MAGH MELA PRAYAG

short description

The Magh Mela is an annual pilgrimage and fair celebrated at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers in Uttar Pradesh.

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The Magh Mela of Prayag (Uttar Pradesh), which takes place at the divine Triveni Sangam, the place of confluence of the sacred rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and the legendary Saraswati, is one of the largest pilgrimages in India. The pilgrimage is named after the Hindu month of Magh, which typically falls in January–February. The Prayag Magh Mela is a 45-day-long pilgrimage that begins at the Paush Purnima (the full moon day of the month of Paush) and ends at Mahashivaratri, spanning over the entire month of Magh.

Historical records dating back to the seventh century CE provide evidence of an annual festival held at the Triveni Sangam. Hieun Tsang, the Chinese Buddhist missionary renowned for his extensive travels in India, documented the religious gatherings at Prayag. Similarly, in the Khulasat-ut-Tawarikh, a 17th-century historical text about India authored in Persian at the court of Aurangzeb by Sujan Rai, there is mention of an annual Hindu religious festival incorporating ceremonial bathing, which is widely believed to be the Magh Mela of Prayag.

The mela commences on the full moon day of Paush with the snan (ritual dip). Over the course of the fair, there are a total of six ritual snans, viz. on Paush Purnima, Makar Sankranti (beginning of Magh), Shattila Ekadashi (day of the waning of moon- Krishna Pakhsa- in the month of Magh), Mauni Amavasya (the no moon day of Magh when people take vow of silence), Basant Panchami (also called Magha Shukla Panchami, the fifth day of the waxing phase of moon in Magh), Achala Saptami (seventh day of waxing phase of moon in Magh, celebrated as the birthday of Lord Surya), Jaya Ekadashi (the day of fasting observed on the eleventh day of the waxing phase of moon in Magh) and Magh Purnima (the full moon day in Magh).

The ritual snans are obligatory for individuals observing the kalpvas, a period of prayer and charitable acts spent by the bank of the river in temporary shelters. Prior to the initial ritual bath, those observing kalpvas, known as kalpvasis, shave their heads. Each day during the kalpvas, holy men, sadhus (ascetics), or kalpvasis themselves conduct various yajnas or havans (rite performed before a sacred fire, typically with the chanting of mantras), in and around the Sangam. People contribute food and ritual items as donations. Within the kalpvas, three primary donations are considered particularly auspicious: bhojdan (donation of food), atradan (donation of grains), and tiladan (donation of sesame).

The annual Magh Mela transforms into the Kumbh Mela every fourth year at Prayag, and into the Maha Kumbh Mela every twelfth year, drawing millions of devout pilgrims to the grand event.