Prayag Kumbh Mela
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The Prayag Kumbh Mela, also known as Allahabad Kumbh Mela, is a mela, or religious gathering, associated with Hinduism and held in the city of Prayagraj, India, at the Triveni Sangam, the confluence o
2013 Maha Kumbh Mela
The Ashoka pillar at Prayagraj (photo c. 1900) contains many inscriptions since the 3rd century BCE. Sometime around 1575 CE, Birbal of Akbar's era added an inscription that mentions the "Magh mela at Prayag Tirth Raj".
Kumbh Mela in the 1850s
Procession of sadhus at the 2001 Kumbh Mela
Saraswati River
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The Saraswati River is a deified Rigvedic river first mentioned in the Rigveda and later in Vedic and post-Vedic texts. It played an important role in the Vedic religion, appearing in all but the four
Prayag Kumbh Mela
…associated with Hinduism and held in the city of Prayagraj, India, at the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati river. The festival is marked by a ritual dip in the waters, but it is also a celebration of community commerce with numerous fairs, education, religious…
Vedic and present-day Ghaggar-Hakra river-course, with Aryavarta/Kuru kingdom, and pre-Harappan Hakra/Shutudri-Yamuna paleochannels as proposed by Clift et al. (2012) and Khonde et al. (2017). 1 = ancient river 2 = today's river 3 = today's Thar desert 4 = ancient shore 5 = today's shore 6 = today's town 7 = dried-up Harappan Hakra course, and pre-Harappan Sutlej paleochannels (Clift et al. (2012)).
A painting of goddess Saraswati by Raja Ravi Varma
Triveni Sangam, Prayagraj: The confluence of Ganges and Yamuna. Hindus believe that the mythical Saraswati also converges here.
Vedic rivers