Accommodation near Kumbh Mela event

Maha Kumbh has a mesmerizing influence over the minds of Indians as it is witness to the largest human garthering in history for the same cause on a single day irrespective of any worldy barriers of caste, creed, colour and religion. It is once in a lifetime experience seeing millions of pilgrims and tourists from all over the world come together for a common goal-this spectacle of Faith is truly unforgettable.

Main Bathing Dates - During Kumbh Fair - 2013

1. Makar Sankranti    14 January
2. Paush Poornima     27 January
3. Mauni Amavasya   10 February
4. Basant Panchami   15 February
5. Maghi Poornima    25 February
6. Mahashivratri         10 March

Rahi llawart Tourist Bungalow
35 M.G. Marg, Allahabad
ph.: 0532-2407440, 2408374 Fax : 0532-2408461
E-mail : rahiilawart@up-tourism.com
Kumbh Fair tariff : (Effective from 01 January, 2013 to 10 March, 2013)

Rahi Triveni Darshan,
Yamuna Bank Road , Keedganj
Ph.:0532-2558646
E-mail : rahitrivenialahabad@up-tourism.com
Kumbh Fair tariff : (Effective from 01 January, 2013 to 10 March, 2013)

Sangam Tent Colony
Triveni Road, Maha Kumbh Mela, Allahabad.
Phone: 0532-2501227

RULES FOR BOOKING / CANCELLATION AND REFUND

For reservation 100% advance will be required.

All applicable Taxes will be charged extra.

For Swiss Cottage no refund..

For Rooms:-   
15 Day or more : 90% refundable

10 to 14 Days: 75% refundable

3 to 9 Days : 50% refundable

Less than 3 Days : No refundable

For more information & Reservation please contact at :

Rahi llawart Tourist Bungalow
35 M.G. Marg, Allahabad
ph.: 0532-2407440, 2408374
Fax : 0532-2408461
E-mail : rahiilawart@up-tourism.com

Rahi Triveni Darshan,
Yamuna Bank Road, Kydganj, Allahabad
Ph.:0532-2558646
E-mail:rahitrivenialahabad@up-tourism.com

Central Reservation Centre UPTOURS,
Rahi Hotel Gomati,
6, Sapru Marg, Lucknow
Phones: 0522-2615005, 2612659
E-mail : uptouslko@up-tourism.com

India's Kumbh Mela News: How the world's 'biggest gathering' is counted

India's Kumbh Mela festival is usually described as the world's biggest gathering.

Driven by a belief that a dip at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on auspicious days will cleanse sins and help bring salvation, millions of Hindus come to the festival in the city of Allahabad every 12 years.

Officials in charge of the festival say eight million people took to the waters on Monday, when the 55-day festival opened. The official turnout on the opening day of the festival in Allahabad during the 2001 festival was 2.5 million.

But the turnout of pilgrims on Monday, put out by the civilian administration, is sharply different from the estimate of the festival's top police official, Alok Sharma.

The festival is managed by thousands of state officials led jointly by a magistrate in charge of the civilian administration and a senior police officer in charge of troops.
Different figures
"According to my estimate, there were only 1.5 to 1.8 million people on the opening day," says Mr Sharma.
He should know: he was in charge of the 2001 Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, and the 1998 and 2010 festivals in Haridwar too. He not only has experience on his side, but also help from rough counts that some of the 8,500 policemen under his charge are tasked to do.

Mr Sharma says his men follow two methods to count crowds at the festival on auspicious days. The count is aimed at estimating the number of people coming into Allahabad to help maintain law and order.

One method involves counting people using the seven major roads leading into Allahabad, assuming that everyone is heading for the Kumbh Mela.

A 10-metre stretch is marked on each of these seven roads, and the number of people passing through each stretch every minute is counted.

Mr Sharma says logistical difficulties mean that police cannot count people coming along the lanes and by-lanes of the city which, he reckons, "accounts for about 30% of traffic" at the festival.

The second method - essentially cross-checking the numbers thrown up by the first method - involves counting people after they have poured into the heavily-guarded festival ground.

"There are three main roads from Allahabad city into the festival ground and we follow the same counting method," says Mr Sharma.

Pilgrims using the pontoon bridges over the Ganges to come to the festival were not counted on the opening day, he adds.

Combining the two methods and the number of people who got off trains at the Allahabad railway station led Mr Sharma to come up with an estimate of 1.5 to 1.8 million people at the festival on Monday.
'Very difficult'
"A real count is very, very difficult. And there is a tendency to increase the estimate," says Mr Sharma.

