What Hindu pilgrimage that takes place every twelve years in which people participate in ritual purification in rivers (mainly the Ganges) is said to be among the largest gatherings of humanity?
"and twelve Jyotirlings along with 51 Shakti Peeths in India. The twelve Jyotirlings are Kedarnath distance 18 km from Gorikund, reached by trek or helicopter service by Uttara Tourism. Hindu pilgrimage sites in India In Hindu religion and spirituality, the pilgrimage has great significance. Members of the faith participate in the following types of pilgrimage. The pilgrimage to each sacred site has its own religious significance. Holy Place: Himalayan Char Dham - Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. Varanasi/Kashi, Prayagraj, Haridwar-Rishikesh, Mathura-Vrindavan, Somnath and Ayodhya. Holy Fairs: The Kumbh Mela (the ""pitcher festival"") is one of the holiest of Hindu pilgrimages"
"pilgrimage rotates at a gap of three years among four sites: Allahabad at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, Hardwar near source of the Ganges, Ujjain on the Shipra river and Nasik on the bank of the Godavari river. This is one of world's largest mass pilgrimage, with an estimated 40 to 100 million people attending the event. At this event, they say a prayer to the sun and bathe in the river, a tradition attributed to Adi Shankara. Some pilgrimages are part of a ""Vrata"" (vow), which a Hindu may make for a number of reasons. It"
"Kumbh Mela Kumbh Mela or Kumbha Mela ( or ) is a mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith in which Hindus gather to bathe in a sacred or holy river. Traditionally, four fairs are widely recognized as the Kumbh Melas: the Prayag Kumbh Mela, Haridwar Kumbh Mela, the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha, and Ujjain Simhastha. These four fairs are held periodically at one of the following places by rotation: Prayagraj(Allahabad), Haridwar, Nashik district (Nashik and Trimbak), and Ujjain. The main festival site is located on the banks of a river: the Ganges (""Ganga"") at Haridwar; the confluence (""Sangam"") of the Ganges and the"
"Allahabad Kumbh Mela The Allahabad Kumbh Mela is a mela held every 12 years at Allahabad (also called Prayag), 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 latest Allahabad Kumbh Mela took place in 2013 and became the largest religious gathering in the world with almost 120 million visitors. The next one is scheduled for 2025, with"
"which the Indian film industry has given to this highly entertaining socio-religious festival. Thousands gather at Allahabad(Prayagraj) to take part in the Magh Mela festival, which is held on the banks of the Ganges. This festival is organised on a larger scale every 12th year and is called the Kumbha Mela, where over 10 million Hindu pilgrims congregate – proclaimed as one of the largest gathering of human beings in the world. Budaun is also a city which attracts thousands of tourists annually. Its religious city with many historical monuments and tombs of many famous people. The historically important towns"
"has seen considerable rise in the recent years. Once the pilgrims reach their hometown, the Ganges water is used to bathe the Shivalingam on the thirteenth day (Triyodashi) in Shravan month or on the ""Maha Shivratri"" day. Kanwar Yatra The Kānvar (or Kānwar/ Kavad) Yātrā (Devanagari: कांवड़ यात्रा)/(کاور یاترا) is an annual pilgrimage of devotees of Shiva, known as ""Kānvarias""(कावड़िया)/(کوریا) or ""Bhole"" (भोले)/(بھولے), to Hindu pilgrimage places of Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch holy waters of Ganges River. Millions of participants gather sacred water from the Ganga and carry it across hundreds of"
"are the main locations of the celebrations, where devotees gather at the banks of the Ganges and perform aartis (a religious ritual in which a light lamp is moved clockwise circularly in front of a deity as a part of prayer) to the river. Taking a dip in the river on this day is believed to bring the devotee to a state of purification and also heal any physical ailments he may have. In Sanskrit, ""dasha"" means ten and ""hara"" means destroy; thus bathing in the river during these ten days is believed to rid the person of ten sins"
"in Hindi. Pushkaram is an Indian festival dedicated to worshiping of 12 sacred rivers. The celebration happens annually, once in 12 years along each river. Each river is associated with a zodiac sign, and the river for each year's festival is based on which sign Bruhaspathi (Jupiter) is in at the time. It is believed that bathing in the sacred river during Pushkaram cleanses the devotees of their sins. Godavari is one of the 12 sacred rivers, and the ""Godavari Pushkaram"" takes place once every 12 years, when the Jupiter is in the Leo sign. The ""Maha Pushkaram"" (""Great Pushkaram"")"
