The origins of Kumbha (Kumbha) Mela
The origin of Kumbha (Kumbha) Mela may have its roots in the Bathing fairs & festivals of the Neolithic culture in India; evolving into the present form of Religious, Spiritual and Pilgrimage importance
Our research leads us to believe this, considering two important points
- The idea of the bathing festivals appear to be derived from the most ancient memories of the Indian subcontinent, quoted in various religious, mythological and literary works
- The fact that the earliest Neolithic sites in India are found in and around the present Kumbha (Kumbh) locations
- Lahuradewa - at Middle Ganges region (around 7000 BC) is the earliest Neolithic site found in India, may be the oldest in south Asia
- Jhusi – a recently discovered site near the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers has yielded a Carbon-14 dating of 7100 BC for its Neolithic levels, Jushi is very close to the Allahabad / Prayaga Kumbha (Kumbh) Kshetra. Also this entire area falls under the Kalpavasi camp of the Allahabad / Prayaga Kumbha (Kumbh) Kshetra
These facts lead us to believe that the bathing festival may be a very ancient custom indeed
It is believed that Adi Shankarācharya, a great philosopher saint popularized the Kumbha Mela in the 8th century AD. He has been credited with creating the association of holy men and the Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela. The Dasnami Samprayadaya system of monkhood was also started by him, whereby making him the father of the present system of Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela, considering that all the ascetics attending fall into one or the other dasanama
In the recent times the popularity of the Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela has been phenomenal, in 1977, the number of pilgrims attending Kumbha Mela was 15 million, in 1989 the attendance was in about 29 million, in 1997 it was 40 million and the last one in Allahabad was attended by approximately by 65 million pilgrims. The forthcoming Kumbhas (Kumbhs) may throw in many surprises yet
