Kumbh Mela has derived its name from the pot of nectar that gives immortality, as described in ancient scriptures such as the Puranas. Kumbh in Sanskrit language means pot or pitcher, and Mela means fair or festivity. According to the myth of the Kumbh Mela—attributed to the Puranas (collections of myth and legend) but not found in any of them— gods and demons fought over the pot (Kumbh) of nectar (Amrit), the elixir of immortality produced by churning the milky ocean.

During the struggle, drops of the elixir fell on the four places on the earth. And the rivers there are believed to turn back into that primordial nectar at the climactic moment of each Kumbh Mela, giving pilgrims the chance to bathe in the essence of purity, auspiciousness, and immortality. The name Kumbh has been derived from this mythic pot of elixir but is also the name for Aquarius, the sign of the Zodiac.

The origin of Kumbh, like any other tradition in India, is shrouded in a strange yet fascinating mix of myths, scientific reasoning, and historical and astrological theories. Three mythological stories are often mentioned about the origin of Kumbh. One such popular tale includes Kashyap Rishi who had two wives, Diti and Aditi.

Diti gave birth to gods while Aditi gave birth to demons. They were in constant battle with each other, and once, the demons attacked the gods and defeated them. Led by Indra, the God of rain, the gods went to Brahma, the Creator, and narrated their ordeal.

Brahma then took them to Lord Vishnu, who suggested they collect various herbs and put them in the Kshirsagar (ocean of milk) and churn out nectar by using Mandara Mountain as a churning rod and the serpent king Vasuki as a neti (rope). And after drinking the nectar, gods would become immortal and strong.

The gods sought the help of demons for this sturdy task of Samudramanthan and agreed to give them a share the elixir of immortality.

Lord Vishnu took the avatar (incarnation) of a turtle to support Mandara during Samudramanthan. For 1,000 years the ocean was churned with the demons holding Vasuki’s head and the gods holding his tail.

During Samudramanthan, the first entity to appear was poison, which Lord Shiva drank. Due to this his throat became blue and he is called ‘Neel Kanth’ (the one with the blue throat). Apart from this, thirteen other opulent items, including the goddess of wealth Lakshmi, a gem Kaustubh, Parijat, Sura, the moon, Pushpak, the white elephant Airawat, a conch called Panchajanya, an apsara or beautiful dancing girl Rambha, a cow called Kamdhenu which could give unlimited quantities of milk, a white horse Uchaishrawa, and Dhanwantri, along with a pitcher (Kumbh) of the nectar of immortality, emerged.

As soon as the Kumbh emerged, Jayant, the son of Indra, took it away in the direction of gods, who did not want to share the nectar with demons. The gods thought that if it fell into the hands of demons then they would become strong and immortal. They would then rule the earth and evil would prevail.

Demons then chased Jayant and got him, but a battle ensued. The fight continued for 12 days and 12 nights. During this, Jayant kept the Kumbh at Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nasik and it is said that a few drops of nectar were spilt at these places. As one day of the gods is equivalent to 12 years on the earth, therefore the festival is celebrated at the interval of 12 years, as during this period rivers become pure and give the power of amrit to worshippers.

Then Lord Vishnu appeared as Vishwa Mohini to end the fight and lured the demons, and distributed amrit among the gods. Jupiter, the Sun, Saturn, and the Moon were entrusted with the responsibility of preventing the nectar (elixir of immortality) from falling into the hands of the demons. The Moon was assigned to prevent nectar from spilling; the Sun to protect the pot from breaking; Jupiter to safeguard Jayant, and Saturn helped Indra.

As all these planets played a significant role, the Kumbh is held when these four are in a particular astrological position in the almanac. The other mythological stories often mentioned in the context of the the Kumbh include a popular tale about Durvasa Rishi. He once gave a necklace to rain god Indra, who in pride gave it to his elephant Airawat. The elephant threw it on the ground and trampled under his foot.

When Durvasa came to know about it, he cursed Indra, which led to suffering and hardship to all over the world. Then the gods and demons came together to churn the ocean. But as soon as nectar was found, demons took it away and kept it in Naglok.

Then Garuda, a bird on which Vishnu flies, came to the rescue of the gods, and went to Naglok to bring the pitcher. On his way back, he placed the pot at the four places where the Kumbh is held now.

The third mythological narration about the origin of Kumbh is about Raja Prajapati Kashyap, who had two wives, Kadru and Vinta. They had an argument over the colour of the horses in the Sun god’s chariot. They made a bet and the stakes were that the loser would serve as a slave to the other. Kadru took the help of her son, the serpent king, Naga Vasuki, and temporarily turned the colour of the horses from white to black.

Vinta, as a result, lost, and served as a slave to Kadru. But Kadru promised that she would release Vinta from slavery if Vinta could retrieve the pot of nectar from Naglok. Vinta’s son Garuda took the task upon himself. When he succeeded in his endeavour, Indra tried to snatch the pitcher and a fight ensued. During this, nectar fell at four places, and Kumbh is celebrated at these places.

[Niyogi Books has given Fair Observer permission to publish this excerpt from The Divine Kumbh — Echoes of Eternity: Ganga, Shipra, Godavari, and Sangam, Deepak Kumar Sen, Niyogi Books, 2024.]