The Story of Kumbha Mela

The Kumbha Mela festival, which takes place in Haridwar only once every 12 years, originates from the story of the churning of the ocean by the demigods and demons to extract its elixir - the Amrit or Water of Life.


Both the demigods and demons desired immortality, which only the Water of Life could bestow. First they extracted 12 precious objects. Then the divine medicine man, Dhanwantari, emerged from the ocean with a Kumbha (pot) of Amrit (nectar).

During a quarrel over the Amrit, some drops of the elixir fell on the earth. The places where these drops landed, one of which is Haridwar, became the four sacred sites of Kumbha Mela. The Mela in Haridwar this year takes place from mid-January to mid-April, 2010.

OUR SCHEDULE:
Each day will begin with a two hour yoga class led by internationally known yoga teacher, Mark Whitwell, and other special guest teachers.

The afternoons will be spent at the Kumbha Mela, meeting wild Holy Men and Women and taking in the Bhav.
The evenings will culminate with discourse and kirtan with Shyamdas.

Shyamdas is a Vedic scholar and Bhakta who weaves ecstatic kirtan with stories and teachings from his 35 years in India. We will also experience special darshan with Swami Nityananda, lineage holder of Baba Muktananda.