The biggest of all, Kumbh Mela is the world’s largest congregation of religious pilgrims with over 120 million pilgrims attending the Mela in a go !!Coventionally 4 melas are regarded as the KumbhMela, the Haridwar Kumbh Mela, the Allahabad KumbhMela, the Nashik-TrimbakeshwarSimhastha, and Ujjain Simhastha. These four fairs are held periodically at one of the following places by rotation and at any given place, the Kumbh Mela is held once in 12 years. Legend is that Lord Vishnu dropped drops of Amrita (Drops of immortality) at these 4 places while carrying them in a Kumbha pot. Each site’s celebration dates are calculated in advance according to a special combination of zodiacal positions of B?haspati (Jupiter), the Sun and the Moon.The mela is believed to have originated in the late 18th century and are not only of religious importance but are major commercial events since then.

Famous Author Mark Twain remarked KumbhMela in following excerpt

“It is wonderful, the power of a faith like that, that can make multitudes upon multitudes of the old and weak and the young and frail enter without hesitation or complaint upon such incredible journeys and endure the resultant miseries without repining. It is done in love, or it is done in fear; I do not know which it is. No matter what the impulse is, the act born of it is beyond imagination, marvelous to our kind of people, the cold whites.
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RathYatra of the Puri is the Oldest RathYatra Taking Place in India and world, whose existence can be dated back to 12th century! The festival commemorates Jagannath’s annual visit to Gundicha Temple via MausiMaa Temple.As part of RathaYatra, the deities of Jagannath,his elder brother Balabhadra and younger sister Subhadra are taken out in a procession to Gundicha Temple and remain there for nine days. Then the deities or RathaYatra return to the Main temple. The return journey of PuriJagannathRathaJatra is known as BahudaJatra.

Three richly decorated chariots,are pulled through the streets of Puri called Badadanda. This commemorates the annual journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and their sister Subhadra to their aunt’s temple. This is the only day when devotees who are not allowed in the temple premises, such as non-Hindus and foreigners, can get their glimpse of the deities. During the festival, devotees from all over the world go to Puri with an earnest desire to help pulling the Lords’ chariots with the help of other priests pulling the chariots with ropes. They consider this auspicious deed and risk their lives in the huge crowd.

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