Meaning of the word
The Sanskrit word "kumbh" means a pitcher, a kalash or an earthen pot. The kalash filled with water that we set up at a puja at home, at a housewarming or at a wedding is also called a kumbh. In Indian tradition the kalash is a symbol of prosperity, of completeness and of life. It holds water, it holds leaves and a coconut sits on top; in other words, a small model of the universe itself is considered to be within it. "Mela" means a gathering, a meeting, coming together. In reality, behind it lies the story of a kalash filled with amrit.
Here we will also find the word "Simhastha" again and again. At Nashik-Trimbakeshwar and Ujjain this mela is held when the planet Jupiter (Brihaspati) is in Leo, and so it has come to be named Simhastha. In Maharashtra many people use the words "Kumbh Mela" and "Simhastha" in the same sense. Viewed technically, Kumbh is the all-encompassing name and Simhastha is the local, astrology-based name given to the Kumbh of Nashik-Trimbakeshwar.
Where, after how many years, on which river?
The Kumbh Mela is held at four places in India. At Haridwar on the banks of the Ganga, at Prayagraj at the confluence of the Ganga-Yamuna-Saraswati (according to tradition, the Saraswati is regarded as an invisible river), at Ujjain on the bank of the Kshipra river and at Nashik-Trimbakeshwar on the banks of the Godavari. The mela at all four of these places comes around roughly once every twelve years. However, it does not take place at all four places in the same year. The sequence of the four places is set according to the positions of Jupiter, the Sun and the Moon, and so it appears that roughly every three years a Kumbh is being held somewhere or other.
Why this period of twelve years? One answer to this is astronomical. The planet Jupiter takes about eleven years and eleven months to complete one round of the Sun. That is, it stays in each zodiac sign for roughly one year, and its circuit of the twelve signs is completed in close to twelve years. The second answer is Puranic: tradition says that the war between the devas and the danavas over the amrit went on for twelve divine days, and that one day of the devas is one year of humans. Both answers agree with each other, and that is why the number twelve became permanently linked with the Kumbh.
A combined overview of all four Kumbh sites is set out in simple form in the following table.
| Place | River | State | Prevailing planetary position | Name of the mela |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haridwar | Ganga | Uttarakhand | Jupiter in Aquarius, Sun in Aries | Kumbh / Ardh Kumbh |
| Prayagraj | Ganga-Yamuna-Saraswati confluence | Uttar Pradesh | Jupiter in Taurus or Aries, Sun-Moon in Capricorn | Kumbh / Ardh Kumbh / Maha Kumbh / Magh Mela |
| Nashik-Trimbakeshwar | Godavari | Maharashtra | Jupiter and Sun in Leo | Simhastha Kumbh |
| Ujjain | Kshipra | Madhya Pradesh | Jupiter in Leo, Sun in Aries | Kumbh |
On looking at this table, one thing becomes clear: Jupiter being in Leo is common to both Nashik-Trimbakeshwar and Ujjain. That is why the melas of these two cities generally fall around the same year, and in the past too, sadhus have many times planned to go to both Ujjain and Nashik-Trimbakeshwar in the same season. The only difference is that because the position of the Sun is different, the Ujjain mela is celebrated in Vaishakh-Chaitra (in spring) while the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar mela is celebrated in Shravan-Bhadrapad (in the monsoon). That is, even though both Kumbhs are based on the same planet, their season, atmosphere and experience are different.
UNESCO recognition
In December 2017 UNESCO included the Kumbh Mela in the representative list of "Humanity's Intangible Cultural Heritage" (Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity). Intangible heritage means not buildings or sculptures, but traditions, knowledge, skills and living practices. When we look at the Kumbh Mela, this applies in full.
The role of sadhus and akhadas
When one says Kumbh Mela, the first to come before one's eyes are the sadhus, their bodies smeared with ash, with matted locks, a trishul and a chimta in their hands. The grand procession that sets out with their army is, for many readers, the main sight of the Kumbh. The organisation of these sadhus is known by the name "akhadas". The word akhada originally comes from the wrestling arena. But in the sadhu tradition it came to mean a monastic order that gives training in both weapons and scriptures.
Historians say that in the medieval period, especially during the Mughal and later periods, the sadhu orders took on a martial form in order to protect pilgrims and monasteries. Later, right up to the British period, the akhadas continued to have an important role in deciding the arrangements, taxes, security and bathing order at the Mela. Today there are generally thirteen recognised akhadas: ten Shaiva and three Vaishnava (Bairagi).
Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Mela: A Distinct Voice
Among the four Kumbh sites, Nashik-Trimbakeshwar has some special features. Here, bathing takes place at two locations: Ramtirth in the Panchavati area of Nashik city and Kushavarta Tirth in Trimbakeshwar, about thirty kilometres away. By tradition, Shaiva sadhus bathe at Trimbakeshwar and Vaishnava sadhus bathe at Ramtirth in Nashik.
Nashik is a place linked with the Ramayana. During the forest exile, Shri Ram, Sita and Lakshman stayed at Panchavati on the banks of the Godavari. Trimbakeshwar is one of the twelve jyotirlingas, and the place of origin of the Godavari is near the Brahmagiri mountain. Therefore, in the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh, all these threads are seen together: the Shaiva and Vaishnava traditions, the memory of the Ramayana and the origin of the river. This feature sets it apart from the other Kumbh sites.
Kumbh and Kalpavas
Another old tradition connected with the Kumbh is kalpavas. Kalpavas means staying on the riverbank during the period of the Mela and living simply, bathing a fixed number of times a day, eating only one meal a day, practising japa and meditation and performing acts of charity. This practice is especially famous at the Magh Mela of Prayagraj. In Nashik too, some devotees and sadhus take a vow to live on the banks of the Goda for the entire parvakal.