tradition, the Kumbha Mela was orga-
nized by the great philosopher Shan-
karacharyato promote regular gather-
ings of learned and holy men, as a
means to strengthen, sustain, and spread
Hindu religion.
The charter myth for the Kumbha
Mela is taken from the story of Churning
the Ocean of Milk. After the ocean has
been churned and the nectar of immor-
tality (amrta) has been extracted, the
gods and their demonopponents begin
to quarrel over the pot of nectar. The
gods snatch the pot and run off with it,
but the one carrying the pot grows tired,
and in twelve days of carrying it sets it
on the ground in twelve different places.
Eight of the places are in heaven, but the
other four are on earth and these are the
four sites where the Mela is held. In each
place a bit of the nectar splashes on the
ground, sanctifying the site, and since aSinhastha Mela
Depiction of Sita and her husband Rama. In the epic the Ramayana,
Sita is abducted by the demon king Ravana and Rama must search the earth for her.