Kumbh Mela 2010

 
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About Kumbh Mela

Alternatively organized in the holy cities of Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik, the Kumbh Festival or the Kumbh Mela features the largest human gathering in the world. The religious festival invites devotees, sadhus, rishiks, yogis and tourists from almost every corner of the world. Hindus believe that the waters of the Ganges turn into nectar on the auspicious occasion of Kumbh Mela in Haridwar. And that a holy dip in the divine waters of Ganga eliminates all the evil and past sins from an individual's life.

The most surreal scenes can be witnessed on the riverbanks of the Ganges during Kumbh Mela. From dawn till dusk, rites and rituals continue while Naga Babas, a big attraction for all, keep themselves busy meditating and practicing different yogic postures.

History of Kumbh Mela

The religious history of Kumbh Mela remains associated with numerous legends. There is an interesting legends which relates to the origin of the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar. Hindus believe that Lord Brahma gave gods a piece of advice to rid them of their weakness, caused during the creation of the earth. Following Lord Brahma's advise, the gods began to churn the ocean to obtain amrit from its waters. As the task was quite tough, the gods sought the assistance of demons. The gods, in return, made a deal with the demons that the latter could have half of the nectar that was to obtained from the ocean. The demons agreed to it.

However, after the gods became successful in procuring the nectar, they tried to run away without sharing half of it with the demons, as was promised in the deal. The gods feared that if the demons got their share of nectar, they might put it to some wrong use. Irritated and angered, the demons ran after the gods to receive their promised share of nectar.

Finally, when the demigods came to the rescue, they hid the nectar in four different places. While doing so, the demi gods happened to spill a drop of this nectar fell down on earth. Blessed by this drop of nectar, four sacred sites came into being, one among these being Haridwar itself. Therefore, astrologers also have the belief that the water of the Ganges attains nectar-like properties during the Kumbh Mela season in Haridwar.

Bathing Date of Kumbh Mela

* 14 January 2010 (Thursday) - Makar Sankranti Snan - First Snan (bath)

* 15 January 2010 (Friday) - Mauni Amavasya and Surya Grahan ( Sola Eclipse) - Second Snan

* 20 January 2010 (Wedesday) - Basant Panchmi Snan - Third snan

* 30 January 2010 (Saturday) - Magh Purnima Snan - Fourth Snan

* 12 February 2010 (Friday) - Maha Shivratri - Pratham Shahi Snan - First Royal Bath

* 15 March 2010 (Monday)- Somvati Amavasya - Dvitya Shahi snan - Second Royal Bath.

* 24 March 2010 (Wednesday) - Ram Navmi - Fifth Snan

* 30 March 2010 (Tuesday) - Chaitra purnima sna

* 14 April 2010 (Wednesday) - Baisakhi - Pramukh Shahi Sanan.

* 28 April 2010 (Wednesday) - Shakh Purnima - snan

How To Reach

Positioned at 214 km from New Delhi (India's capital city), Haridwar has easy accessibility from all key tourist destinations in northern India. Though Haridwar can also be accessed by air route, the easier option is to travel either by road or rail. For more information on reaching Haridwar by air, rail or road, read below.

Rail Connectivity

If you want to make a rail journey to Haridwar from India's capital city, you can catch a train either from Delhi or Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station. Other key places that remain connected to Haridwar by rail route include Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Chennai, Howrah, Puri, Chennai, Ujjain and Varanasi among others.

055/2056 New Delhi-Dehradun 4309/4310 Ujjain-Dehradun 9019/9020 Bombay-Dehradun

4041/4042 Delhi-Dehradun 4265/4266 Varanasi-Dehradun 3009/3010 Howrah-Dehradun

2017/2018 Delhi-Dehradun 4113/4114 Allahabad-Dehradun 5005/5006 Gorakhpur-Dehradun

4319/4320 Dehradun-Kathgodam 2687/2688 Dehradun-Chennai 9265/9266 Dehradun-Okha

Air Connectivity

The closest domestic airport from Haridwar is Dehradun's Jolly Grant Airport. Undertake an air journey from Delhi to this airport. Further, you need to drive a distance of 20 km to get to the town of Haridwar. Regular taxis are available on hire to take you to Haridwar from the airport.

Road Connectivity

National Highway 45 that passes through Haridwar provides good road connectivity to the town. Frequent public and private buses are available from Delhi to reach Haridwar. The road journey from Delhi to Haridwar takes around 4-5 hours. Other major cities in northern India are also quite well connected by road to Haridwar.

