U’khand to showcase Kumbh Mela at Republic Day Parade

Dehradun: For the Republic Day celebrations this year at Rajpath in New Delhi will see a miniature-representation of the Kumbh Mela as it is going on in Haridwar currently. This will also include devotional songs and tunes that are heard on the banks of river Ganga in Haridwar. Every year, all the states present their culture and traditions in a parade in Rajpath on the occasion of Republic Day. The Maha Kumbh that began in Haridwar on January 14 is the first in the present decade and will go on until April 28. To highlight this, the theme for Uttarakhand’s demonstration (JHANKI) in the parade will be the Kumbh Mela. Uttarakhnd’s demonstration will begin with a depiction of the mythological tale of Gods and demons churning the sea for AMRIT. This will be done because the history and birth of the Kumbh Mela is associated with his mythological tale. It is believed that when the Gods and demons retrieved the immortal potion (AMRIT) after churning the seas for ten thousand years, there was a war between the two sides for this potion that lasted for 12 years. During the war, the Gods are said to have hidden the AMRIT in different places all over the world and in the process dropped drops of this potion in places like Haridwar, Prayag, Ujjain and Nasik, where the Kumbh Mela is celebrated once every twelve years. The western part of the procession will depict a scene from har-ki-pauri in Haridwar. This will also include the Ganga temple and the historical clock-tower too. Pictures of priests and devotees singing the arti will also be shown. Towards the end of the procession, spectators will be able to see the naga sadhus who are integral to the Kumbh Mela. The Kumbh Mela is a representation of nirvana since devotees believe that taking a dip in river Ganga on the occasion of the Kumbh Mela would lead to release of the soul from the circle of life and death. The dates of the shahi snan in the mahakumbh 2010 are February 12 (Mahashivratri) for the first bath, March 15 (Somwati Amavasya) for the second bath and April 14 (Baisakhi) for the main Shahi Snan.