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Religion. Culture. India
Kumbh Mela: The Ultimate Power of Faith
Why do millions of Hindus dip together in the Ganga?
Kumbh Mela is the holiest pilgrimage for Hindus and an absolute shock for an outsider. Tens of millions of pilgrims make it the number one human gathering on earth. Saints and monks from all over India submerge the river Ganga completely naked. If India is an attack on the senses, then Kumbh Mela makes it almost indigestible and intractable.
Millions of Hindus believe that the pilgrimage to the Kumbh Mela festival eliminates the vicious cycle of rebirth, and they attain eternal salvation where pain and suffering will cease.
The history of Kumbh Mela
According to legend, the Hindu Gods once lost their extraordinary power. To regain it, they approved that the demigods and demons churn the “Amrit”, the drink of immortality from the milk ocean. But after that, a 12-year battle began for the elixir. In this battle, the divine bird Garuda stole the drink of immortality and flew away with it.
Four drips of the nectar have dropped to four different locations: Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nasik.
The festival takes place alternately every three years at these four places. That means that…
