Maha Kumbh

• Kumbh Mela comes under United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
• It is the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth, during which participants bathe or take a dip in a sacred river.
  • It takes place on the banks of the Godavari river in Nashik, the Shipra river in Ujjain, the Ganges in Haridwar, and the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati river in Prayagraj. The confluence is referred to as the ‘Sangam‘.
• As it is held in four different cities in India, it involves different social and cultural activities, making this a culturally diverse festival.
• The over month-long fair is marked by the construction of a massive tented township, complete with cottages, huts, platforms, civic facilities, administrative and security measures.
  • It is organized immaculately by the government, the local authorities and the police.
• The mela is especially renowned for the presence of an extraordinary array of religious ascetics enticed from remote hideaways in forests, mountains and caves.