AMRIT NECTAR OF IMMORTALITY

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AMRIT NECTAR OF IMMORTALITY is a documentary which was shot at the time of the biggest pilgrim festival of the world — the Kumbh Mela — in Haridwar (north India). The film tells the stories of people and their connection with the holy river Ganges. Pilgrims, ascetics, yogis, western emigrants, scientists and environment activists report from their life on the holy river, their belief, the future of the Ganga and the importance of Amrit — the nectar of immortality. But what is Amrit? Is it a mysterious drank? The holy water of Ganges? Or rather an inner way to the immortality of the soul? The film is a journey in search of answers to these questions, a journey in a strange world, in search of the nectar of immortality.

More info at http://amritfilm.net
and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amrit-Nectar-of-Immortality/274445935923655

if You like this documentary than please  leave your comments

Spirit of Moksha – Kumbh Mela Video

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Spirit of Moksha is a self explanatory journey to explore various aspects of largest human gathering on earth i.e Kumbh Mela, 2010, Haridwar. What is this sacred belief and what drives millions of people across the world believe in such a time immemorial event? The relevance of this largest religious festival on earth has stood the test of time and has always remained contemporary. It has evolved out of the need for mankind and still continues to do so by encompassing the humane aspects of purity, truth, unity, gratitude, happiness etc. this finally leads to the divine path developing the spirit of Moksha.

Documentary created by Life Link Movies

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iul1Yd93crw

List of Akharas Participating in Kumbh mela 2013

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Akharas In Kumbh Mela 2013

Here is list of participating akharas. This is official  list published by kumbh mela administration.

Sampradaya Name Of Akharas Adrress of Akharas
 Saivas  Sanyasi Akhada Shri Panchayati Akhada Mahanirvani DaraGanj Prayag Allahabad
Shri Panch Atal Akhada Chaak Hanuman KatuhaPura Kasi Varanasi
Shri Panchayati Akhada Niranjani 47/44 Mori Daraganj Prayag
Taponidhi Shri Anand Akhada Panchayati Swami Sagaranad Asharm Trikamsevar Nashik
Shri Panchadashnam Juna Akhada Bada Hanuman Ghat kasi,Varanasi
Shri Panchadashnam Ahvan Akhada D 17/122 Dashasmeva ghat kasi,Varanasi
Shri Panchadashnam PanchaAgni Akhada Talhati Girinagar po Bhavnath junagar(GJ)
Vairagi Vaishnava Akhadas Shri Digambarani Akhada Samalaji Khaka chauka mandir Sambar Kantha GJ
Shri Nirvani Akhada Shri Ahyodhya ji Hanuman Gadi Faizabad
Shri Nimrohiani Akhada Shri Nimrohiani Akhada
Dhir Samir mandir vanshivat virndavan
Udasin Sampradaya Akhadas Shri Panchayati Bada Udasin Akhada Krishna Nagar Kiidganj Allahabad,
Shri Panchayati Akhada Naya Udasin Kankhal Haridwar
Shri Nirmal Panchayati Akhada Sita ghat road kankhal haridwar

Most significant days during the Kumbh Festival.

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Makar Sankranti

Makar Sankranti is one of the most sacred festivals and is celebrated in almost all parts of the country in myriad cultural forms, great devotion, fervor and gaiety. The time from sunrise to sunset on Makar-Sankranti is very auspicious. A Holy bath during this period carries special significance. Those who take a holy bath in the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri acquire pious credits .

Paush Purnima

The day occurs when the moon is full in the Hindu month of Paush. This is the last full moon of winter. By this time, the sadhu and hundreds of thousands of pilgrims arrive at the Kumbh Mela. By the day, more pilgrims come to attend the festival in buses, trains and on foot. Each day from now on the population of Kumbhnagari (Kumbh City) doubles.

Mauni Amavasya Snan

This day is also referred to as the “New Moon of the Saints.” For the holy men and women, this is the main bathing day. New members to various holy monastic orders receive their first initiation on this day. More than fifty million people bathe in the holy waters during the Mauni Amavasya.

Basant Panchami Snan

This is the fifth day of the luminous half of the lunar month and is the beginning of spring in North India. Traditionally people wear yellow on this day. It is the day when people pray to the gods for a good bumper harvest.

Rath Saptami Snan

Ratha Saptami is a highly auspicious occasion dedicated to Lord Surya, the Sun God in Hinduism. Lord Surya, depicted riding a chariot driven by seven horses, is worshipped on this day. Rath Saptami festival is observed on the seventh day of Shukla Paksha in the Magh Month (January – February) in the traditional Hindu calendar.

Bhishma Ekadasi Snan

The Vishnu Sahasranama Stothram (thousand names dedicated to Lord Vishnu) was revealed to the Pandavas on this day by Bhishma when the latter was lying in a bed of arrows after the great war of Mahabharata. On this day, Bhishma Pithamaha, the oldest, wisest, most powerful and most righteous person belonging to the Kuru dynasty (approx. over 5000 years ago), narrated the greatness of Lord Krishna through Sri Vishnu Sahasranama to Yudhishtira, the oldest brother of Pandavas.

