English name | Kumbh festival 2019 |
---|---|
Date | 15 January – 4 March 2019 |
Duration | 55 days [1] |
Venue | Triveni Sangam |
Location | Prayagraj |
Coordinates | 25°25′52″N81°53′06″E / 25.431°N 81.885°E |
Also known as | Ardh Kumbh Mela |
Type | Social practices |
Theme | Festive events |
Cause | Rituals |
Motive | Religious pilgrimage |
Budget | ₹4200 Crores ($605,400,000) |
Patrons | Ascetics, Saints, Sadhus, Sadhvis, Kalpvasis, and Pilgrims |
Organised by | Prayagraj Mela Authority |
Participants | 120 million Hindu devotees [2] |
Website | kumbh |
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage |
The 2019 Prayagraj Ardh Kumbh Mela was the Ardh Kumbh Mela held at Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India from 15 January to 4 March 2019. [3] [1] This event will be followed by the Prayag Maha Kumbh scheduled for January to February 2025.
A bill was passed in Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly to set up Prayagraj Mela Authority, a permanent body to oversee the mela. The divisional commissioner of Prayagraj serves its chairperson while the district magistrate and inspector general of police as the vice-chairpersons. Mela officers and other district officials are also the members of this authority. [4]
Around ₹4200 crore was allotted by the state government for the Ardh Kumbh 2019, over two times more than it had spent on the last Kumbh held in 2013. About 199 projects of 16 government departments were completed under four phases which included a six-lane bridge over the river Ganga and a four-lane railway over-bridge worth ₹275 crore. The Public Works Department executed projects worth ₹430 crore including building an inner ring road in the city. ₹210 crore was spent on safe drinking water facilities and ₹60 crore to electrify the Kumbh area. Focus was also laid on solid waste management to ensure that Ganga water is not contaminated and putting up LED lights. [5] Moreover, widening and beautification of 18 roads and 25 road crossings was completed before the deadline of October 2018. [6]
The logo of 2019 Kumbh shows a group of Sadhus bathing in the Sangam confluence of the Ganga and the Yamuna. The Uttar Pradesh government has decreed that all state government documents, letterheads and publicity material, including advertisements and hoardings, should carry the new logo. Moreover, cinema halls in the state are directed to display the logo straight after the national anthem is played. [7] [8] [2]
Kumbh Mela is an important Hindu pilgrimage, celebrated approximately every 6, 12 and 144 years, correlated with the partial or full revolution of Jupiter and representing the largest human gathering in the world.
Prayag is a historical name of the area near the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in the modern-day city of Prayagraj in northern India.
Prayagraj district, formerly known as Allahabad district, is the most populous district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Prayagraj city is the district headquarters of this district. The District is divided into blocks within tehsils. As of 2011, there are 20 blocks in eight tehsils. The Prayagraj division includes the districts of Pratapgarh, Fatehpur, Kaushambi and Prayagraj, with some western parts that had previously part of Allahabad District becoming part of the new Kaushambi District. The administrative divisions are Phulpur, Koraon, Meja, Sadar, Soraon, Handia, Bara, Shringverpur and Karchana.
In Hindu tradition, Triveni Sangam is the confluence of three rivers that is a sacred place, with a bath here said to flush away all of one's sins and free one from the cycle of rebirth. Prayagraj Triveni Sangam is considered to be the most notable that is confluence of Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati.
Prayagraj, formerly Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Prayagraj district, the most populous district in the state and 13th most populous district in India and the Prayagraj division. The city is the judicial capital of Uttar Pradesh with the Allahabad High Court being the highest judicial body in the state. As of 2011, Prayagraj is the seventh most populous city in the state, thirteenth in Northern India and thirty-sixth in India, with an estimated population of 1.53 million in the city. In 2011, it was ranked the world's 40th fastest-growing city. The city, in 2016, was also ranked the third most liveable urban agglomeration in the state and sixteenth in the country. Hindi is the most widely spoken language in the city.
Ganga Expressway is an under-construction, 1,047 km (651 mi) long, of which 594 km (369 mi) has been approved, 6-lane wide greenfield expressway in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is being constructed in two phases. Phase-1 will connect Bijauli village on NH-334 in Meerut district with Judapur Dandu village on NH-19 in Prayagraj district via Sarai Katiyan village on NH-27 in Kanpur, while Phase-2 will see the extension of both sides of the expressway: from Prayagraj to Ballia and from Meerut to Haridwar.
1954 Kumbh Mela stampede was a major crowd crush that occurred on 3 February 1954 at Kumbha Mela in Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh state in India. It was the main bathing day of Mauni Amavasya, when the incident took place. 4–5 million pilgrims took part in the festival that year, which was also the first Kumbh Mela after India's Independence.
