Prayagraj7 minutes agoAuthor: Dhananjay Chopra
Not only the Indian spiritual tradition, but the foreign travelers coming here centuries ago have also recorded Kumbh in their memoirs.
When Adi Guru Shankaracharya started popularizing Kumbh in the sixth century BC, no one could understand that such a continuous, eternal journey was starting which would not be limited in time. After this, centuries passed and the glory of Kumbh increased.
Not only the Indian spiritual tradition, but the foreign travelers coming here centuries ago have also recorded Kumbh in their memoirs. During the reign of Emperor Chandragupta Maurya (302 BC), the Greek traveler Megasthenes came to India.
He has described the fair held on the banks of Ganga in his book ‘Indica’. Chinese traveler Fa-hien (399 to 411 AD) came to Varanasi and wrote stories related to Ganga.
Hiuen Tsang, who came during the time of Emperor Harshavardhana, studied in different parts of the country for 16 years. About 1400 years ago (644 AD) he witnessed the Prayag Kumbh along with Emperor Harshvardhan.
He wrote in his book ‘Si-U-Ki’ – ‘Rulers from all over the country used to come to Prayag to donate during religious festivals. Donating one coin at the Patalpuri temple situated on the banks of Sangam is considered as virtuous as donating a thousand coins. Bathing in Prayag washes away all sins.
Hiuen Tsang wrote in his book ‘Si-Yu-Ki’ – ‘Rulers from all over the country used to come to Prayag to give donations during religious festivals.
Al-Biruni described the God-demon conflict in Kitab-ul-Hind. Hiuen Tsang described Prayagraj as a great city of idol worshipers and wrote that more than 5 lakh people participate in this festival. On the other hand, during the reign of Mahmud Ghaznavi, around 1030 AD, Abu Rayhan Muhammad Ibn Ahmed Al-Biruni wrote ‘Kitab-ul-Hind’. In this, on the basis of the literature of Varahamihir, he has described the conflict between gods and demons regarding the churning of the ocean and the Amrit Kumbh.
Akbar came to Prayag for the first time in 1567 Mughal emperor Akbar reached Prayag for the first time in 1567. He was also familiar with Kumbh and Naga Sadhus. Abul Fazal wrote in ‘Akbarnama’, ‘This place was called Payag (Prayag) since ancient times. The king had the idea in his mind that a fort should be built where the Ganga-Yamuna meet and which the noble people of India consider very sacred.
Earlier in 1398, the invader Shuja-ud-din Taimur Lang, who came from Samarkand, attacked the Haridwar Ardh Kumbh Mela. During this time he committed looting and massacre. Taimur has mentioned this in his autobiography ‘Tuzuk-e-Taimuri’.
Mughal emperor Akbar reached Prayag for the first time in 1567. He built a fort on the banks of Ganga.
- Glory of Kumbh in Gurucharitra in Marathi: The prominent 14th century saint Nrisimha Saraswati (1378-1459) has described the Kumbh Mela held in Nashik in detail in his book ‘Gurucharitra’ written in Marathi.
- Prayag Prakasam in Tristhali: There is also a detailed description of Kumbh in ‘Ath Prayag Prakasam’, described in ‘Tristhali Setuh’ written by Narayan Bhatt, the originator of social singing in the middle of the 16th century.
- First written evidence: The first written evidence of the word-pair ‘Kumbh Mela’ is found in the Mughal period gazette ‘Khulasat-ut-Tawarikh’. It was written by Sujan Rai Khatri during the reign of Aurangzeb (1695). He wrote that Kumbh Mela has been happening for thousands of years.
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