The Kumbh Mela is an extremely sacred Hindu festival. In fact, it is the largest human fair that is recorded in history. It takes place every 4 years at an interval of 12 years at Allahabad (Prayag), the meting point of 3 rivers- Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. The fair is also held at Haridwar (along the banks of Ganga), Ujjain (banks of river Kshipra) and, Nasik (banks of Godavari).

The Maha Kumbh Mela, also known as the 'Great' Kumbh Mela occurs after 12 'Purna Kumbh Melas'. This means that this fair occurs after every 144 years at Allahabad!

The Kumbh Mela is steeped in mythology. According to the legend, once a battle took place between the Gods and the Demons. This was at that time when the earth was just created and the Gods were suffering from a curse. In order to purify themselves, the Gods had to consume divine nectar called ‘amrit’. This was to be obtained by churning the ocean.

After the ‘amrit’ was procured, the Demons also wanted a share of it. But the Gods denied and this sparked off a battle between the two rival parties. During this entire episode, some drops of ‘amrit’ fell on the earth (when the Demons were running away with the pot containing the nectar). These places are popularly known as Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik.

Since then, it is believed that these four rivers actually turn into ‘amrit’ during the 42 day long Kumbh Mela. People from different parts of the country come to these places in order to bathe at the holy waters of these rivers.

They believe that by taking a holy dip, they will be purged from their sins and attain ‘Moksha’ or liberation from the earthly bondage. The circle of human life ends after a person achieves ‘Moksha’. After this, his soul prepares to leave for the heavenly abode (after his death) and unite with God in the ‘Brahmaloka’. This is why, the bathing ghats in Haridwar are flocked with people during the Kumbh Mela.

The Bathing Ghats in Haridwar are given below:-

1. Har Ki Pauri

2. Asthi Parvath Ghat

3. Subhash Ghat

4. Gau Ghat

Millions of pilgrims crowd the ghats with the sole purpose to bath in the river and thus, purify themselves from their sins. Shaving their heads is an important ritual of this festival. At the sight of full moon (that is usually in the late night), the first queue of pilgrims take a dip in the river. Then they move out and give space to the next queue of pilgrims.

After the bath, pilgrims wear new clothes and offer prayers on the banks of the river. By doing this, they believe that all their sins will be washed out and they will be purified, (achieve Moksha).

This is once-in-a-lifetime occasion for the pilgrims. Therefore, bathing at the ghats is considered to be extremely sacred among the Hindus. However, the bathing ghats in Haridwar and the other ghats are thick with people from all religions and communities.