General event information about Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela : Map of forthcoming Kumbha mela

Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela (Devanagari: कुम्भ मेला) is a mass Hindu pilgrimage
It occurs four times every twelve years and rotates among four locations

1. Allahabad (Prayag) at the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna and invisible  Saraswati rivers
2. Haridwar along Ganga river
3. Ujjain along the Kshipra river and
4. Nashik along the Godavari river

Therefore a Kumbh Mela is practically held every three years across the four locations

The Ardh Kumbh Mela is celebrated every six years at Haridwar and Allahabad, there is also an annual Magha (Magh) Mela that is held every year at the Prayaga. The Maha Kumbh Mela ('Great' Kumbh Mela) which comes after 12 'Purna Kumbh Melas' which is after every 144 years is also held at Allahabad. The 2001, Maha Kumbh Mela was attended by around 60 million people, making it the largest gathering anywhere in the world

Kumbh Mela is attended by millions of people on a single day. The major event of the festival is a ritual bath at the banks of the rivers in each town. 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

Kumbh Mela (especially the Maha Kumbh Mela) is the most sacred of all the pilgrimages. Thousands of holy men and women (monks, saints and sadhus) attend, and the auspiciousness of the festival is in part attributable to this.

The sadhus are seen clad in saffron sheets with plenty of ashes and powder dabbed on their skin per the requirements of ancient traditions. Some called nanga sanyasis or 'Digambars (sky-clad)' may often be seen without any clothes even in severe winter, generally considered to live an extreme lifestyle. This tends to attract a lot of western attention as it is seemingly in contrast to a generally conservative social modesty practised in the country

The next Kumbha (Kumbh) is going to be held at Haridwar (Hara-dwar)

Kalpavasi at Haridwar

Welcome to the kalpavasi program at the Haridwar Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela from January to April 2010

A person who undergoes the Kalpavãsa Vrat is honoured with the title of Kalpavãsi
A unique feature of the Indian Bathing Festivals - Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela, Magha Mela, Etc. is that of the Kalpavãsis, who present a scene of Vãnaprasthãshrama Dharma (retired forest life prescribed in the Vedas for couples)

Book tour packages
Look at our programs
Haridwar (Hara-Dwar)
Haridwar is one of the most sacred pilgrimage places in Uttarakhand state of India. An ancient centre of pilgrimage, Haridwar has a lot of places to see, feel and experience. Haridwar is a city engulfed in ancient myths, legends and fables. Haridwar is also the proud host of the Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela and the Ardha (Ardh) Kumbha Mela

How to reach Haridwar : Map of forthcoming Kumbha Mela

Map from Delhi, Deharadun, Jaipur, Banaras, Mumbai, Kolkota, Chennai, Bangalore, Pondicherry, Goa, Kathmandu, Timpu and other places

View Larger Map

Haridwar is a sacrosanct place in Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal) well-connected to the rest of India by various means of transport. Delhi, the capital of India, is just at 214km from Haridwar. Hardwar’s existence is supposed to be from the days of Pandavas of Mahabharata, so one can safely assume that the place is really ancient. People from all over the world especially travel as pilgrims only to have a dip in the mighty Ganges reputed to remove all their sins. Read below to know the various ways to go to Haridwar

By Air
The city of Haridwar does not have an airport and the nearest one is Jolly Grant (45 Km) of Dehradun. From Dehradun one can take a train / bus or hire a taxi to reach Haridwar. If coming from any city outside India, it will be better to take a flight to Delhi and then reach Haridwar by train or bus

By Road
By road, Haridwar is well connected with major destinations of the region. While NH 58 connects Haridwar with the country's capital - Delhi, NH 72 connects it with Uttarakhand state's capital - Dehradun

By Rail
Going by the train is another good option since the journey is not only comfortable by also proves to be very economical. Haridwar has its own railway station with trains connecting it with major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata besides others. Trains like Shatabdi Express, Jan Shatabdi Express, Ujjaini Express, Mussoorie Express and Doon Express regularly ply between Delhi and Haridwar