Maha Kumbha Mela underway in Sunsari

Sabitri Bhatta of Dhangadhi was elated to participate in a ‘Kumbhaa Snan’ in Barahakshetra of Sunsari. Bhatta, who hails from Dhangadhi, had been participating in ‘Kumba Snan’ in India. 

“I got to take a holy dip in the Kumbha Mela in Nepal itself,” Bhatta said, after taking a bath in the Kaushiki River on the  Barahakshetra. “After listening to the discourse of Jagadguru Balsanta in Chatara, I understood the importance of this place and holy dip.”

The ‘Maha Kumbha Mela’, which is observed every 12 years, is currently underway in Kaushiki (Koka) River in Barahakshetra Municipality. The month-long event concludes on May 10. 

According to Chandra Magar, the secretary of the main organizing committee, nearly 4 million people from Nepal and India have already participated in the Mela.

Minbahadur Khadka from Birtamod, Jhapa, has been continuously participating in both the half and full Kumbha Melas since they started in the early 2002s. “I have had the opportunity to take a holy dip in every Kumbha Mela held in Nepal since it started,” the 55-year-old, who came to Chatara for the Kumbha Mela with his family, said. According to Khadka, he has learnt from different scriptures that the main portion of the elixir dropped from heaven here and only a few drops in places like Haridwar, Ujjain and Prayag in INdia.

The organizing committee has set up five areas for the devotees coming to the Maha Kumbha Mela for the holy dip. The organizers claim that arrangements have been made for more than 5,000 people to take a dip in the Saptakoshi River at once. Accommodation and food arrangements have been made for the devotees. The Marwari communities of Dharan and Biratnagar have arranged free food distribution. Likewise, medical teams are on standby to respond to any emergencies.

The Maha Kumbha Mela is organized with the belief that taking a holy dip in the Kaushiki (Saptakoshi) River at Pindeshwar, where the elixir is said to have dropped from the heavens, will free one from sins and fulfill their wishes. According to the scriptures, the Kumbha Mela originated from the struggle between the Devas (deities) and Asuras (demons)  to possess the celestial pot of elixir that emerged after the churning of the cosmic ocean. The elixir got spilled at various places during this tussle, giving rise to the Kumbha Mela at those locations. 

President Ram Chandra Paudel inaugurated the 12-year event. Speaking during the inauguration ceremony, he emphasized the need for all three tiers of government to prepare a long-term development plan for the Baraha Kshetra and contribute to its development through their annual policies and programs. He expressed confidence that the Kumbha Mela would help develop the Baraha Kshetra as a religious and tourist destination while promoting goodwill among all castes, religions, sects, and linguistic groups.

The first Kumbha Mela in Nepal was held in Barahakshetra in 2002. 

“According to religious scriptures, the Barahakshetra, on the banks of the Koka-Kaushiki River is where Lord Bishnu incarnated as the first avatar, Baraha, to rescue the Earth from the clutches of the demon Hiranyaksha. This is why the area is called Barahakshetra,” explained Bihari Sharan Upadhyay, the manager of the Jagadguru Peeth. “The Maha Kumbha Mela is held on the banks of the Kaushiki River in Chatara Dham, Sunsari.”