Enlightenment at Allahabad
Allahabad situated in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is world- renowned for the Kumbh Mela that's held every 12 years.
According to mythology, Lord Brahma performed Prakrista Yagna here and this is how the city got the name Prayaga.
According to another mythology, in the tussle between the gods and the demons, for the elusive amrit (nectar), four drops of nectar fell at four different places in India.
Those four places were Prayag, Haridwar, Nasik, and Ujjain.
These four places are called tirthas and considered holy by the Hindus.
Among them it's the Triveni Sangam, another name for Allahabad, that's regarded the holiest.
Sangam is Tirtharaja, King of Tirthas.
Actually, it is the confluence of three rivers-Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati which is also called the 'River of Enlightenment'.
Sangam is just 12 km away from the Allahabad railway station and can be reached easily by the many auto rickshaws that regularly ply on the route.
At Sangam, the annual Magha Mela, the six yearly Kumbh Mela, and, of course, the Maha Kumbh Mela, that's held every 12 years, are held.
The Magha Mela is held between mid January and mid February every year.
The Maha Kumbh Mela attracts huge gatherings of pilgrims and others from all over the world.
In fact, more than 30 million people take part in the mammoth religious carnival that the Maha Kumbh Mela is.
No wonder, the Maha Kumbh Mela continues to find a place in the Guineas Book of World Records for attracting the largest gatherings of people on the earth.
A dip at the Triveni Sangam during the Maha Kumbh is believed to wash one of all sins.
During the Maha Kumbha Mela, Sangam comes alive with pilgrims, general visitors, sadhus, foreigners and pandas jostling for space and a slice of this one-of-its-kind religious congregation.
Watching the naked Naga sadhus, smeared with ash and armed with tridents and swords, lead the pilgrims to the confluence for a holy dip is a wonderful experience and much filmed and documented.
Allahabad, apart from Sangam, is also famous for the mammoth Akbar-built Allahabad Fort that proudly sits on the banks of the river Yamuna.
According to mythology, Lord Brahma performed Prakrista Yagna here and this is how the city got the name Prayaga.
According to another mythology, in the tussle between the gods and the demons, for the elusive amrit (nectar), four drops of nectar fell at four different places in India.
Those four places were Prayag, Haridwar, Nasik, and Ujjain.
These four places are called tirthas and considered holy by the Hindus.
Among them it's the Triveni Sangam, another name for Allahabad, that's regarded the holiest.
Sangam is Tirtharaja, King of Tirthas.
Actually, it is the confluence of three rivers-Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati which is also called the 'River of Enlightenment'.
Sangam is just 12 km away from the Allahabad railway station and can be reached easily by the many auto rickshaws that regularly ply on the route.
At Sangam, the annual Magha Mela, the six yearly Kumbh Mela, and, of course, the Maha Kumbh Mela, that's held every 12 years, are held.
The Magha Mela is held between mid January and mid February every year.
The Maha Kumbh Mela attracts huge gatherings of pilgrims and others from all over the world.
In fact, more than 30 million people take part in the mammoth religious carnival that the Maha Kumbh Mela is.
No wonder, the Maha Kumbh Mela continues to find a place in the Guineas Book of World Records for attracting the largest gatherings of people on the earth.
A dip at the Triveni Sangam during the Maha Kumbh is believed to wash one of all sins.
During the Maha Kumbha Mela, Sangam comes alive with pilgrims, general visitors, sadhus, foreigners and pandas jostling for space and a slice of this one-of-its-kind religious congregation.
Watching the naked Naga sadhus, smeared with ash and armed with tridents and swords, lead the pilgrims to the confluence for a holy dip is a wonderful experience and much filmed and documented.
Allahabad, apart from Sangam, is also famous for the mammoth Akbar-built Allahabad Fort that proudly sits on the banks of the river Yamuna.