Daraganj is a prominent suburb and a landmark in the city of Prayagraj. It is the oldest suburb of Prayag at the bank of celestial river Ganges and not far from Triveni Sangam - the confluence of three sacred rivers: the Ganges and Yamuna, and the third invisible river Saraswati. Thus, Daraganj is essentially a theoretical and philosophical reference point of city now called Prayagraj.
The Akhil Bharatiya Akhara ParishadABAP, is one of the organizations of Hindu sants (saints) and sadhus (ascetics) in India. The ABAP is composed of 14 akharas, or organisations of Hindu sants and sadhus. Nirmohi Akhara and Shri Dattatreya Akhara are two of the prominent akharas which are part of it.
Haridwar Kumbh Mela is a mela, associated with Hinduism and held in the city of Haridwar, India held every 12 years. The exact date is determined according to Hindu astrology: the Mela is held when Jupiter is in Aquarius and the Sun enters Aries. The event possesses deep religious significance to Hindus as well as other spiritual seekers. Historically, it was an important commercial event and was attended by merchants from as far as Arabia.
Ujjain Simhastha is a Hindu religious mela held every 12 years in the Ujjain city of Madhya Pradesh, India. The name is also transliterated as Sinhastha or Singhastha. In Hindi, the fair is also called Simhasth or Sinhasth. The name derives from the fact that it is held when the Jupiter is in Leo.
Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha is a Hindu religious mela held every 12 years in the Nashik district of Maharashtra, India. The name of the festival is also transliterated as Sinhastha or Singhastha. It is one of the four fairs traditionally recognized as Kumbha Melas, and is also known as Nashik-Trimbak Kumbha Mela or Nashik Kumbha Mela.
The Prayag Kumbh Mela, also known as Allahabad Kumbh Mela, is a mela, or religious gathering, associated with Hinduism and held in the city of Prayagraj, India, at the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati river. The festival is marked by a ritual dip in the waters, but it is also a celebration of community commerce with numerous fairs, education, religious discourses by saints, mass feedings of monks or the poor, and entertainment spectacle. Approximately 50 and 30 million people attended the Prayagraj Ardh Kumbh Mela in 2019 and Maha Kumbh Mela in 2013 respectively to bathe in the holy river Ganges, making them the largest peaceful gathering events in the world.
Prayag Junction railway station is an important railway station in Prayagraj district, Uttar Pradesh. It serves Prayag town in Prayagraj. It consists of three platforms. The NR is developing the neighbouring Prayagraj Sangam station as a coaching terminal. It is designed by architect M K Singh in the year 2018. There will be five new platforms, two washing lines, and a new station building with a basement.
Subedarganj railway station is an important railway station in Prayagraj district, Uttar Pradesh. Its code is SFG. It serves Prayagraj city. Railways has sanctioned a budget of ₹26 crore as part of its plan to develop the Subedarganj station, situated close to the North Central Railway headquarters in Prayagraj, as a full-fledged terminal, Minister of State, Manoj Sinha said. A new FOB will be completed by November. Prayagraj's neighbouring Subedarganj is being developed as terminal station with a provision of a new platform, new FOB, and extension of the existing platform.
2013 Maha Kumbh Mela was held at convergence place of Ganga,Yamuna and Saraswati rivers in Prayagraj,Uttar Pradesh, as once in 12 years event as a 55 day event had attracted around 80 to 100 million visitors. It has a significance of being held once in 12 year period in Hindu Mythology as its believed that the battle for nectar between Gods and Demons lasted for 12 years. The event was also held in Haridawar,Ujjain and Nashik.
The 2025 Prayag Kumbh Mela, also referred to as the 2025 Maha Kumbh, is the ongoing iteration of the Maha Kumbh Mela. It is scheduled to take place from 13 January to 26 February 2025, at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. This event marks the completion of a 12-Kumbh Mela cycle and is officially termed a Maha Kumbh Mela, spanning 45 days.
Bansberia Kumbh Mela, also known as Bansberia Tribeni Sangam Kumbha Mela, is a mela, or religious gathering, associated with Hinduism and held at the town Bansberia, West Bengal, India, at the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of the Hooghly, Saraswati, and the Jamuna river.
Nagvasuki Mandir is a Hindu temple located in Daraganj, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is situated on the banks of the Ganga River and the temple is dedicated to Vasuki, the king of serpents in Hinduism.
Hanuman Mandir, also known as Lete Hanuman Ji Mandir or Shri Bade Hanuman Ji Mandir, is a renowned Hindu temple situated near the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. The temple is notable for its unique reclining idol of Hanuman, which becomes partially submerged during the monsoon season. This feature, along with its historical and cultural significance, attracts millions of devotees annually, especially during the Kumbh Mela.