15 Fascinating Facts about The Kumbh Mela Ujjain

1. The writings of the famous Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang or Xuanzang (602 - 664 A.D.) have mentioned about Ujjain Kumbh Mela. He visited India during the reign of King Harshvardhana. Apparently, this is the oldest written evidence till date.

2. The Kumbh Mela is celebrated once in every 12 years on the basis of movement of two planets - Jupiter and Sun in Allahabad (the event of entrance of Jupiter in Aries circle and Sun & Moon in Capricorn), Nashik (When the Jupiter enters in Leo and also when Jupiter, Sun and the Moon enter in Cancer on Amavasya day) , Haridwar (when the Sun enters the Aries and the Jupiter enters the Aquarius)and Ujjain (When the Sun is in the zodiac sign Aries and Jupiter is in the Leo). The Ardha Kumbha Mela is held at Haridwar and Allahabad, once in every six years. The Purna Kumbha Mela occurs at Allahabad, every 12 years and the Maha Kumbha Mela is held only at Allahabad every 144 years.

3. Anyone visiting the Kumbh Mela can witness a diversified crowd that includes various types of holy men. These include, Naga Sadhus or the naked holy monks of India; Urdhwavahurs, who perform rituals that include putting the body through severe austerities; Parivrajakas, who don't speak at all and have taken a vow of silence; Shirshasinis, who stand twenty-four hours on their heads and meditate and Kalpvasis are the ones who bathe thrice a day.

Also Read About Naga Sadhus: The Nagas at the Maha Kumbha

4. More than 100 Million people participated at the largest congregation of humanity during Kumbh Mela in 2013 over the period of fifty-five days in Allahabad.

5. In order to manage and improve the conduct of the largest fair on earth, Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) in 2010 took satellite pictures of the grand Kumbh Mela event which can be seen below:

6. The popular TV series "An Idiot Abroad" featured the Kumbh Mela in its second episode.

7. According to a report, the management of the largest festival on earth creates 65,000 jobs directly or indirectly.

8. A beautiful Bengali film, Amrita Kumbher Sandhane documented the grand Kumbh Mela. It got released in 1982 and was directed by Dilip Roy.

9. In the year 2010, BBC made a beautiful documentary on Kumbh Mela, titled "Kumbh Mela: The greatest show on earth".

10. According to the BBC reports, about fourteen temporary hospitals, with around two hundred and fifty doctors are specially assigned to take care of the large crowd during Kumbh Mela.

11. A team of around fifty thousand police officials are manage the grand crowd during Kumbh. Thirty temporary Police chowkis are also created to combat security issues.

12. This grandiose Hindu festival is believed to be more than two thousand years old.

13. In 2013, a group of researchers from Harvard University mentioned that the Maha Kumbh Mela of 2013 was better organised than FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

14. The same group of researchers from Harvard University also published an insightful book called Kumbh Mela: Mapping The Ephemeral Mega City".

15. Ujjain Kumbha Mela is even more auspicious due to the Mahakaal Jyotirlinga situated here. It is one of the Seven Moksha dayini pilgrimage cities as per the Puranas. The holy Shaktipeeth and Siddhvat located in Ujjain further increase the holiness of this place. Also, according to various great Indian astronomers, the Tropic of Cancer passes through the sacred city making it astrologically significant.