Kumbh Mela
Kumbh Mela (Hindi: . कुंभ मेला Kumbh Mela, m, of Kumbh, pitcher ' and Mela, Festival ', or " festival of the pitcher " ) is considered the biggest religious festival of Hinduism and the world.
Mythology
The name "Festival of the pitcher " has its origin in the legend of the " churning of the milk ocean ". The ocean of milk was from Devas ( gods ) and Asuras (demons ) whipped the beginning of time with the help of the serpent Vasuki as a rope and the gods of Mount Meru, to filter out the nectar of immortality. This was supported by Dhanvantari in a round pitcher from the ocean of milk. In the entbrennenden dispute between gods and demons four drops of nectar fell immortality ( Amrita ) from the pitcher to the ground. At the four points are now the towns of Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik, on each of which the Kumbh Mela takes place. Whenever the stars Jupiter, Sun and Moon are each other precisely in certain aspects, Amrit is manifested in the faith of the people in the waters of the Ganges at the appropriate places of the river and then the pilgrims take a bath in immortality. The general rule is that the bathroom is free of so-called tirthas of sins. Bathing in these astrologically favorable days shall sin liberating a million times more. Four cities participate in the rotation system in the organization, five different types of the feast there and they take place in a three-year, six-year, twelve -year or 144 -year cycle.
History
The Kumbh Mela is celebrated already for a long time; However, the first written mention it only takes place in the records of the Chinese traveler Xuanzang in the 7th century, who accompanied the Emperor Harsha Vardhana 644 AD to Kumbh Mela after Prayag. He watched Hindus as well as Buddhists and Jain monks at Triveni. The next mention is then not again until 1822 by Bahadur Singh Bhatnagar, than the Kumbh Mela was half empty because of a pilgrim tax. Information on the quantity of bathing pilgrims can be found from 1906, where there were approximately 2.5 million at the Mauni Amavashya. In 1918 there were 3 million, 4 million in 1930, but in 1942 only 1.2 million, 6 million in 1954, 7 million in 1966, in 1977 10 million 1989 15 million 2001 30 million 2013 34 million approx.
Tradition and practice
The Great Kumbh symbolizes the constant striving of humanity for knowledge and insight. Some " knower " live retracted so that you see only every twelve years during the great Kumbha Mela in Haridwar. The real purpose of the Mela is the ritual washing on a particularly holy place at a particularly opportune time. These washes the Sadhus take place at the respective main bathing days so-called "Royal processions " ( Shahi Snan ). So bathed on the main bathing day, the Mauni Amavashya ( new moon day in January), publicly estimated 30 million pilgrims at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna, the so-called Triveni Sangham ( Triveni = situated where three rivers in Allahabad, true Ganges and Yamuna, the underground mythological river Sarasvati ).
The gathering of sadhus ( holy Indian monks who are present during the entire Kumbh Mela and come together from the remotest places in India ) applies in addition to the washes as the main attraction of Kumbh Mela. For many Hindu religious Kumbha Mela which is also the place for initiations and admission of pupils in their community. Traditionally, the first washes are the Naga Babas ( that is, with nothing but a loincloth -clad sadhus and holy ash ) reserved. There were a few incidents in the form of fighting between the Naga Babas and those who wanted before them into the water. The Naga Babas are traditional warrior monks who helped to defend the faith, among others, to Islam.
Simultaneously, Podiums are held, the Dalai Lama speaks and it is done policy. The yoga teachers of India protested against the planned closed in 2010 by the Indian government monumental dam projects that threaten the Ganges and allow to become a trickle of its tributaries.