Allahabad Kumbh Mela
| Allahabad Kumbh Mela प्रयाग कुम्भ मेला |
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|---|---|
2013 Kumbh Mela
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| Status | active |
| Genre | Fair |
| Frequency | Every 12 years |
| Venue | Banks of Ganges |
| Location(s) | Allahabad (Prayag), Uttar Pradesh |
| Coordinates | 25°25′52″N 81°53′06″E / 25.431°N 81.885°ECoordinates: 25°25′52″N 81°53′06″E / 25.431°N 81.885°E |
| Country | India |
| Previous event | 2013 |
| Next event | 2025 |
| Participants | Akharas, pilgrims and merchants |
| Sponsor | Government of India |
| Website | |
| kumbhmelaallahabad |
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The Allahabad Kumbh Mela is a mela held every 12 years at Prayag (Allahabad), India. The exact date is determined according to Hindu astrology: the Mela is held when Jupiter is in Taurus and the sun and the moon are in Capricorn. The fair involves ritual bathing at Triveni Sangam, the meeting points of three rivers: the Ganga, the Yamuna and the mythical Sarasvati. The last Allahabad Kumbh Mela took place in 2013; the next one is scheduled in 2025, with an Ardh Kumbh Mela scheduled in 2019.
The Mela is one of the four fairs traditionally recognized as Kumbh Melas. An annual fair, known as Magh Mela, has been held in Allahabad since ancient times (early centuries CE), and is mentioned in the Puranas. However, the earliest mention of a Kumbh Mela at Allahabad occurs only after the mid-19th century. The Prayagwals (local Brahmins of Allahabad) are believed to have adopted the kumbha myth and the 12-year cycle of the Haridwar Kumbh Mela for their annual Magh Mela around this time. Since then, every 12 years, the Magh Mela turns into a Kumbh Mela, and six years after a Kumbh Mela, it turns into an Ardh Kumbh ("Half Kumbh") Mela.
The Kumbh Mela at Allahabad is held in the month of Magh when Jupiter is in Aries, and Sun and Moon are in Capricorn; or Jupiter is in Taurus, and Sun in Capricorn. However, at times this astrological combiniation (Kumbh Yoga) does not coincide with the month of Magh. In such a case, the mela is still held in Magh. For example, the 1989 Kumbh Mela should have begun in mid-March according to astrological calculations; however, it started in January.
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Wikipedia