The Magh Mela is one of the greatest annual religious affairs for Hindus. Hindu mythology considers the origin of the Magh Mela to be the beginning of the Universe.
In accordance with the traditional Hindu calendar followed in North India, this holy fair is organised every year during the Hindu month of Magh, hence the name.
It begins with multitudes of pilgrims taking a holy dip at the Sangam on auspicious dates. A large number of people arrive here annually and stay in makeshift houses or tents at the Sangam, spending the entire month of Magh in prayers.
The religious basis for the Magh Mela is the belief that pilgrimage is a means for atonement and penance for past mistakes, the effort cleanses them of sins and that bathing in holy rivers at these festivals is a means to liberation from the cycle of rebirths.
These festivals are “great cultural fairs” which brings people together, tying them with a shared thread of religious devotion, with an attendant bustle of commerce, trade and secular entertainment.
A devotee overcomes the sins in his/her previous birth. Majority of the devotees have to partake only a meal a day. They also have to donate their bed and all his belongings (a ritual known as “Shayya Daan”).
Every twelfth year, the Magh Mela is transformed into the Kumbha Mela. Uttar Pradesh is flooded with millions of pilgrims who arrive here during this time to attend this grand event.
To prepare for the Magh Mela, tens of thousands of officials spend months setting up a massive temporary city on the banks of the Ganges.
Viewed from above, it is a colourful patchwork divided by large and small bodies of water. Much of this – tents, floating bridges and metal sheet roads – is built specifically for the festival.
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