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• Prayag (near the city of Allahabad, in the state of Uttar Pradesh) at the confluence of three rivers Ganga (Ganges), Yamuna and Saraswati
• Haridwar (in the state of Uttar Pradesh) where the river Ganga enters the plains from Himalayas
• Ujjain (in Madhya Pradesh), on the banks of Ksipra river, and
• Nasik (in Maharashtra) on the banks of Godavari river.

The pilgrimage occurs four times every twelve years, once at each of the four locations. Each twelve-year cycle includes the Maha (great) Kumbh Mela at Prayag, attended by millions of people, making it the largest pilgrimage gathering around the world.

The observance of Kumbh Mela is based upon the following story : thousands of years ago, perhaps in the Vedic period, gods and demons made a temporary agreement to work together in obtaining amrita (the nectar of immortality) from the Milky Ocean, and to share this equally. However, when the Kumbh (pot) containing the amrita appeared, the demons ran away with the pot and were chased by the gods. For twelve days and twelve nights (equivalent to twelve human years) the gods and demons fought in the sky for the possession of this pot of amrita. It is said that during the battle, drops of amrita fell on to four places : Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. Thus, Kumbh mela is observed at these four locations where the nectar fell.

Kumbh Mela is attended by millions of people on a single day. A ritual bath at a predetermined time and place is the major event of this festival. Other activities include religious discussions, devotional singing, mass feeding of holy men/women and the poor, and religious assemblies where doctrines are debated and standardized. Kumbh Mela (especially the Maha Kumbh Mela) is the most sacred of all the Hindu pilgrimages. Thousands of holy men/women (monks, saints, sadhus) grace the occasion by their presence. The suspiciousness of Kumbh Mela is in part attributed to the gathering of thousands of holy men/women at one place on earth

[Adopted from Bansi Pandit : The Hindu Mind]

The Sacred City   The Ganga THE KUMBH CAMP PEOPLE WALKING TO THE GANGES TO BATHE THE CROWD ON THE DAM BRIDGE WAITING FOR THE SHAHI PROCESSIONS THE CROWD OF DEVOTEES Brahm Kund at Har-Ki-Pauri	Kumbh 2001, at Allahabad, India, is going to be the biggest religious and cultural congregation of the millennium. Over 30 million people will converge at the holy confluence of rivers (Sangam )- Ganga, Yamuna and the invisible river Saraswati (symbolic of knowledge ). Bathing at Sangam is a great spiritual experience and is believed that it relieves one from the cycle of birth and rebirth ( Moksha ), leading to salvation Allahabad  (Prayag) SWAMI SANTOSHI MATA SWAMI GITA BHARATI Shree Mahant Meerapuri SWAMI SATYAMITRANAND	A RENOUNCER A VAIRAGI LEADER OFFERINGS THE NIRANJANI PROCESSION THE PROCESSION OF NAGAS RAMAKRISHNA MATH Boy sadhus
The stalls of the pandas	Haridwar's famous evening aarti. Worshippers send baskets of flowers, that hold lighted diyas or oil lamps, down the Ganga.	Giant torches are swung to the accompaniment of music and gongs. Jai Jagadish Hare

Highlights of Kumbh 2001

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