Manjeera Kumbha: Three lakh pilgrims to attend only South Indian Mela
This 12-day Manjeera Kumbha mela will be held from April 24 to May 5
12:14:15 pm - Apr 25, 2023 | C R Gowri Shanker
.png)
Sangareddy: Manjeera Garuda Ganga Poorna Kumbha Mela began with religious fervor at Sri Siddi Saraswathi Kshetram in Raghavapur village in Nyalkal Mandal of Sangareddy district in Telangana on Monday.
The 12-day Manjeera Kumbha mela attracts pilgrims from not only Telangana and Andhra Pradesh but also the neighboring Karnataka and Maharashtra besides Naga Sadhus and other Sadhus from North India.
Manjeera Kumbha Mela was first organized in 2010 by Panchavati Kshetra Seer Kasinath Baba, followed by in 2013 and 2018. But due to Covid, it was put off and is held after a gap of 5 years.
This 12-day Manjeera Kumbha mela will be held from April 24 to May 5. Manjeera Kumbh Mela is the only one to be held in South India.
Panchavati Kshetram Peethadhi Kashinath Babu hoisted the festival flag and took a dip in the holy river along with other devotees to launch the Manjeera Kumbha Mela.
As part of the ritual, Ganga Aarthi is offered to Manjeera River every day in the evening.
Bidar Shiva Kumar Swamy, Zaheerabad and Narayankhed MLAs K Manik Rao, M Bhupal Reddy, Sangareddy District Collector A Sharath, DCMS chairman Malkapuram Shiva Kumar and others participated in the inaugural program on Monday. Health and Finance Minister T Harish Rao will attend the Kumbha Mela on April 28.
According to Panchavati Kasinath Baba, about three lakh devotees will attend the Kumbha Mela.
District Cooperative and Marketing Society (DCMS) Malkapuram Shiva Kumar told Newsmeter that all arrangements have been made for the Manjeera Kumbha Mela. Transport and, medicare arrangements have also been made for the devotees.
Manjeera is a tributary of Godavari, which originates in Balaghat range in Maharashtra, very close to Gavalwadi village in Beed District. The river travels 724 km in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana States before reaching Godavari River downstream of Nizam Sagar. It enters Telangana at Gauda Gav.
Hindus celebrate Kumbha Mela four times in a span of 12 years—the site rotating between four pilgrimage places on sacred rivers like Haridwar on Ganga River, Ujjain on the Shipra, Nashik on Godavari River, and Prayag Raj on the confluence of Ganga and Jamuna and Saraswathi. Each celebration is based on the planetary position of the Sun, Moon, and Jupiter decided by pundits.
According to history, Kumbha Mela’s origin began in the 8th century when philosopher Shankara organized regular gatherings while in Puranas it is said Gods and demons fought over the pot (Kumbha) of Amrit, the elixir of immortality produced by their joint churning of the milky ocean.
It is believed, drops of the elixir fell on the Kumbha Mela’s four earthly sites, and the rivers are believed to turn back into that primordial nectar giving devotees to bathe in the essence of purity. Kumbh comes from this mythic pot of elixir.
History of Kumbh Mela and Sangam
Prayag in modern-day Allahabad is believed to be the most important pilgrimage centre for Hindus.
Traditionally river confluences are regarded as auspicious places, but in Sangam, the significance of the confluence is most pious because here, the holy Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati meet to become one.
According to legends, Vishnu was carrying a Kumbh (pot) of amrit (nectar), when a scuffle broke out and four drops were spilled. They fell to earth at the four Tirthas of Prayag, Haridwar, Nasik and Ujjain.
A tirtha is a place where the devout can attain salvation. The event is commemorated every three years by the Kumbh Mela, held at each tirtha in turn; the Sangam is known as Tirtharaj, the ‘King of Tirthas’ and here the Kumbh is held once in every twelve years, which is the greatest and holiest of all.
The Maha Kumbh Mela is the largest religious congregation in India, attended by millions.
The over month-long fair is marked by the construction of a massive tented township, complete with cottages, huts, platforms, civic facilities, administrative and security measures.
It is organized immaculately by the government, the local authorities and the police.
The mela is especially renowned for the presence of an extraordinary array of religious ascetics – sadhus and mahants – enticed from remote hideaways in forests, mountains and caves.
Once astrologers have determined the propitious bathing time or Kumbhayog, the first to hit the water is by legions of Naga Sadhus or Naga Babas, who cover their naked bodies with ash and wear hair in long dreadlocks.
The sadhus, who see themselves as guardians of the faith, approach the confluence at the scheduled time with all the pomp and bravado of a charging army. The most recent Maha Kumbh Mela was held in 2013 and the next is due in 2025.
Sangam
This is the point where the brown water of the Ganga meets the green water of the Yamuna, along with the mythical Saraswati, which remains unseen but believed to run underground. It is located about 7 km from Civil Lines, overlooked by the eastern ramparts of the Akbar Fort.
Wide flood plains and muddy banks protrude towards the sacred Sangam. At the mid-river point priests perch on small platforms to perform puja and assist the devout in their ritual ablutions in the shallow waters.
A dip in the Sangam water is supposed to be the holiest of the holy pilgrimages for the devout Hindu. Boats to the Sangam can be rented by pilgrims and tourists alike at the ghat near the fort. It is during the Maha Kumbh/Kumbh that the Sangam truly comes alive, attracting the devout from all across the country.
Photo Gallery
No comments:
Post a Comment