Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 Prayagraj Has a Time Cycle of 144 Years

India (Atnews) - A global traveler, Putu Suasta, alumni of Gadjah Mada University (UGM) and Cornell University stated that millions of pilgrims celebrated Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 (the sacred pitcher festival).

Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 is held every 144 years for 45 days, where pilgrims come from all over the Indian plains and parts of the world.

For 45 days, it is estimated there will be more than 300 million pilgrims during the festival from January 13, 2025 to February 26, 2025.

Putu Suasta was present with Dr. Wayan Sayoga, Chairperson of Bali Chapter Prajaniti, Entrepreneur/Yoga activist Dr. Gede Ngurah Wididana, spiritual activist Ni Komang Dyah Setuti, Putu Laksmi Anggari Putri Duarsa as well as Dr. Yoga.

All the pilgrims dipped their body in the Triveni Sangam which is a sacred area where the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers meet.

Etymologically, Triveni Sangam Tirtha originates from tree words, namely Tri meaning “three,” vein meaning “weave,” and sang meaning “meeting.” The invisible Saraswati is said to flow underground and join the other two rivers from below.

It is expected that Hindu pilgrims and Sanatana Dharma devotees will benefit from the company of many highly learned saints who gather during the Maha Kumbha Mela.

The Triveni Sangam is located in the Prayagraj District of India. The unique characteristics of the river are clearly visible, the Ganges River is pink in color, while the Yamuna River appears blackish. Meanwhile, the Saraswati River is not visible.

The Ganges River in the Haridwar area of Rishikesh, India (Bharat), is a river that is highly revered and sanctified by Hindus (Sanatana Dharma) in India and Hindus from all over the world.

The Ganges River flowing 2,525 kilometers from its headwaters in the Himalayas is visited by millions of devotees from all over the world. The most widely accepted length of the Ganges River is 1,569 miles (2,525 km), and its watershed is estimated to be about 416,990 square miles (1,080,000 square km).

The Ganges flows 2,525 kilometers from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal in northern India and Bangladesh. It originates in the Himalayas, at an altitude of 3,892 meters (12,000 ft), from the Gangotri Glacier in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.

The glacier lies at an altitude of 12,769 feet (3,892 m). The Ganges begins further downstream where the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers meet. As the Ganges flows out of the Himalayas, it forms a narrow and steep-sided gorge.

The Ganges begins at the confluence of the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers and is part of a larger river basin connecting with the Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers.

The tributaries of Ganges (freshwater streams flowing into the Ganges) include sources from Bangladesh, Nepal and Tibet.

The annual monsoon, lasting from March to May, also supplies fresh water to the river. Once the river reaches the Bay of Bengal, it forms the Ganges Delta, the largest river delta in the world and a very fertile area for plant growth.

The river delta sediments contain remnants of forest vegetation, clay, lignite, and peat layers that enrich the surrounding soil.

The Himalayas are also home to Mount Everest, the highest mountain of the world. Goddess Ganga is often depicted riding a Makra (a hybrid creature with a head of crocodile and a tail of dolphin).

As the Ganges flows further downstream, it changes course several times and is joined by many other tributary rivers.

However, the Yamuna River is the second largest tributary of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India.

Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at an altitude of about 4,500 m (14,800 ft) on the southwestern slopes of the Bandarpunch peak in the Lower Himalayas of Uttarakhand, the river flows for 1,376 kilometres (855 miles) and has a drainage area of 366,223 square kilometres (141,399 sq miles), 40.2 percent of the entire Ganges Basin.

The river merges with the Ganges at Triveni Sangam, Prayagraj, which is the sacred site of the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu festival held every 12 years and now especially the Maha Kumbh Mela which falls once every 144 years.

Like the Ganges, the Yamuna is highly revered by the followers of Sanatana Dharma, the Hindu religion, and is also worshipped as Goddess Yamuna.

In Sanatana Dharma, she is believed to be the daughter of the God of the Sun or Surya and the daughter of Yama, the god of death, hence she is also known as Yami. According to popular Hindu mythology, bathing in the sacred waters of Yamuna frees one from the torments of death.

