Exactly six years after the Purna Kumbh Mela is
held the Ardh Kumbh Mela. Know all about Ardh Kumbh Mela, one of the
biggest events for the Indian Hindu community. When you have finished
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Ardh Kumbh Mela.
One of the most sacred Hindu
events, the Kumbh Mela is a grand religious fair held after
every four years. The Purna Kumbh Mela, the biggest and the most
auspicious fair, occurs four times every twelve years and is
organised in rotation among four places where drops of the
sacred nectar spilled over: Allahabad (Prayag), Haridwar, Ujjain
and Nashik. In Nashik it is held on the banks of the River
Godavari, River Ganga in Haridwar, River Shipra in Ujjain and
the confluence of the three rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati
at Allahabad or Prayag (ancient name) in India. A mass
pilgrimage for the Hindu community of India, the Kumbh Mela or
Kumbh fair is rumoured to be one of the largest congregation of
sages,
yogis, ascetics, mendicants, men, women and children on
the planet. Around 60 million people is said to attend the Purna
Kumbh Mela, making it the largest gathering anywhere in the
world.
The Purna Kumbh Mela (Great Kumbh Mela), the most auspicious
fair, is held once every 12 years in one particular place -
Allahabad (Prayag). But the greatest is the Maha Kumbh Mela
which periodically falls every 144 years or after 12 Purna Kumbh
Melas, at Allahabad.
But every sixth year after a Purna Kumbh Mela sees an Ardh Kumbh
Mela taking place. In the Hindi language the word "Ardh" stands
for "half" and "Mela" means "fair". The "Ardh Kumbh Mela" is
called so because it is held at the sixth year and marks the
halfway stage between the celebration of the Purna Kumbh Melas
every 12 years. The Ardh Mela (half Fair) takes place six years
after the Maha Kumbh in each of the four aforementioned
locations by turns.
During the period of the Kumbh Mela, a tent city comes up for
over a month by the banks of the river (of the spot where the
fair is held) to provide shelter to thousands of pilgrims. A
number of Hindu religious organisations set up camps in the fair
grounds during this period. In different spots of the region,
folk theatre groups get busy enacting different stories and
scenes from sacred Hindu texts. The myth of the "Amrita-Kumbha"
is performed as a dramatic performance which is lapped up by the
assembled devotees. People from all classes of society come in
multitudes to the fair grounds driven by the desire to take a
dip in the sacred river waters as well as to receive the
blessings of the great holy men assembled in the fair. Many of
the devotees live in camps and ashrams (temples) for the whole
duration of the mela and lead a sacred life. Such a living is
called "Kalpavas" and those who live thus are called "Kalpvasi".
Like its bigger counterparts (Purna Kumbh Mela, Maha Kumbha
Mela) and smaller counterparts (Magh Mela) the purpose of
organising Ardh Kumbh Mela is to commemorate the legend of the
struggle between the gods and demons over the Amrita Kumbha (pot
of nectar) and draws innumerable crowds who believe in the Hindu
Puranas and come in quest of purifying their soul before
entering the realm of god.