Kumbha Mela

A form of Kumbh Mela — A Hindu festival, held every twelve years at four locations in India, at which pilgrims bathe in the Ganges and Yamuna rivers for purification from sin.

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. alternativeAlternative form of Kumbh Mela.

    Since it is the Hindu belief that 1 day of the devatas is equal to 1 human year, the Kumbha Mela takes place every 12 years to celebrate the spilling of the nectar on earth.

    2011, Mark Juergensmeyer, Wade Clark Roof, Encyclopedia of Global Religion, →ISBN, page 677
    2 more examples

    A smaller Kumbha Mela celebration gathers at Nasik when Jupiter and the sun are in the Leo; at Haridwar when Jupiter and the sun are in Aries; and at Ujjain when Jupiter and the sun are in Scorpio.

    2011, J. Gordon Melton, Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spritual Commemorations, →ISBN, page 506

    To understand the significance of the Kumbha Mela and the important role that it plays in the spirituality of India, it is helpful to know something about the background of the sacred Ganges River.

    2014, Mohit Sharma, The Aryanist Journal # 02
Cite this entry
APA

Kumbha Mela. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kumbha%20Mela

MLA

“Kumbha Mela.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kumbha%20Mela. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Kumbha Mela,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kumbha%20Mela.

Source: Kumbha Mela on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.