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Melā
Mela ( sa, मेला) is a Sanskrit word meaning "gathering" or "to meet" or a " fair". It is used in the Indian subcontinent for all sizes of gatherings and can be religious, commercial, cultural or sport-related. In rural traditions melas or village fairs were (and in some cases still are) of great importance. This led to their export around the world by South Asian diaspora communities wishing to bring something of that tradition to their new countries. In recent times "mela" also popularly refers to shows and exhibitions. It can be theme-based, promoting a particular culture, art or skill. Generally at "melas" people can find eateries, entertainment activities, shops and games. The Kumbh Mela, held every twelve years, at Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain is one of the largest fairs in India, where over 60 million people gathered in January 2001, making it the largest gathering anywhere in the world. Notable Melas in South Asia India * Gangasagar Mela at Sagar Is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Haridwar Kumbh Mela
The Kumbh Mela at Haridwar is a mela held every 12 years at Haridwar, India. The exact date is determined according to Hindu astrology: the Mela is held when Jupiter is in Aquarius and the Sun enters Aries. The event possesses deep religious significance to Hindus as well as other spiritual seekers. Historically, it was an important commercial event and was attended by merchants from as far as Arabia. The Haridwar Kumbh Mela had happened from 1 April to 30 April in the year 2021 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. An Ardh Kumbh ("Half Kumbh") Mela is held six years after a Kumbh Mela. The last Ardh Kumbh Mela took place in 2016. Early records Haridwar is one of the four sites of Kumbh Mela, the others being Prayag (Allahabad), Trimbak (Nashik), and Ujjain. Although there are several references to riverside bathing festivals in ancient Indian literature, the exact age of the Kumbh Mela is uncertain. The fair at Haridwar appears to be the original Kumbh Mela, since it is held ac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pohela Boishakh
Pohela Boishakh ( bn, পহেলা বৈশাখ) is the first day of the Bengali calendar which is also the official calendar of Bangladesh. This festival is celebrated on 14 April in Bangladesh and 15 April in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, and Assam (Barak Valley) by Bengalis regardless of religious faith. Celebration of Pohela Boishakh traces its roots back to Mughal rule in this region and also the proclamation of tax collection reforms of Akbar. The festival is celebrated with processions, fairs and family time. The traditional greeting for Bengalis in the new year is "''Shubho Noboborsho''" which is literally "Happy New Year". The festive '' Mangal Shobhajatra'' is organized in Bangladesh. In 2016, the UNESCO declared this festivity organized by the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka as a cultural heritage of humanity. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ujjain Simhastha
Ujjain Simhastha is a Hindu religious mela held every 12 years in the Ujjain city of Madhya Pradesh, India. The name is also transliterated as ''Sinhastha'' or ''Singhastha''. In Hindi, the fair is also called ''Simhasth'' or ''Sinhasth'' (due to schwa deletion). The name derives from the fact that it is held when the Jupiter is in Leo (''Simha'' in Hindu astrology). It is one of the four fairs traditionally recognized as Kumbha Melas, and is also known as Ujjain Kumbh Mela. According to Hindu mythology, Vishnu dropped drops of amrita (the drink of immortality) at four places, while transporting it in a ''kumbha'' (pot). These four places, including Ujjain, are identified as the present-day sites of the Kumbh Mela."Kumbh" in its literal English translation means "Pot", which emerged from "Samudra Manthan"(Churning of the Ocean) between Gods and Demons. The term ‘Mela‘ signifies’Fair‘. The Simhastha at Ujjain is an adaptation of the Nashik-Trimbak Simhastha fair to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shaheedi Jor Mela
Shaheedi Sabha (earlier ''Shaheedi jod Mela'') is a three-day annual religious congregation (get-together) organised every year in December at Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib, in the Fatehgarh Sahib district of Punjab, India to pay homage to the martyrdom of ''Chhotte Sahibzade'' Baba Zorawar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh, the youngest sons of the 10th sikh guru Guru Gobind Singh. Martyrdom Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh (aged 9 and 7 years respectively) along with Mata Gujri, mother of Guru Gobind Singh were imprisoned by the governor of Sirhind, Wazir Khan. He offered them treasure and easy lives if they would only convert to Islam, but they refused and stuck their faith in Sikhism. They were entombed alive by being bricked into a wall on 26 December 1705, but the wall collapsed. Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib, north of the Sirhind marks the site of their live entombment. Their mortal remains were cremated at a nearby place, where Gurdwara Jyoti Sarup is situated. Sabha schedule The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sonepur Cattle Fair
Sonepur Cattle Fair ( hi, सोनपुर पशु मेला) is held on Kartik Poornima (the full moon day) over the months of November and December in Sonepur, Bihar, on the confluence of river Ganges( Gandak). It is also known as Harihar Kshetra Mela. To date, it is the biggest cattle fair in Asia and usually lasts from between fifteen days to one month in duration. It was historically started during Vedic period. The Sonepur Cattle Fair used to attract traders from places as far away as Tamil Nadu and Delhi. In 2018, the Fair started on the 21st of November and continued until the 22nd of December. History Originally, the venue of the fair was Hajipur and only the performance of the puja used to take place at the Harihar Nath temple of Sonpur. However, under the rule of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, the venue of the fair got shifted to Sonpur. The temple of Harihar Nath is believed to have been originally built by Lord Rama, on his way to the court of King Janak ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ratha-Yatra
