Nasik Kumbh Mela is celebrated when Jupiter and the sun falls on the zodiac sign, Leo..
Kumbh Mela at Nasik
Kumbh Mela is one of the hallowed festivals ofIndia and is organized at a big scale. According to the scholars, it is believed that when Gods and demons were having fight over the nectar then Lord Vishnu flew away with the pot of nectar spilling drops of nectar at four different places; where we celebrate Kumbh melas, those places were Hardwar, Nasik, Ujjain and Prayag.
The celebration of Kumbh Mela depends on the position of Jupiter (Brhaspati) and the sun. When the Sun is in Aries (Mesh Rashi) and Jupiter in Aquarius, it is celebrated inHaridwar.
When Jupiter is in Taurus (Vrishabha Rashi) and the Sun is in Capricorn (Makar Rashi), then kumbh is celebrated at Prayag. Mela is celebrated in Ujjain when Jupiter and the Sun are in Scorpio (Vrishchik Rashi).
It is said that when the Jupiter and the sun falls on the zodiac sign, Leo; then Kumbh Mela is celebrated at Trimbakeshwar in Nasik. Kumbh Mela is celebrated with great pomp and show, crowd gets crazy and scenario of the fare is breath taking.
Devotees congregate and perform several rites and rituals. Numbers of ceremonies are performed like religious discussions, devotional singing, mass feeding of holy men and women and poor, out of which bathing is considered as most sacred and takes place at the bank of river in every town, where Kumbh is celebrated.
Kumbh Mela Celebrations At Trimbakeshwar
Kumbh Mela Celebrations At Trimbakeshwar
Kumbh Mela is celebrated at Trimbakeshwar in Nashik which is in Maharashtra. Trimbakeshwar is a holy town of Nasik as one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, Triyambakeshwar Jyotirlinga temple is situated there. Kumbh Mela in Nasik is celebrated once in every twelve years and is known as Sinhasta.
According to mythological stories and verses of epics the drops of Amrita or nectar fell at the Godavari River in Nasik when Lord Vishnu flew from earth to heaven after Samudra Manthan.
That is the reason why the place is considered sacred and is of great importance amongst Hindus. In the lunar month of Magh when Sun and Jupiter are in Leo (Singh Rashi) zodiac sign Kumbh Mela is held at Trimbakeshwar in Nasik.
The fair is celebrated with full passion and keenness in Nasik as one can evidence and about millions of pilgrims come here to wash away their sins in the holy river, Godavari.
The two bathing ghats, Ramkund and Kushavarta holy reservoirs appreciate faith and belief of thousands of sadhus, holy men and millions of pilgrims as they take dips in holy River Godavari on the specific date and at specific time.
As the administration is aware of the dates they start arranging accommodation facilities for the pilgrims who comes from all walks of life. The panorama of this festive season is worth watching.
KUMBH HISTORY
The first written evidence of the Kumbha Mela can be found in the accounts of Chinese monk Xuanzang (alternately Hsuan Tsang) who visited India in 629-645 CE, during the reign of King Harshavardhana. However, similar observances date back many centuries, where the river festivals first started getting organized. According to medieval Hindu theology, its origin is found in one of the most popular medieval puranas, the Bhagavata Purana. The Samudra manthan episode (Churning of the ocean of milk), is mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Purana, the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana.
The account goes that the Devas had lost their strength by the curse of Durvasa Muni, and to regain it, they approached Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva. They directed all the demigods to Lord Vishnu (full story on kumbh mela) and after praying to Lord Vishnu, he instructed them to churn the milk ocean, Ksheera Sagara (primordial ocean of milk) to receive amrita (the nectar of immortality). This required them to make a temporary agreement with their arch enemies, the Asuras, to work together with a promise of sharing the wealth equally thereafter. For the task of churning the milk ocean, the Mandara Mountain was used as the churning rod, and Vasuki, the king of serpents, became the rope for churning. They churned the ocean for 1000 years, where demons were holding Vasuki's head and Gods were holding its tail. Finally after this entire churning process, Dhanwantari appeared with Kumbh in his palms.
However , when the Kumbha containing the amrita appeared, a fight ensued. To prevent the amrita (elixir of immortality) from demons, its safety was entrusted to Gods Brahaspati, Surya, Shani and Chandra. After learning the conspiracy of the Devtas, demons turned vicious and attacked them. Devtas knew that demons possessed more power and can easily defeat them. The Devtas ran away with the Kumbh to hide it away and they were chased by Asuras. For twelve days and twelve nights (equivalent to twelve human years) the Devas and Asuras fought in the sky for the pot of amrita. It is believed that during the battle, the drops of amrita fell down from Kumbh at four places: Allahabad (Prayag), Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. Because 12 days of Gods are equivalent to 12 years for humans; the Kumbh Mela is celebrated once every 12 years in each of the four places - banks of river Godavari in Nasik, river shipra in Ujjain, river Ganges in Haridwar, and at the Sangam of Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati in Allahabad, where the drops are believed to have fallen.
The account goes that the Devas had lost their strength by the curse of Durvasa Muni, and to regain it, they approached Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva. They directed all the demigods to Lord Vishnu (full story on kumbh mela) and after praying to Lord Vishnu, he instructed them to churn the milk ocean, Ksheera Sagara (primordial ocean of milk) to receive amrita (the nectar of immortality). This required them to make a temporary agreement with their arch enemies, the Asuras, to work together with a promise of sharing the wealth equally thereafter. For the task of churning the milk ocean, the Mandara Mountain was used as the churning rod, and Vasuki, the king of serpents, became the rope for churning. They churned the ocean for 1000 years, where demons were holding Vasuki's head and Gods were holding its tail. Finally after this entire churning process, Dhanwantari appeared with Kumbh in his palms.
However , when the Kumbha containing the amrita appeared, a fight ensued. To prevent the amrita (elixir of immortality) from demons, its safety was entrusted to Gods Brahaspati, Surya, Shani and Chandra. After learning the conspiracy of the Devtas, demons turned vicious and attacked them. Devtas knew that demons possessed more power and can easily defeat them. The Devtas ran away with the Kumbh to hide it away and they were chased by Asuras. For twelve days and twelve nights (equivalent to twelve human years) the Devas and Asuras fought in the sky for the pot of amrita. It is believed that during the battle, the drops of amrita fell down from Kumbh at four places: Allahabad (Prayag), Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. Because 12 days of Gods are equivalent to 12 years for humans; the Kumbh Mela is celebrated once every 12 years in each of the four places - banks of river Godavari in Nasik, river shipra in Ujjain, river Ganges in Haridwar, and at the Sangam of Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati in Allahabad, where the drops are believed to have fallen.
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