Travelers Today | By Lena Vazifdar
Updated: Jan 14, 2013 02:44 PM EST
Every 12 years, millions of people come to the city of Allahabad in India for the Maha Kumbh Mela festival, which also means, Grand Pitcher Festival. The religious festival is held at the point where the Ganges and Yamuna rivers meet with a third river.
"Officials believe that over the next two months as many as 100 million people will pass through the temporary city that covers an area larger than Athens on a wide sandy river bank. That would make it larger even than previous festivals," reports The Huffington Post.
Like Us on Facebook
Credit: Reuters
By 8 a.m. on Monday January 14, police chief Alok Sharma said to the Huffington Post that 1.5 million people had gathered in the area.
The ritual of "Roya Bath" is part of the ceremony which includes jumping into the water for spiritual energy.
"I wash away all my sins, from this life and before," said Swami Shankranand Saraswati, 77 to The Huffington Post.
The festival is a Hindu tradition that said the god "Vishnu wrested from demons a golden pot containing the nectar of immortality.
In a 12-day fight for possession, four drops fell to earth, in the cities of Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujain and Nasik."
The festival is over 2000 years old and is a meeting point for Hindus all over India, of different sects.
Credit: Reuters
The BBC reported that in 2001 more than 40 million people gathered on the major bathing day of the festival making it the biggest human gathering on
One of the most memorable things for festival goers is when the the ascetics or Naga Sadhus went into the water saying religious chants, many only wearing marigold garlands and coered in ash, reported The BBC.
The festival lasts for 55 days which is determined by an astrological calculation.
travis pastrana quinton coples a.j. jenkins riley reiff david decastro aj jenkins shea mcclellin
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.