Meanwhile, the Saraswati River as an ancient mythological river is deified and is first mentioned in the Rigveda and later in the Vedic and post-Vedic texts. This river plays an important role in the Vedas.

According to the history painted on the walls of the Sri Sri Veni-Madhava temple, there used to be an evil personality named Gajakarna who was disturbing all the gods.

At the request of Lord Indra, the king of heaven, the great sage Narada Muni sought an audience with Gajakarna to know his weakness and found that he was suffering from a skin infection on his feet.

Narada told Gajakarna to take a bath at the place where the three rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati meet Triveni Sangam in Prayag Raj which was later performed by Gajakarna. Amazed to find himself cured, and desiring to possess the three great rivers that had cured him, he drank from it.

When the rivers prayed to Lord Vishnu, He came in the form of Veni-Madhava, killed Gajakarna, and restored the rivers to their rightful places.

It is also stated in oral history that Lord Ramachandra, Goddess Sita, and Lakshmana visited the Veni Madhava temple during their fourteen-year exile centuries ago in the previous era, Treta-yuga.

Similarly, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, when he visited Prayag Raj about five hundred years ago, chanted the holy names and danced there every day.

At the beginning of creation, Lord Brahma performed the first ten sacrifices (yaga) at Dashashwamedha Ghat. He called Prayag tirtha-raja, “king of all pilgrimage sites.”

The confluence of major rivers is generally referred to as prayaga, of which there are fourteen in the Ganges, with Prayag Raj, the king of the confluence of rivers, being the most important. The Puranas like Ramayana and Mahabharata all make reference to its sanctity.

Today, Prayag is an important religious center, with hundreds of temples. It is this ancient spirituality of Prayag that makes it the largest gathering place for devotees.

Shri Ramachandra, along with Sita and Lakshmana, came to the place on their way to exile and held the shraddha (for departed ancestors) rites performed by his father. For three days Rama, Sita and Lakshmana stayed under a banyan tree, now known as Akshaya-vat.

At the entrance of the fort, he paid obeisance to the deities Radha-Krishna and Sita-Rama, Lakshmana and Hanuman. While inside the fort, he saw the much-revered Akshaya-vat, or “eternal banyan tree.” In the Padma Purana, Lord Narayana says,

doa vaishnava kshetre, madadhara virajata

vrikso ‘khaya vatastatra, vaikunthad adhikam mama

“Prayag is the abode of Vaishnavas who have akshaya vata. That is My abode; for Me, it is better than Vaikuntha.” (Prayaga-mahatmya 12.16)

The akshaya-vat used to extend to the Yamuna River, a few hundred meters away. There is also the underground temple of Patalpuri, one of the oldest in India.

In the meantime, Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, visited the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj and took a holy dip in the Sangam on Wednesday (Feb 6).

In a separate post on X, he wrote:

“Blissed to be present at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. Snan at Sangam is a moment of divine connection, and like millions of others who have participated in it, I am also filled with devotion. May Maa Ganga bless everyone with peace, wisdom, health and harmony.”

Likewise, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also took a dip in the Triveni Sangam.

Even the king known for his strong spiritual connection joined CM Yogi Adityanath in performing the traditional holy aarti at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj and so did Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. The multitudes of devotees were seen like a sea of humanity, that crowded the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 ritual area where devotees walked along 9-10 kilometers, including some in wheelchairs.

The enthusiasm of the pilgrims was so great to participate in the Maha Kumbh Mela rituals. Such event was also attended by high-ranking Indian officials.

Even, Laurene Powell Jobs (Kamala), wife of late Apple founder Steve Job and Chris Martin of Coldplay and his girlfriend, Hollywood actress Dakota Johnson, arrived in Prayagraj on Monday (January 27).

Chris and Dakota arrived in India on January 16 for the music tour of the band. Mr. Chris along with Coldplay members held concerts in Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

Their last show of the Music of the Spheres tour in India was performed at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on the Republic Day of India. This marked the colossal and magical event of Kumbh Mela.  (GAB/001)