Ratha Yatra (), or Chariot festival, is any public procession in a chariot. The term particularly refers to the annual Ratha Yatra in Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal and other East Indian states, particularly the Odia festival that involve a public procession with a chariot with deities Jagannath ( Vishnu avatar), Balabhadra (his brother), Subhadra (his sister) and Sudarshana Chakra (his weapon) on a ratha, a wooden deula-shaped chariot. Ratha Yatra processions have been historically common in Vishnu-related (Jagannath, Rama, Krishna) traditions in Hinduism across India, in Shiva-related traditions, saints and goddesses in Nepal, with Tirthankaras in Jainism, as well as tribal folk religions found in the eastern states of India. Notable Ratha Yatras in India include the Ratha Yatra of Puri, the Dhamrai Ratha Yatra and the Ratha Yatra of Mahesh. Ratha Yatra of Guptipara and Santipur Hindu communities outside India, such as in Singapore, celebrate Ratha Yatra such as those ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pushkaram
Pushkaram is an Indian festival dedicated to worshiping of rivers. It is also known as ''Pushkaralu'' (in Telugu), ''Pushkara'' (in Kannada) or ''Pushkar''. It is celebrated at shrines along the banks of 12 major sacred rivers in India, in the form of ancestor worship, spiritual discourses, devotional music and cultural programmes. The celebration happens annually, once in 12 years along each river. Each river is associated with a zodiac sign, and the river for each year's festival is based on which sign Jupiter is in at the time. Due to regional variations, some of the zodiac signs are associated with multiple rivers. Tradition According to a legend mentioned in astrology treatises such as '' Jataka Parijata'' (1426), a Brahmin was granted a boon from Shiva after severe penance. The boon was that he would be able to live in water and purify the holy rivers. The Brahmin came to be known as ''Pushkara'' ("the one who nourishes"). On a request from Bṛhaspati (Jupiter), he decid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pushkar Fair
The Pushkar Fair, also called the Pushkar Camel Fair or locally as Kartik Mela or Pushkar ka Mela is an annual multi-day livestock fair and cultural fête held in the town of Pushkar near Ajmer city in Ajmer district in (Rajasthan, India). The fair starts with the Hindu calendar month of Kartik and ends on the Kartik Purnima, which typically overlaps with late October and early November in the Gregorian calendar. In 1998, over 1 million visitors came to Pushkar throughout the year. The Pushkar fair alone attracts over 200,000 visitors. The Pushkar fair is one of India's largest camel, horse and cattle fairs. Apart from the trading of livestock, it is an important pilgrimage season for Hindus to the Pushkar lake. Pushkar fair has also become a significant tourist attraction for domestic and international travellers, given the cooler season, the abundance of colourful cultural themes. Cultural events and competitions include dances, tug of war between women teams as well as me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prayag Kumbh Mela
The Allahabad Kumbh Mela or Prayag Kumbh Mela, is a mela, or religious gathering, associated with Hinduism and held in the city of Allahabad India, at Prayag, the locality of Allahabad with the Triveni Sangam—which represents the confluence of three rivers two of which, the Ganges and the Yamuna, have objective existence, and one, the Sarasvati is mythical. The festival is marked by a ritual dip in the waters, but it is also a celebration of community commerce with numerous fairs, education, religious discourses by saints, mass feedings of monks or the poor, and entertainment spectacle., Quote: "The special power of the Kumbha Mela is often said to be due in part to the presence of large numbers of Hindu monks, and many pilgrims seek the darsan (Skt., darsana; auspicious mutual sight) of these holy men. Others listen to religious discourses, participate in devotional singing, engage brahman priests for personal rituals, organize mass feedings of monks or the poor, or merely ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha
Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha is a Hindu religious mela held every 12 years in the Nashik district of Maharashtra, India. The name of the festival is also transliterated as ''Sinhastha'' or ''Singhastha''. It is one of the four fairs traditionally recognized as Kumbha Melas, and is also known as Nashik-Trimbak Kumbha Mela or ''Nashik Kumbha Mela''. The fair involves ritual bathing on the banks of Godavari river, at the Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple (in Trimbak) and the Ram Kund in Nashik. Until 1789, the fair was held only at Trimbak, but after a clash between Vaishnavites and Saivites, the Maratha Peshwa segregated the Vaishnavites to the Nashik city. History Origins According to Hindu mythology, Vishnu dropped drops of amrita (the drink of immortality) at four places, while transporting it in a ''kumbha'' (pot). These four places, including Nashik, are identified as the present-day sites of the Kumbh Mela. The age of the Nashik-Trimbak Simhastha is uncertain, but its a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MTNL Perfect Health Mela
The MTNL Perfect Health Mela is a five-day annual event centred around prevalent health issues and their prevention. This health fair is held between Dussehra and Diwali in the month of October every year, and features seminars, lectures, entertainment shows, health workshops, free on-ground checkups, pop–up stores, and competitions for schools, colleges and corporates. The event aims to create mass awareness on common healthcare issues in India. The brainchild of cardiologist Dr K K Aggarwal, the event is organised and managed by the Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI). It is one of the most visited community health events, with a footfall of more than a lakh each year from all segments of society. Over the past two decades, the Mela has conducted many health awareness campaigns including hand hygiene, influenza management, heart health, dengue, and malaria. History Perfect Health Mela was held for the first time in 1993. This was commemorated by a stamp issue. References { ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