Description of the city created during the Kumbh Mela

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Temporary Kumbh Mela City A huge temporary city is created at the site of the festival for the millions of pilgrims that arrive for the most auspicious bathing days. Kumbh Mela is like a Yogi Convention, where yogis, sadhus (saints), holy people and pilgrims come from all over India. Many sadhus come from various holy places, remote forests and mountain caves in the Himalayas. The most famous of them are the Naga Babas, who are completely naked. Their bodies are smeared in ash and they wear their hair in deadlocks.
It is said that if a person bathes at the confluence (Sangam) of the Ganges, Yamuna and the subterranean Saraswati on one of the main bathing days during Kumbh Mela, he or she attains liberation.  The Vishnu Purana says that one gets greater benefit by bathing during this festival than by performing 1,000 Ashwamedha Yajnas (horse sacrifices) or by circumambulating the earth 100,000 times. It is believed that by bathing at Maha Kumbh, a person is free of all his sins and 88 generations of his or her ancestors are benefited.

The main bathing days are known as ‘Shahi Snan’ or Royal Bathing Days. The main bathing day, which witnesses maximum participation, is on the Mauni Amavasya day (the dark moon). The next main day or the next Shahi Snan is said to be on Vasant Panchami (fifth day of the new moon). Another significant day is on the Bishma Ashtami which is the eighth day of the new moon. For further details please visit Kumbh Mela 2013.

Why should a person attend the Kumbh Mela?

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Visiting the Kumbh Mela to take a dip in the holy waters and cleaning the sins committed in a lifetime is a very superficial motive to attend the Kumbh Mela. The Kumbh festival is a life changing experience where a person can fill the spiritual void he or she experiences in the humdrum of busy urban life. Kumbh Mela is a platform where ordinary men can interact with saints and priests and imbibe the knowledge possed by the latter. It is an opportunity for everyone to dissolve the worldly stresses and flow in the cultural and religious effervescence of the festival. People can get acquainted with the elaborate Hindu rituals that take place during the festival and through association with the saints he or she can understand the significant Vedic principles behind the rituals. The festival is one of a kind and people can take the opportunity to witness this grand event and enrich themselves intellectually, religiously, culturally and introspectively.
Here is one verse from Srimad Bhagavatam {SB}.

Yasyatm a-buddhih kun ape tri-dhatuke
sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih
yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij
janesv abhijnesu sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13]

One who identifies his self as the inert body composed of mucus, bile and air, who assumes his wife and family are permanently his own, who thinks an earthen image or the land of his birth is worshipable, or who sees a place of pilgrimage as merely the water there, but who never identifies himself with, feels kinship with, worships or even visits those who are wise in spiritual truth—such a person is no better than a cow or an ass.
Here cow and ass refer to people with less intelligence because they are going to a place where they will get diamonds but they’ll choose a stone. An ordinary stone has no value in comparison to diamond. Association with a self-realized soul is like owning a precious stone which would make a person more valuable.
Visit the Kumbh mela festival and a take a bath at most auspicious moment in twelve years.

Naga Sadhus

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naga's at kumbh mela

Naga Sadhus at Kumbh Mela

 Who are Naga Sadhus

Naga Sadhus are a particular group of Shaivite saints who reside in the Himalayan Caves and come to visit the civilization only during the Kumbh Mela. This is the only event when these ascetic saints can be seen amongst the general Indian population.
The Naga Sadhus have unique characteristic features drawing inspiration from the famous Hindu god Shiva. They hold tridents crowned with human skulls. Their bodies are smeared in thick ash and they wear heavy coils of matted hair on the head. These saints   remain completely naked even during biting cold. They smoke Marijuana through a pipe called a Chillum or Shiv Muli. They use it as a tool to avoid the worldly distraction yet have self-control even in the intoxicated state. But as they advance in spiritual life they renounce intoxication too. The Naga Sadhus renounce the materialistic world and practice celibacy to escape from the cycle of birth and death and to attend salvation. As they belong to the Shaivite sect, they have matted locks of hair and their bodies are covered in ash like Lord Shiva.
The Naga Sadhus were founded by Dattatreya during ancient times such that the date of the foundation is lost. The ancient period was perhaps an age when humans never stressed the importance of time. Shankaracharya was the first one to organize the Nagas to protect Sanatan Dharma ( Hinduism ).
The place where the Naga Sadhus live is called ‘Akharas.’ The member of an ‘Akhara’ should always be ready for an intellectual fight and even for wrestling.
The Naga Sadhus – part of a mysterious and secret society – are worshippers of Lord Shiva. Nag means ‘naked’ and hence they are known as Nag Babas or Warrior-Ascetics. The rarely appear in public and the Kumbh Mela is one of those rare public events.
The Nag Babas are a warrior class and are divided like a regiment in an army. They have no fear of death and enraging them is a sure shot call for trouble. Their attributes are the trident, sword, stick, conch shells, other weapons and musical instruments which reflect their warrior status.
Naga Sadhus – often misunderstood by the western media as part of Indian religious gimmicks – are the epitome of renunciation. They hardly care whether they are misunderstood or called the naked holy men of India or ash-smeared and naked Hindu saints and walk unshaken on the path they have sworn for life.

