Haridwar and the Ganges

Haridwar along the Ganges or Ganga river, below Rishikesh where the Ganga hits the plains of north India, after debouching from the Himalaya, in Uttarakhand, India.
Kumbh Mela is the largest gathering of people for a religious purpose in the world. Millions of people gather on different places for this auspicious occasion. Kumbha is a Sanskrit word for Pitcher, sometimes referred to as the Kalasha. Kumbha Mela is a mammoth fair where Hindus gather at the Ganges river. It is celebrated at different locations depending on the position of the planet of Brahaspati (Jupiter)and the sun. When Jupiter and the sun are in the zodiac sign Leo (Simha Rashi) it is held in Trimbakeshwar, Nashik; when the sun is in Aries (Mesha Rashi) it is celebrated at Haradwar; when Jupiter is in Taurus (Vrishabha Rashi ) and the sun is in Capricorn (Makar Rashi) Kumbha Mela is celebrated at Prayag; and Jupiter and the sun are in Scorpio (Vrishchik Rashi) the Mela is celebrated at Ujjain. Each site's celebration dates are calculated in advance according to a special combination of zodiacal positions of Sun, Moon, and Jupiter The major event of the festival is ritual bathing at the banks of the river in whichever town it is being held. Other activities include religious discussions, devotional singing, mass feeding of holy men and women and the poor, and religious assemblies where doctrines are debated and standardized Naga Sadhus or Naga Babas are one of the major crowd pullers at the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar.The different bathing ghats in Kumbh Mela are Har ki Pauri, Parwah Ghat, Subhash Ghat and Gau Ghat.

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