Tag : Ujjain

    The Haridwar Kumbh Is The Real Kumbh

    Pushkar Raj Kapoor
    April9/ 2022

    [https://thehawk.in/static/c1e/client/88291/uploaded/ac39166fe83d6f7f534791b2cbbff2b2.webp] [https://thehawk.in/static/c1e/client/88291/uploaded/637da063661d06a0ff312fae812033e7.webp] Ramesh Chander Kapoor* Haridwar (The Hawk): The Kumbh Fair is the greatest human congregation on Earth in which religious faith draws the devout in millions every twelve years to a specific centre of pilgrimage. In the present times, the Kumbh is celebrated at four places, namely, Haridwar, Prayag, Nashik and Ujjain. It is believed that in the wake of the Samudra Manthan, a struggle took place among the devas and asuras over the pitcher of Amrit when it was being taken away to the heavens for safe-keeping. The struggle went on for twelve divine days (equivalent to twelve human years). In the process, a few drops fell over the above-mentioned places. However, neither Visnu Purana (275-325 CE; 1:9:108-109) nor the Bhagawata Purana (> 500 CE; 5:24:1-3; 8: Ch.: 6-9) that describe the struggle among devas and the asuras for the possession of the pot of Amrit mention any of the places or the spillage. The Kumbh fair has been related to one complete revolution of the planet Jupiter through the zodiacal circle. With a period of 11.86 years, it apparently spends a year in each of the twelve zodiacs. Importantly, the concept of zodiacs is not indigenous to India. Therefore, the Kumbh fair can be as old as the induction of the zodiacs into the Indian astronomical system and their wide acceptance. Like the zodiacs and the Greek astrology that came into India via Alexandria in the Ist century or somewhat later, the Aquarius-Jupiter connection too should be as recent. One may note that astrology in India struck firm roots by the 6th century only, in the hands of ...

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