"million people take part. Apart from these, there is the mammoth Kumbh Mela which takes place once in every twelve years, when the planet Jupiter (Brihaspati) comes into the sign Aquarius (Kumbha). First written evidence of the Kumbha Mela can be found in the accounts of Chinese traveller Huan Tsang or Xuanzang (602 – 664 A.D.), who visited India in 629 AD. The 1998 Maha Kumbh Mela saw over 80 million pilgrims visiting this city, to take a dip in the holy river Ganges. Har ki Pauri: One of the holiest spots on earth for the Hindus, this ancient bathing"
"the Magh Mela. The same festival is organised in a larger scale every 12th year and attracts millions of people and is called the Kumbha Mela. Kumbh Mela (especially the Maha Kumbh Mela) is the most sacred of all the pilgrimages. Thousands of holy men and women (monks, saints and sadhus) attend, and the auspiciousness of the festival is in part attributable to this. The sadhus are seen clad in saffron sheets with plenty of ashes and powder dabbed on their skin per the requirements of ancient traditions. Some called ""nanga sanyasis"" or 'Dhigambers' may often be seen without any"
"Mela festival, which is held on the banks of the Ganges. This festival is organised on a larger scale every 12th year and is called the Kumbha Mela, where over 10 million Hindu pilgrims congregate – proclaimed as one of the largest gathering of human beings in the world. Budaun is also a city which attracts thousands of tourists annually. Its religious city with many historical monuments and tombs of many famous people. The historically important towns of Sarnath and Kushinagar are located not far from Varanasi. Gautama Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath after his enlightenment and died"
"holy Ganges water, with the kanwars on their shoulders. They walk 109 km up to Baba Baidyanath temple at Babadham reciting Bol Bam on the way. On reaching Babadham, the kanwarias first take a dip in the Shivaganga to purify themselves, and then enter the Baba Baidyanath temple, where the Ganges water is offered to the Jyotirlingam. This pilgrimage continues during the whole of Shravan for 30 days, during July–August. This is the longest religious fair in the world. People from foreign lands also visit Babadham not only during Shrawan month but also during the rest of the year. The"
"ritual bathing at the banks of the river in whichever town Kumbh Mela being held:Ganga in Haridwar, Godavari in Nasik, Kshipra in Ujjain and Sangam (confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati) in Allahabad (Prayag). Nasik has registered maximum visitors to 75 million. Other activities include religious discussions, devotional singing, mass feeding of holy men and women and the poor, and religious assemblies where doctrines are debated and standardised. Kumbh Mela is the most sacred of all the pilgrimages. Thousands of holy men and women attend, and the auspiciousness of the festival is in part attributable to this. The sadhus"
"(or pocket money), ""melas"" (fairs), dances, kite flying, bonfires and feasts. The ""Magha Mela"", according to Diana L. Eck (professor at Harvard University specializing in Indology), is mentioned in the Hindu epic (the ""Mahabharata""), thus placing this festival to be around 5,000 years old. Many go to sacred rivers or lakes and bathe with thanksgiving to the sun. Every twelve years, the Hindus observe ""Makar Sankranti"" with one of the world's largest mass pilgrimages, with an estimated 40 to 100 million people attending the event. At this event, they say a prayer to the sun and bathe at the Prayaga"
"done. Only then, the person transforms into sanyasi or sadhu. There are different types of sanyasis in India who follow different sampradya. But, all sadhus have a common goal: attaining moksha (liberation). Kumbh Mela, a mass-gathering of sadhus from all parts of India, takes place every three years at one of four points along sacred rivers in India, including the holy River Ganges. In 2007 it was held in Nasik, Maharashtra. Peter Owen-Jones filmed one episode of ""Extreme Pilgrim"" there during this event. It took place again in Haridwar in 2010. Sadhus of all sects join in this reunion. Millions"
"by Hindus, who aspire to visit these temples once in their lifetimes. Traditionally, the pilgrimage starts at the eastern end from Puri, proceeding clockwise in a manner typically followed for circumambulation in Hindu temples. The most prominent festival held at Badrinath Temple is Mata Murti Ka Mela, which commemorates the descent of the river Ganges on mother earth. The mother of Badrinath, who is believed to have divided the river into twelve channels for the welfare of earthly beings, is worshiped during the festival. The place where the river flowed became the holy land of Badrinath. The Badri Kedar festival"
"Ganga in Hinduism In Hinduism, the river Ganges is considered sacred and is personified as the goddess Gaṅgā. She is worshiped by Hindus who believe that bathing in the river causes the remission of sins and facilitates Moksha (liberation from the cycle of life and death), and that the water of the Ganges is considered very pure. Pilgrims immerse the ashes of their kin in the Ganges, which is considered by them to bring the spirits closer to moksha. Several places sacred to Hindus lie along the banks of the Ganges, including Gangotri, Haridwar, Allahabad and Varanasi. During the Loy"
