Kumbh Mela is the biggest fair to be held in India. It has a mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith in which Hindus gather to take a bath in a sacred river. This is the biggest event for the Hindu community, which is organized every four years at four different places. Not only Indians but also a large number of tourists, pilgrims, and foreign citizens participate in this event. A large number of saints and ascetics, dressed in saffron garments, participate in Kumbh Mela. Kumbh Mela is the most peaceful place in the world. It has high importance for the Hindus. It is a belief in the Hindu pilgrims that after bathing in the holy river, all sins can be cleared. Kumbh Mela is first referenced by the British in reports of 1868, which state that “Comb fair” will be held in January 1870.
Where is Kumbh Mela this year?
Kumbh Mela is organized in four cities Nashik, Allahabad, Ujjain, and Haridwar. In Hinduism, the festival of Maha Kumbh is celebrated every 12 years on the banks of one of the sacred rivers– Ganga in Haridwar, Kshipra in Ujjain, the Godavari in Nasik, or Sangam in Allahabad where Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati meet.
The World’s Largest Religious Congregation is a Mix of Music, Devotion
The 2019 Kumbh has also come as a boon for local artists, whose devotional music for the eight-week-long festival has become hits online. Tripti Shakya, Shekhar Allahabadi, Pooja Mishra, Prem Prakash Dubey, and Keshav are among those who have come out with Kumbh-specific songs. The song of folk singer Malini Awasthi, ‘Chalo, Chale, Kumbh Chale’, has been one of the hits online.
It recorded thousands of hits on YouTube, a video-sharing platform within a few hours of its release on January 14, 2019. Each minute aspect of Kumbh is included in the song.
Rs 1.2 lakh crore revenue for Kumbh Mela: CII
The Kumbh Mela, which was started on January 15 and will continue till March 4, is expected to generate a revenue of Rs 1.2 lakh crore for Uttar Pradesh, says apex industry body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
However, Kumbh Mela is a spiritual gathering, the economic activities associated with it generate employment for over six lakh workers across different sectors, the CII said in a report.
The Uttar Pradesh government has allocated Rs 4,200 crore for the 49-day mela this time, which is three times more than the budget of the Maha Kumbh in 2013, making the Mega pilgrimage perhaps the costliest ever.
The ‘mela’ is expected to generate a revenue of Rs 1,200 billion for Uttar Pradesh, in which the state is being organized, while neighboring states such as Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh will also have enhanced revenue generation with a large number of national and foreign tourists expected to explore other destinations,” the report said”.
The area of the mela has doubled to 3,200 hectares as compared to 1,600 hectares in the previous melas. Now about 12 crore people are expected to visit the Kumbh between now and Maha Shivratri on March 4, the mela will come to a close.
Start from (January 15 to March 4, 2019)
| Makar Sankranti (1st Shahi Snan) | Makar Sankranti (1st Shahi Snan) |
| Paush Purnima | 21 January 2019 |
| Mauni Amavasya (Main Royal Bath 2nd Shahi Snan) | 04 February 2019 |
| Basant Panchami (3rd Shahi Snan) | 10 February 2019 |
| Maghi Poornima | 19 February 2019 |
| Maha Shivratri | 04 March 2019 |