Delhi-214 Agra-386 Ambala-168 Badrinath-325 Dehradun-52

Kedarnath-250 Saharanpur-81 Nainital-286

Tirupati

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Tirupati, one of the richest temples in the country, is the most venerated Vaishnavite shrine of Lord Venkateswara. It was patronised by the Pallavas, the Cholas, the Pandyas and the Vijayanagar kings. 130 kms from the city of Madras (Chennai), this temple is located in the southern Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. Tiru' in Tamil means `Sri'. Hence Tirupati translates to Sripati or Sri Maha Vishnu.

According to the Puranas, the range of Tirumala hills represent the body of the serpent Adisesha, on which Lord Vishnu, the protector of the world, rests. The seven hills represent the seven heads of the serpent.
History
Tirupati was developed mainly by the contributions made by kings during their rule. Almost all the kings from great dynasties of the southern peninsula have paid homage to Lord Sri Venkateswara in this ancient shrine of Tirupati. The Pallavas of Kancheepuram (9th century AD), the Cholas of Thanjavur (a century later), the Pandyas of Madurai, and the kings and chieftains of Vijayanagar (14th - 15th century AD) were devotees of the Lord and they competed with one another in endowing the temple with rich offerings and contributions.

During the rule of the Vijayanagar dynasty contributions made to the temple increased enormously. Krishnadevaraya had statues of himself and his consorts installed at the portals of the Tirupati temple, and these statues can be seen to this day. There is also a statue of Venkatapati Raya in the main temple at Tirupati.

Pilgrimage Attractions of Tirupati

Tirupati Tirumala Balaji Temple
The ancient and sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara is located on the seventh peak, Venkatachala (Venkata Hill) of the Tirupati Hill, and lies on the southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini.It is by the Lord's presidency over Venkatachala, that He has received the appellation, Venkateswara (Lord of the Venkata Hill). He is also called the Lord of the Seven Hills.

Padmavati Devi Temple
In Tiruchanur, 5-km from Tirupati , is this large temple dedicated to goddess Padmavati, the consort of Lord Venkateswara or Venkateshwara (Balaji). It also known as "Alamelumangapuram" and it is said that a visit to Tirumala is fruitful only after visiting the Sri Padmavati Devi temple.

The deity, Sri Padmavati Devi is seated in 'Padmasana', holding a lotus in both of her upper hands. Her lower hands are in poses of 'Abhaya', fearlessness, and 'Varada', benediction. Also in this temple are the Deities of Sri Krishna, Balarama, 'Sundararaja Swami', and 'Surya-Narayana Swami'. It is traditional to first worship Sri Krishna and then to take darshan of Sri Padmavati. Only Hindus are allowed in the temple.


Sri Govindarajaswami Temple
One of the very important temples in Tirupati , Sri Govindarajaswami Temple was consecrated by Saint Ramanujacharya in 1130 AD. It is located in the heart of the Tirupati.

The Main Shrines
In this temple there are two main shrines. In the northern shrine is 'Sri Govindaraja', who is Lord Vishnu lying on 'Ananta'. He is considered to be Lord Venkateswara's brother. The other main shrine has Deities of 'Sri Parthasarathi' (Krishna as the charioteer of Arjuna), 'Rukmini' and 'Satyabhama' (Krishna's wives). Few parts of the inner shrine date back to the 9th and 10th centuries. The original temple had Sri Parthasarathi on the main altar. 'Sri Ramanuja' added the Sri Govindaraja deity around 1130.

Kodandaramaswami Temple
Located in the centre of the Tirupati town; the presiding deities over here are Sita, Rama and Lakshmana. Chola king built it during the 10th century AD. The temple of Anjaneyaswami, which is directly opposite, is a sub-shrine of this temple.

Sri Kapileswaraswami Temple
Situated about 3-km to the north of Tirupati, at the foot of the Tirumala Hills, is the only temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, in Tirupati. Annual Brahmotsavams and festivals like Vinayaka Chavithi, Maha Shivaratri, Skhanda Shasthi and Annabhishekam are performed in a grand manner. The sacred waterfall called "Kapila Teertham " (also known as "Alwar Teertham") is located here.

Sri Kalyana Venkateswaraswami Temple
12-km to the west of Tirupati at Srinivasa Mangapuram one can find Sri Kalyana Venkateswaraswami temple, where it is believed that Lord Venkateswara stayed here after his marriage with Sri Padmavati Devi, before proceeding to Tirumala.