Is there any way of counting a close-to-precise number of people at such festivals?

"At the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar (another north Indian city where the Kumbh also happens) in 2010, we tried satellite imagery to count. That gave us a combined figure of 16 million pilgrims for the two busiest days of the festival. But it didn't look like a very realistic figure. I was not impressed by it," says Mr Sharma.
What was the difference between the satellite-fed number and Mr Sharma's "manual" calculation?
"Just half or eight million," he said, hinting at the possibility of a huge margin of error.

So who put out the official count of a gathering of eight million people at the festival on Monday?
Hari Narayan Singh, an assistant superintendent of police, was in the control room that oversees the running of the festival that day. He kept in touch with observation towers near the bathing area throughout the day.
His last count of the day, at 19:00 India time [13:30GMT], was eight million, which he relayed to higher authorities, who informed the media.

How did Mr Singh's colleagues count?

"We first estimate, visually, the number of people going in and out of the water every minute. Then we calculate for the hour and add up for the day. I was here at 2001 too, and we have an idea from those figures too," he said.

So there's really no way of ensuring that wild miscalculations don't take place?
"No, there's no real science to it," said Mr Singh.

Six years ago on the opening day of the Ardh Kumbh festival - an Ardh (or half) Kumbh is held every six years - in Allahabad I had asked the senior-most police officer for his estimate of the gathering.

He had thrown back the question casually: "How many do you think are here?"

Taken aback, I had mumbled that it could be three million or so.

"That's good, I'll go with it," he had said.

The figure came back to me through reports.

Most Significant Days of The Kumbh Mela

1. Makar Sankranti:

A Holy bath during this period carries special significance. Those who take a holy bath in the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri acquire pious credits.

2. Paush Purnima:

The day occurs when the moon is full in the Hindu month of Paush. This is the last full moon of winter. By this time, the sadhu and hundreds of thousands of pilgrims arrive at the Kumbh Mela.

3. Mauni Amavasya Snan:

For the holy men and women, this is the main bathing day. New members to various holy monastic orders receive their first initiation on this day.

4. Basant Panchami Snan

This is the fifth day of the luminous half of the lunar month and is the beginning of spring in North India.

5. Rath Saptami Snan

Rath Saptami festival is observed on the seventh day of Shukla Paksha in the Magh Month (January – February) in the traditional Hindu calendar.

6. Bhishma Ekadasi Snan

On this day, Bhishma Pithamaha, the oldest, wisest, most powerful and most righteous person belonging to the Kuru dynasty (approx. over 5000 years ago), narrated the greatness of Lord Krishna through Sri Vishnu Sahasranama to Yudhishtira, the oldest brother of Pandavas.

Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumbh_Mela

History Of Kumbh Mela

History Of Kumbh Mela:

The first written evidence of the Kumbha Mela can be found in the accounts of Chinese traveler, Huan Tsang or Xuanzang (602 - 664 A.D.) who visited India in 629 -645 CE, during the reign of King Harshavardhana. However, similar observances date back many centuries, where the river festivals first started getting organised. According to medieval Hindu theology, its origin is found in one of the most popular medieval puranas, the Bhagavata Purana. The Samudra manthan episode (Churning of the ocean of milk), is mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Purana, the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana.

The account goes that the demigods had lost their strength by the curse of Durväsä Muni, and to regain it, they approached Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva. They directed all the demigods to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vishnu (full story on kumbh mela) and after praying to Lord Vishnu, he instructed them to churn the ocean of milk Ksheera Sagara (primordial ocean of milk) to receive amrita (the nectar of immortality). This required them to make a temporary agreement with their arch enemies, the demons or Asuras, to work together with a promise of sharing the wealth equally thereafter.However, when the Kumbha (urn) containing the amrita appeared, a fight ensued. For twelve days and twelve nights (equivalent to twelve human years) the gods and demons fought in the sky for the pot of amrita. It is believed that during the battle, Lord Vishnu (incarnated as Mohini-Mürti) flew away with the Kumbha of elixir spilling drops of amrita at four places: Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik.

Attendance

According to The Imperial Gazetteer of India, an outbreak of cholera occurred at the 1892 Mela at Haridwar leading to the rapid improvement of arrangements by the authorities and to the formation of Haridwar Improvement Society. In 1903 about 400,000 people are recorded as attending the fair. During the 1954 Kumbh Mela stampede at Prayag, around 500 people were killed, and scores were injured. Ten million people gathered at Haridwar for the Kumbh on April 14, 1998.

Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumbh_Mela

Timings of Kumbh Mela

Kumbh Mela is celebrated at different locations depending on the position of the planet of Bṛhaspati (Jupiter) and the sun. When Jupiter and the sun are in the zodiac sign Leo (Simha Rashi) it is held in Trimbakeshwar, Nashik; when the sun is in Aries (Mesha Rashi) it is celebrated at Haridwar; when Jupiter is in Taurus (Vrishabha Rashi ) and the sun is in Capricorn (Makar Rashi) Kumbha Mela is celebrated at Prayag; and Jupiter and the sun are in Scorpio (Vrishchik Rashi) the Mela is celebrated at Ujjain. Each site's celebration dates are calculated in advance according to a special combination of zodiacal positions of Sun, Moon, and Jupiter.

Where Kumbh Mela Takes Place ?

Kumbh Mela takes place every twelve years at one of the four places: Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. The Mela alternates between Nasik, Allahabad, Ujjain and Haridwar every third year. The Ardh (half) Kumbh Mela is celebrated every six years at only two places, Haridwar and Allahabad.

In 2001, more than 40 million gathered on the busiest of its 55 days.
According to the Mela Administration's estimates, around 70 million people participated in the 45-day Ardh Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, in 2007.

The last "Kumbh Mela " held in 2010 in Haridwar estimated by the authorities to attract between 30 and 70 million people.

The current Maha Kumbh Mela began on 14 January, 2013 at Allahabad (Prayaga). . According to expectations more than 100 million people will attend the 2013 Kumbha mela.

The next Kumbhamela will be held at Ujjain (MP) on the bank of river Shipra in 2016. The Kumbh at Ujjain is also called "Simhastha".

Kumbh Mela is organized every three years on a rotation basis of Allahabad, Nashik or Nasik, Haridwar and Ujjain.

•     Kumbha Mela: Held at all four places.

1. Ardha Kumbha Mela: Held at Haridwar and Prayaga (Allahabad), every 6 years.
2. Purna Kumbha Mela: Held only at Prayaga, every 12 years.
3. Maha Kumbha Mela: Held only at Prayaga, every 144 years.

Kumbha is a very great festival in Hindu religion. Conducted in four pilgrim centers around the country Allahabad, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain.

Allahabad
Triveni Sangam, the meeting place, of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Sarasvati.

Haridwar
On the bank of river Ganga.

Nashik
There are 14 Akhadas, of which 11 belong to the Shaiv sect (of the 11 Shaiv Akhadas, one—Bhudad Akhada—is defunct, while 10 are active) and 3 to the Vaishnav sect. The Shaiv Akhadas take a holy dip at Kushavart in Trimbakeshwar, about 30 km from Nashik.[42] The Vaishnav Akhadas perform rituals at Ramkund in Godavari and stay at Tapovan.[43]The Vaishnav Akhadas have Khalsas (religious groups headed by Mahants attached with Akhadas) attached with them. Both Shaiv and Vaishnav Sadhus used to take the holy dip in Trimbakeshwar, until 1838, when a clash between them led to bloodshed and the Peshwa ruler requested Shaiv sadhus to perform rituals at Trimbakeshwar and Vaishnavs to move downstream to Ramkund in Nashik.

Ujjain
On the bank of river Shipra.

Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumbh_Mela

What is Kumbh Mela ?

Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith in which Hindus gather at a sacred river for a bath in the river. It is held every third year at one of the four places by rotation: Haridwar, Prayag (Allahabad), Nasik and Ujjain. Thus the Kumbh Mela is held at each of these four places every twelfth year. Ardh (Half) Kumbh Mela is held at only two places, Haridwar and Allahabad, every sixth year. The rivers at these four places are: Ganga (Ganges) at Haridwar, confluence (“Sangam”) of Ganga and Yamuna at Prayag, Godawari at Nasik and Shipra at Ujjain.

“Kumbh” means a pitcher and “Mela” means fair in Hindi. The pilgrimage is held for about one and a half months at each of these four places where it is believed in Hindu mythology drops of nectar fell from the Kumbh carried by gods after the sea was churned. The festival is billed as the "biggest gathering on Earth". There is no scientific method of ascertaining the number of pilgrims even approximately and the estimates of the number of pilgrims bathing on the most auspicious day may vary very widely from two to eight million depending upon the team(s) of persons making the estimate and the rough method of making the estimate.

The current Kumbh Mela began on 14 January 2013 at Allahabad (Prayag).