, and night stay at Someshwarnath.

Day two: From the river bank side, visit and pay obeisance to Som tirth, Surya tirth, Kuber tirth, Vayu tirth and Agni tirth, participate in the discourse of Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya, visit the Naini village to pray at Gada Madhav and at Kambalashwatar tirth at Saini, and stay for the night at Ram Sagar.

Day three: Stay at Bikar Devria Devrakh on the bank of the Yamuna. Shraadh must be performed here as it has immense significance.

Day four: Across the Yamuna, stay for the night at the sanctum of Vankhandi Shiv or Begum rai.

Day five: Reach Draupadi ghat through Neem ghat and stay there.

Day six: Stay for the night at Shiv Koti tirth.

Day seven: Pay obeisance at Pandila Mahadev, visit the Manas tirth and stay for the night.

Day eight: Visit Nag tirth via Jhansi, or close to Shahangmadhav, and stay for the night.

Day nine: Pay visit to Nag tirth, Shankh Madhav, Vyas ashram, Samudra koop, Aili tirth, Sankasht Harmadhav, Saandhya vat, Hans koop, Hans tirth, Brahma kund, Urvashi tirth and Arundhati tirth to reach Jhansi, and stay there for the night.

Day ten: Visit Triveni, perform a parikrama of Bahir vedi, and stay there for the night.

Day eleven: Perform a parikrama of Antar vedi, and stay there for the night.

Day twelve: Take a dip in Triveni and perform prayers at the Vat. Thereafter, visit Madhu kulya, Ghrit kulya, Niranjan tirth, Aditya tirth, Rinn mochan tirth, Papmochan tirth, Godohan tirth, Som tirth, Saraswati kund, Kameshwar tirth, Barua ghat, Takshakeshwar, Tathak kund, Vakra tirth, Sindhusagar tirth, Pandav koop and Varun koop and pay obeisance at Dravyeshwarnath. Then visit Surya kund, and stay for the night at Bhardwaj ashram. In the next morning, pay obeisance at Nag vasuki and Beni Madhav, visit Dashashwamedh ghat to pay obeisance to Lord Shiv, and thereafter go to Lakshmi tirth, Urvashi tirth, Datta tirth, Som Durvasa and Hanumanji, and end the parikrama at Triveni. After this, perform godan and Brahmin bhoj as per capacity, pay obeisance to Lord Vishnu, and dedicate the parikrama. From the third day of Chaitra Krishna to Amavasya, this 12-day parikrama must be performed every year. As alternative, a parikrama of 1.5 days must be performed, and those who prefer the latter option must perform the parikrama of Antar vedi.

Divine Sangam

Located about 7 Km from the Civil Lines Township in Allahabad is the holy site of Sangam where Kumbh Mela is held. It is at Sangam, a Sanskrit word for Confluence, where the union of three of the holiest rivers according to the Hindu Mythology - Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati takes place. Mentioned in the sacred texts many times over, it is in Prayag (ancient name for Allahabad) that Saraswati is believed to meet with Ganga and Yamuna. It is also believed to flow beneath the surface by few. The place is also known as Triveni Sangam because of the amalgamation of three rivers, and the combined sacredness of the three rivers coupled with the mythological legend, according to which a few drops of nectar that turns mortal to immortal had fallen here, has made Allahabad the Tirthraja or, The King of Holy Places. This is precisely why Kumbh Mela organized in Allahabad is of a different level and attracts millions of devotees to the shores.

However, Sangam adorns an altogether different look when Kumbh Mela pays it a visit. All the pleasures of a comfortable life are shunned for the time by millions of devotees - young and old, and the troubled & blessed, coming together to take a bath at the very confluence for purgative effects. It is believed that a bath at the confluence of these three rivers increases the bather’s purification by hundred times. Whereas during the period of Kumbh Mela (special dates assigned for spiritual bathing), it is believed that it is thousand times stronger an influence. Apart from self-purification purposes, thousands of people also flock to the shores during Kumbh Mela to offer pind for their deceased parents. It is not only the devotee that makes the Ghats of Sangam their temporary home, but the event is also an opportunity for the foreigners who are consistently fascinated by Hindu mythologies and culture, to witness the same in the grandest of fashions. And seeing millions of pilgrims and audience, gathered as far as the eyes can see, on the Ghats is an indescribable feeling. It happens only at Sangam.