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.
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.
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 .
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.
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.