India is a land of ancient customs and rich tradition. Unity among diversity is one of the key factors that bind us to our roots with a feeling of brotherhood. The Kumbh Mela is just another instance of this. It is held after every 3 years in the cities of Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik and is reported to be the largest human fair ('Mela') in the history of human civilization. The Kumbh Mela 2010 at Haridwar will be the next in line.

The Kumbha festival, according to the Hindu mythology, is said to release man from his cycle of rebirth and purge him out from his sins. This is why this festival attracts millions of people from all parts of the nation and tourists as well. Astrologers believe that During the 42 days long Kumba Mela, the holy waters of the River Ganga at Haridwar turn into nectar (amrit). The same thing applies for the Kumbh Mela 2010 at Haridwar.

The mythological background of this Kumbha festival dates back to that period when the earth was just created and the Gods were suffering from a curse. In order to be purged out of their curse, they had to consume divine nectar called the 'amrit'. But, they were chased by the demons who also wanted half of it as they had helped the Gods to procure the 'amrit' by churning the ocean. During their escape, four drops of 'amrit' fell on the earth at four different places. These were Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. From then on, these places are considered to be extremely sacred by the Hindus.

Naga Babas

Like the other Kumbh Melas, numerous pilgrims will participate in the Kumbh Mela 2010 at Haridwar. One of the interesting things to note is the 'Naga Sadhus' or the 'Naga Babas'. They remain naked with their long hair tied in knots. They smear their body with ashes and perform different yogic postures.

The Naga Babas are believed have positive healing powers. These 'Naga Sadhus' can merely live on herbs. Even when the temperature falls below 0 degree Celcius, they carry on meditating. They wear thousands of 'Rudraksh' beads (the seeds of the Rudraksh tree). In fact, they believe that wearing 11,000 'Rudraksh' beads will elevate them to the form of Lord Shankara.

How would you reach the Kumbh Mela 2010 in Haridwar?

Haridwar is located at a distance of 214 km from Delhi.

By Air:-
The nearest airport to Haridwar is the Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun (20 km).

By Rail:-
The different trains that are connected to Haridwar are Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Chennai, Howrah, Puri, Chennai, Ujjain and Varanasi.

By Road:-
The National Highway (NH) 45 goes through Haridwar.