 

This video was taken by me on 15th Feb 2013 during Kumbh Mela

Satellite View of Kumbh Mela

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Satellite Photo of Kumbh Mela : Third eye

Since 2001, India’s space agency Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is taking satellite pictures of the Kumbh festival. ISRO is using remote sensing satellites for taking pictures of the Maha Kumbh.

Haridwar before kumbh

Haridwar Before Kumbh Mela 2010

Satellite Image of Kumbh Mela 2010

Satellite Image of Kumbh Mela 2010

It is clear that in the first image there is nothing on the banks of Ganga while in second image a city of tents and temporary houses is clearly visible.

You can see similar view at Allahabad’s  Kumbh Mela 2013

Akharas In Kumbh Mela

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What is an Akhara (also akhada)?

An Akhara is a wrestling arena. It is an organization of the different sects of saints, Vairaghis, and yogis who have renounced the world. The history of an Akhara dates back to the circa 2500 BC when Adi Shankaracharya established seven Akharas (perhaps 10 as they are also known as Dasnaami), Mahanirvani, Niranjani, Atal, Avahan, Agni and Anand Akhara.
Akhadas came into existence during the 8th century AD when Adi Shankaracharya established seven Akhadas namely Mahanirvani, Niranjani, Juna, Atal, Avahan, Agni and Anand Akhara with an aim to strengthen the Hindu religion and unite those practicing different rituals, customs and beliefs.
At present, there are 3 major Akharas: Sanyasi, Bairagi and Nirmal and 3 minor Akharas (Atal affiliated with Mahanirvani, Anand affiliated with Niranjani and Avahan affiliated with Juna). Furthermore there is one small Brahmachari Akhara named Agni, affiliated to Juna.

Akharas are divided into different camps according to the concept of God they worship. Shaiva Akharas are for followers of Lord Shiva, Vaishnava or Vairagi Akhara are for followers of Lord Vishnu and Kalpwasis are for followers of Lord Brahma
An Akhara is further divided into 8 davas (divisions) and 52 marhis (centers). Each Marhi performs its spiritual activities under a Mahant. The central administrative body of the Akhara is Shree Panch (the body of five), representing Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva. Shaktiand and Ganesha.
The five-member body governing an Akhada is elected during every Kumbh Mela for a period of 4 years.
The biggest Akhara – computed by the number of the Saints in it – is Juna, then Niranjani and then Mahanirvani. The head of an Akhara is regarded as Acharya Mahamandaleshwar, followed by other Mahamandaleshwaras, Mandaleshwaras and Shree Mahants.
On the main bathing dates, a colorful and magnificent procession of radiant saints sitting on chariots and elephants is witnessed by thousands of Kumbh visitors. These sadhus, belonging to various camps take a dip in the holy Ganges first and only then the ordinary pilgrims are allowed to take bath in the river.
During the Kumbh Mela, the ceremonial procession of the Naga Sanyasis believed to be an auspicious sight has all the trappings of royalty. The Mahant is seated on a silver throne placed upon a caparisoned elephant. Around him are hundreds of Naga ascetics on foot, wielding lances, their naked bodies smeared with ash. Camels and Horses are also part of this procession which signifies the old Hindu organization of the Chaturanga sena, or four-limbed army, moving towards the holy waters of the Ganges.However, Mahanirvani Akhara is one of the most important of all and it is normally the first to take the ‘Shahi Snan’. Their praveshai (entry) and subsequent bath in the Holy Ganga officially marks the beginning of the Maha Kumbh.

During the ‘Shahi Snan’ thousands of devotees assemble near the road sides to get a glimpse of the procession of ascetics parading amidst tight security as they make their way to the Ghats.

List of the Main Akharas:

  1. Juna Akhara
  2. Niranjani Akhara
  3. Mahanirvani Akhara

Others Akharas:
Akhadas of Sanyasi:

  1. Shri Taponidhi Niranjani Akhada Panchayati
  2. Shri Panchayati Anand Akhada
  3. Shri Panchadashnam Juna Akhada
  4. Shri Panch Ahvan Akhada
  5. Shri Agni Akhada
  6. Shri Panchayat Akhada Mahanirvani
  7. Shri Panch Atal Akhada

Akharas of Bajrangi

  1. Shri Nirvani Akhada
  2. Shri Digambar Akhada
  3. Shri Nimrohi Akhada

Akharas of Nirmal

  1. Shri Panchayati Akhada
  2. Shri Udasin Panchayati Naya Akhada
  3. Shri Nirmal Panchayati Akhada
naga's at kumbh mela

Naga Sadhus at Kumbh Mela