"are debated and standardized. Kumbh Mela is the most sacred of all the pilgrimages. Thousands of holy men and women attend, and the auspiciousness of the festival is in part attributable to this. The sadhus are seen clad in saffron sheets with ashes and powder dabbed on their skin per the requirements of ancient traditions. Some, called ""naga sanyasis"", may not wear any clothes. The Ganges and its all tributaries, especially the Yamuna, have been used for irrigation since ancient times. Dams and canals were common in gangetic plain by fourth century BCE. The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin has a huge hydroelectric"
"civilizations, the Indus valley civilisation. Today, India is home to around 90% of the global population of Hindus. Most Hindu shrines and temples are located in India, as are the birthplaces of most Hindu saints. Allahabad hosts the world's largest religious pilgrimage, Kumbha Mela, where Hindus from across the world come together to bathe in the confluence of three sacred rivers of India: the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the Saraswati. The Indian diaspora in the West has popularised many aspects of Hindu philosophy such as yoga, meditation, Ayurvedic medicine, divination, karma, and reincarnation. The influence of Indian religions has been"
"gather sacred water from the Ganga and carry it across hundreds of miles to dispense as offerings in their local Śiva shrines, or specific temples such as Pura Mahadeva and Augharnath temple in Meerut, and Kashi Vishwanath, Baidyanath, and Devghar in Bihar. Pandharpur yatra of Maharashtra is one of the most popular festivals in India. The annual yatra to the famous Vithoba temple at Pandharpur held every year during the month of June and July. Thousands of pilgrims come to Pandharpur with carrying litters with the images of Jñāneśvar from Alandi, Tukaram from Dehu, Eknath from Paithan, and Nivruttinath from"
"Lord Krishna spent his childhood), and Allahabad(Prayagraj) (the confluence or 'holy-sangam' of the sacred Ganges-Yamuna rivers). Varanasi is widely considered to be one of the oldest cities in the world. It is famous for its ghats (bathing steps along the river), full of pilgrims year round who come to bathe in the sacred Ganges River. Mathura is world-famous for its colourful celebrations of the Holi festival, which attracts many tourists also – thanks partly to the hype, which the Indian film industry has given to this highly entertaining socio-religious festival. Thousands gather at Allahabad(Prayagraj) to take part in the Magh"
"add to the pollution. Tourism is another related activity. Three towns holy to Hinduism—Haridwar, Prayag (Allahabad), and Varanasi—attract thousands of pilgrims to its waters to take a dip in the Ganges, which is believed to cleanse oneself of sins and help attain salvation. The rapids of the Ganges also are popular for river rafting, attracting adventure seekers in the summer months. Also, several cities such as Kanpur, Kolkata and Patna have developed riverfront walkways along the banks to attract tourists. Human development, mostly agriculture, has replaced nearly all of the original natural vegetation of the Ganges basin. More than 95%"
"Kanwar Yatra The Kānvar (or Kānwar/ Kavad) Yātrā (Devanagari: कांवड़ यात्रा)/(کاور یاترا) is an annual pilgrimage of devotees of Shiva, known as ""Kānvarias""(कावड़िया)/(کوریا) or ""Bhole"" (भोले)/(بھولے), to Hindu pilgrimage places of Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch holy waters of Ganges River. Millions of participants gather sacred water from the Ganga and carry it across hundreds of miles to dispense as offerings in their local Śiva shrines, or specific temples such as Pura Mahadeva and Augharnath temple in Meerut, and Kashi Vishwanath, Baidyanath, and Deoghar in Jharkhand. At its base, Kanwar refers to a"
"Bathing in Manasarovar and drinking its water is believed by Hindus to cleanse all sins. Pilgrimage tours are organized regularly, especially from India, the most famous of which is the yearly ""Kailash Manas Sarovar Yatra"". Pilgrims come to take ceremonial baths in the waters of the lake. Lake Manasarovar has long been viewed by the pilgrims as being nearby to the sources of four great rivers of Asia, namely the Brahmaputra, Ghaghara, Sindhu and Sutlej, thus it is an axial point which has been thronged to by pilgrims for thousands of years. The region was closed to pilgrims from the"
"descended upon the earth to purify and prepare the dead (Alley 2008:171, Haberman 2006:60-61, Narayanan 2001:190-191). The River Ganges (Ganga) in India is seen as the physical embodiment of this goddess. Since the river waters are as both inherently pure themselves and having major purificatory qualities (Alley 2008:173-174, Nelson 2008:102), people come to bathe in them, drink from them, leave offerings for them, and give their physical remains to them. The Ganges is said to purify the soul of negative ""karma"", corporeal sins, and even impurities from previous lives (Nelson 2008:102). At sunrise along the Ganges, pilgrims descend the ""ghat"""
