THE GREAT KUMBH MELA IN 2021 TO BE HELD IN HARIDWAR

According to Hindu mythology, Kumbh Mela is a great pilgrimage and festival. Moreover, it’s a gathering of people along with their faith in God. The river is being signified as a pool of immortality.

ORIGIN:-

The word Kumbha was originally derived and found in the Rigveda. There are many stories narrated by different Sanskrit scholars. But the whole incident is related to Samudra Manthan(churning of the Ocean).

The Kumbh word signifies a pot that contains the nectar of immortality (Amrit) in it. Moreover, it depicts how all the Gods and demons fought over the Kumbha, known as the gem of Samudra Manthan. However, it is believed as Lord Vishnu snatched it from the devils. So when he took it towards heaven, a few drops fell on the four sacred locations. Now, these places are known as Haridwar, Ujjain, Nashik, and Prayag Raj. Subsequently, the aviation went for 12 continuous days which is equivalent to 1 human year. So, it is held after every 12 years in these locations.

SIGNIFICANCE OF KUMBH MELA:

The rivers corresponding to where the drops were fallen are considered as Amrita (nectar of immortality) at that time. So, bathing in that signifies purity and atone(prayshchit) for all the mistakes done in the past.

The last Kumbha held in 2010 in Haridwar and the next Kumbh is predicted in 2022. But now Kumbh will held in 2021. On this Mahant Narendra Giri, head of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad stated :

 ”After more than 100 years the Kumbh will held earlier. It is happening because of specific auspicious dates”.

So the preparation of this festival is full of joy, faith, and the gatherings have started.

PREPARATIONS OF THE KUMBH MELA IN HARIDWAR:

Due to the pandemic – COVID-19 the tourism sector in Uttarakhand has already faced a lot of struggle and losses. It’s estimated that next year KUMBHA MELA will be a great boost in the tourism sector of the state.

The Kumbha Mela will start from January 2021 and will last until April 2021. The least amount of pilgrims is expected to visit as compared to the previous time. Specific rules to ensure the health and safety of pilgrims are an additional feature.

The government had passed the project worth 320 crores and December as a deadline. However, the lockdown has halted the speed of the projects. Still, more than 51 construction projects have been started. Many workers have employed to lay the sandstone on the ghats. Hence, this also helps to increase the employment opportunities for the daily wages working section of society. Especially the ones which had a financial hit due to this pandemic.

This time it’s predicted that pilgrims will be able to bathe in cleaner water than ever. The crowd management will be more efficient and acceptability handled. As the police will create different zones. A specific time slot would allot to take a dip in the holy river Ganga.

Afterward, to handle the crowd on the four special dates: March 11, April 12, April 14, and April 27 registration process is added. The specific ghats booking will be taking place on the online portal provided by the government.

Hence, continuous efforts had taken by the government. As to make this event a success. Yet, keeping all the safety measures in mind related to social distancing