"to ""Pilgrimage of One Soulness"") began in November 1983, and involved thousands of Hindus undertaking a pilgrimage to various holy sites. The pilgrims formed three processions; one from Kathmandu to Rameshwaram, a second from Gangasagar to Somnath temple, and a third from Haridwar to Kanyakumari. These three main pilgrim parties were supplemented by dozens of smaller groups, and carried relics and idols with them. Many pilgrims carried water from the scared Ganges river during the journey, and the columns of travelers often stopped at Hindu temples and holy sites to gather more sacred water. All of the pilgrimage parties eventually"
"better utilise its share of the waters of the Ganges. The Ganges is a sacred river to Hindus along every fragment of its length. All along its course, Hindus bathe in its waters, paying homage to their ancestors and to their gods by cupping the water in their hands, lifting it and letting it fall back into the river; they offer flowers and rose petals and float shallow clay dishes filled with oil and lit with wicks (diyas). On the journey back home from the Ganges, they carry small quantities of river water with them for use in rituals (Ganga"
"country, particularly North India, immerse ashes of the dead and perform last rites. Apart from the regular annual pilgrimage season from April to November, during February–March ""Magh Mela"" ('mela' means ""fair"") is also held on a large scale. Other spectacular events that are held here are the Ardh Kumbha Mela (half Kumbh Mela) held every six years. The 12 years cycle Kumbh Mela is held during January or February depending on the Hindu Calmanac. It is the occasion when lakhs of people congregate here for a holy dip in the Ganges. The Kumbh Mela (literal meaning is ('festival of pots')"
"the poison. Bol-Bam refers to pilgrimages and festivals in India and Nepal glorifying Shiva (aka Bam or Bum). The festivals run during the monsoon month Shraawan (July — August). After taking water from the Ganges river (or other nearby river that wind up in the Ganges) the pilgrims, known as kanwariya or Shiv Bhaktas (disciples of Shiva), are mandated to travel barefooted and in saffron robes with their Kanwar (walking sticks used to hang the urns of water) for 105 km by various routes and usually in groups made of family, friends and or neighbors, and return to their own"
"of the Ganges to be both pure and purifying. Nothing reclaims order from disorder more than the waters of the Ganges. Moving water, as in a river, is considered purifying in Hindu culture because it is thought to both absorb impurities and take them away. The swiftly moving Ganges, especially in its upper reaches, where a bather has to grasp an anchored chain in order to not be carried away, is considered especially purifying. What the Ganges removes, however, is not necessarily physical dirt, but symbolic dirt; it wipes away the sins of the bather, not just of the present,"
"or societal causes. The terms 'jatra' and 'zatra' are derived from yatra. Kasi yatra: It is the greatest of all the yatras. It is customary for every Hindu to undergo Kasi yatra on barefoot. Pilgrims also visit Gaya to do Gaya Shraddha to their ancestors. Details regarding how to perform various rituals, the greatness of Kashi Kshetra. Importance of Kasi yatra is said in Kasi-Khand of Skanda Puranam. Mansarovar Yatra: Mansarovar is a fresh-water lake situated in Tibet. Mount Kailash, a place of pilgrimage attracting religious people from India and neighboring countries. The Mount Kailash is considered a sacred place"
"Ganga puja Ganga puja is a religious festival of the northeastern state of Tripura in India. The tribal Tripuri people worship the Goddess of the river, and pray to be saved from epidemic diseases and for the well-being of pregnant women. The celebration involves building a temple of bamboo in the middle of the river or a water stream. The River Ganges, known locally as Ganga, is one of the fourteen prime deities worshipped in this region. The festival is popularly celebrated throughout the state somewhere in March, April or May, with its date fixed according to the Hindu Lunisolar"
"Panchalinga Darshana Panchalinga Darshana is a holy festival held once every twelve years in the ancient temple town of Talakad on the banks of the Kaveri river in Karnataka, India. The five temples of Kshethra Sri Vaidyanatheshwara, Sri Pathaleshwara, Sri Maruleshwara, Sri Arakeshwara, Sri Mudukuthore Mallikarjuneshwara are believed to be Panchalingas and thus have become famous. The festival takes place simultaneously at these five temples of Shiva which are decorated with plantain stalks and flowers. Here the pilgrims of Panchalinga Darshana offer their Pooja to the Gods. The festival takes elaborate preparation as millions of pilgrims attend to participate in"